09/17/2026
One of the most valuable assets we have in Appalachia—and across rural America—is already beneath our tires.
Our roads.
Especially our unpaved roads.
These routes connect communities, showcase our landscapes and create opportunities for tourism, outdoor recreation and small-business growth. What some view as forgotten backroads can become economic corridors—bringing visitors to our gas stations, restaurants, lodging properties and locally owned shops.
We do not need to pave every road to create progress. We need to preserve them, maintain them, map them and promote them responsibly.
With thoughtful stewardship, our unpaved roads can generate economic opportunity while protecting the rural character that makes our communities worth visiting in the first place.
Our backroads are more than a way to get somewhere.
They are the destination.
