HORSE CAVE, Ky. — A regional trails organization marked a milestone Thursday in its effort to develop the proposed John Muir Legacy Trail through southcentral Kentucky.

Cave Country Trails celebrated the placement of the first John Muir Legacy Trail sign in downtown Horse Cave near Hidden River Cave.

The sign installation was completed through a partnership involving Horse Cave/Hart County Tourism and the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet’s Trail Town Program.

The broader project aims to identify, promote and eventually connect locations traveled by renowned naturalist and writer John Muir during his 1867 journey from Indianapolis to the Gulf of Mexico.

According to organizers, Muir traveled through several Kentucky communities during that trip, including Louisville, Elizabethtown, Munfordville, Horse Cave, Mammoth Cave, Park City and Burkesville. His writings from the journey documented the region’s landscapes and natural features.

Planning efforts for the trail are being led by Russell Clark, a landscape architect with the National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program, which is providing master planning support for the project.

Organizers said the proposed trail system would focus on connecting communities while highlighting outdoor recreation opportunities, local history and tourism assets across the region.

Project plans include the development of cycling and walking routes, connections to national park sites and public outreach efforts centered on trail safety and local historical education.

The proposal also envisions linking destinations such as Mammoth Cave National Park, Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park and Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.

Organizers said the project could create tourism, educational and economic opportunities for communities along the route while also exploring potential future Scenic Byway or National Historic Trail designations.

Cave Country Trails is a regional nonprofit organization focused on developing multi-use trails across south-central Kentucky.