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Construction is moving forward on a trail that will connect Route 28 with the Chesapeake and Ohio canal, and local trail groups are pitching in to help speed its completion.

The roughly three miles of trail through the Muddy Branch Stream Valley Park falls in line with a county objective to improve trail access to the canal, and will reach from Route 28 to Blockhouse Point Conservation Park in Potomac. The project is about 75 percent complete, and should be finished by late summer, according to Ben Sugar, trail volunteer coordinator for the Montgomery County Park Department.

The county is hoping to pique the interest of more trails volunteers as National Trails Day approaches on June 6. When completed, the Muddy Branch trail will be a boon for hikers and equestrians alike, Sugar said. "The idea behind this trail is not necessarily to cater to any one specific group, but to make it open to hikers, equestrians, mountain bikers, and folks just out for a walk with their dog," Sugar said.

Following an extensive planning process, work has been underway on the trail since 2006, Sugar said. Sugar organizes "work days" for trail projects, including the Muddy Branch trail, in which residents can pitch in with tasks such as pruning vegetation, removing minor tree limbs and trash removal.

A section of the trail from Route 28 to Esworthy Road is largely complete, though a section between Blockhouse Point and Esworthy Road needs the most work, Sugar said.

One group that is pitching in is the Potomac Hiking and Bridle Trails Association, which volunteers with the county on trails through parklands such as the Muddy Branch Trail. The group also works to maintain trails through equestrian easements, some first blazed in the early part of the 20th century by the fox-chasing group the Potomac Hunt.

Now based in Barnesville, the Potomac Hunt was once located on Glen Road, and has strong ties to the county's equestrian tradition. "These are trails that have been in existence for decades and decades, and they go back to the Potomac Hunt's roots in the area," said Rex Reed, president of the Potomac Hiking and Bridle Trail Association.

The group helps with trail connectivity by maintaining trails like the four-mile Travilah Loop, which runs through sections of Potomac and North Potomac and feeds into trails in county parklands. They also organize trail rides and help advertise for the county's designated work days on county trails throughout the equestrian community.

Group member Naomi Manders hailed the Muddy Branch project, saying that the added connection will make it easier for equestrians along the Potomac River to steer away from the towpath. "Many people who ride on the weekend are faced with quite a bit of traffic like bikes and dogs [along the canal], and it's not the nicest experience," Manders said. "If we have the connection to Muddy Branch trail, we basically can ride all the way up to the Horse Center and beyond."

Interest in the trail remains high, Sugar said, both among equestrians and neighbors. "Folks who live nearby [the trail] are thinking of it in terms of their neighborhood resources," Sugar said.

Work days on the Muddy Branch Trail are planned for Saturday and for National Trails Day on June 6. For more information or to sign up to volunteer online, visit www.montgomerytrails.org and click on the volunteer tab. Residents can also e-mail Ben.Sugar@montgomeryparks.org with questions.

For more information about the Potomac Bridle and Hiking Trails Association, visit www.pbhta.org.