Remembering Ranger Tyrone
From creating new trails to leading regular hikes around Arabia for years, DeKalb Ranger Tyrone Burkette inspired anyone and everyone with his love of nature and people.
DeKalb County Ranger Tyrone Burkette had a big impact on a lot of people in his 79 years, in particular in our National Heritage Area. In 2001, after stumbling upon Arabia Mountain, he started volunteering as a regular trail guide at the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve. Not long after this, he also began creating new soft trails and paths around the preserve. Today, many of the NHA’s most popular soft (or unpaved) trails can be traced back to Burkette and his volunteers, including the Forest Trail behind the Nature Center going down to Arabia Lake (Burkette’s first) and the Meadow Loop Trail by Vaughters’ Farm.
On December 28, 2024, Ranger Tyrone (as most knew him) passed away after a year-long struggle with cancer. He is gone but not forgotten, with an annual Superbowl Hike (which he created) held in his honor and an internship. Click here to learn more about this inspirational Heritage Area figure and here to learn about his 2024 memorial.