THE GRACE TRAIL
STORY
THE ORIGIN OF GRACE TRAIL
Grace Trail emerged through lived experience—developed gradually through walking, reflection, and time spent in place.
Where the Practice Began
During a difficult season of her life, Anne Jolles began walking each day along the Plymouth waterfront, asking herself a simple set of questions.
The questions did not feel designed or strategic; they felt given—emerging naturally, rooted in the word GRACE.
Over time, the questions became a rhythm she returned to each day.
Anne on the Origin and Growth of Grace Trail
Where The First Trail Took Root
In 2012, while her son was deployed in combat in Afghanistan, Anne read about veterans walking the Appalachian Trail as a way of processing their experiences and finding their way home.
While her own circumstances were different, the practice of walking as a means of working through what was carried—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—resonated deeply.
It shaped a central question that would guide what came next:
"Where can people go to walk, reflect, and find their footing during hard seasons of life?"
That question led Anne to take her practice one step further. She placed five stones—each marked with one of the questions—along a beloved stretch of land and hung a simple handmade sign.
This practice took physical form along the Plymouth waterfront — what is now the Plymouth Seaside Grace Trail, the birthplace of the Grace Trail movement.
She walked the trail every day...
Others Began to Walk Too
What started as a personal practice became something shared. With community support and a grant to improve accessibility, the landscape was stewarded and opened to all.
Walkers, families, veterans, and visitors began using the trail—each bringing their own pace, story, and reason for being there.
What The Practice Has Become
What started as a simple walking practice became more than a scenic trail. Grace Trail grew into a wellbeing resource woven directly into the landscape—where nature, movement, and questions work together.
A repeatable, place-based reflection practice designed to be shared, adapted, and stewarded wherever people need space to walk, wonder, and find their footing again.
Today, what began as a single trail has grown into a network of twelve Grace Trails and counting across the country, each shaped by the community it serves.
WHAT GROWS AROUND A GRACE TRAIL
What begins as a quiet moment of reflection often expands outward. Walks become familiar. Conversations begin. People return again and again.
Over time, a Grace Trail becomes more than a path — it becomes part of the community itself.
A place people gather, care for, and take pride in.
A visible expression of shared values around wellbeing, connection, and stewardship of place.
Grace Trails are now taking root in communities across the country — each shaped by the people and landscape that bring it to life.
Wondering what Grace Trail could look like in your community?