For the uninitiated, National Trails Day is the first Saturday of June, and has been for at least three decades. Sponsored by the American Hiking Society, it’s a chance for us to officially celebrate the trails — hiking, biking, paddling, horsing around, whatever — that we unofficially celebrate every day. In the beginning, NTD was seen primarily as a day to blaze new trail and tidy up existing trail. There’s still a lot of that, but more and more it’s become a celebration of hiking, biking, paddling — of simply enjoying the trail.

There are hundreds of events nationwide in observance of National Trails Day, including 16 in North Carolina and 14 in Virginia. You can find a rundown of all North Carolina events here, all Virginia events here. Use the search function to find an event near you. Learn more about National Trails Day in general here.

Some highlights:

North Carolina

NC Trail Days in Elkin

Elkin

June 1-June 4

Elkin, located n the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, is North Carolina’s trail town and it takes the distinction seriously, especially come National Trails Day. Predictably, there are guided hikes throughout the region, from the MST to the Sauratown Trail to Stone Mountain, and guided paddle trips, too. There’s also live music, presentations, a quilt show … . Find the complete rundown here.

Year of the Trail Weekend Festival in Elizabeth City/Great Dismal Swamp

Elizabeth City

June 2-4

While Elkin celebrates the mountains, Elizabeth City celebrates the Great Dismal Swamp with paddle trips at Merchants Millpond, Sawyer’s Creek and Charles Creek; bike rides on the Dismal Swamp Canal Trail and on a network of roads penetrating the Great Dismal; and hikes at Merchants Millpond, Dismal Swamp State Park and in Elizabeth City. Learn more here.

Virginia

Troutville Trail Days

Troutville

June 3

An officially designated Appalachian Trail Trail Town, Troutville celebrates “all of the outdoor recreation the region has to offer.” That includes guided hikes on the AT and tubing, as well as music, artisans and an array of vendors. Learn more here.

Mile-a-Minute Invasive Plant Pull on Wild Oak Trail

Hankey Mountain 

This event involves running/hiking/biking/horseback riding on the Wild Oak National Recreation Area to the summit of Hankey Mountain to rid the area of the invasive Mile-a-Minute plant. Brink garden or work gloves, pants and a long-sleeve shirt recommended. Learn more here.

Lots of options. Get out and enjoy!

The post National Trails Day: (Like you need a reason to get out) appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Not when you love the outdoors and 2023 happens to be Year of the Trail in North Carolina.

As I’ve mentioned over the last couple of months, next year has been deemed Year of the Trail in North Carolina and there’s going to be a lot going on. For starters, the State Legislature in 2022 allocated $29.15 million in funding for the Complete the Trails Fund. That money will fund State Trail projects as well as projects deemed :shovel-ready” — that is, the land has been purchased and the trail designed; all that’s needed now is the money to build it. Expect a lot of “Excuse our Mess” signs out in the woods next year.

Activity-wise, the Great Trails State Coalition, a non-profit created to promote North Carolina trails in 2023 and beyond, hopes to see a trail-related event — hike, bike ride, paddle trip, horseback ride — conducted in all 100 North Carolina counties in 2023. And the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is working up a full slate of fun as well, including programs through their PATH — or Parks and Trails for Health — program. But it’s another Department of Natural and Cultural Resources program that has me suggesting you get out your 2023 calendar (or buy one in the first place).

Big adventures in smaller places

Hometown Strong is an initiative of Gov. Roy Cooper that works with the state’s 80 rural counties to boost their prosperity. In general, communities identify problems they need help with — from modernizing their websites to overhauling their water treatment systems — and Hometown Strong’s policy analysts work to help them solve those problems, in large part by helping them find available funding. 

Sometimes, though, it works in reverse. In the case of Year of the Trail, Hometown Strong identified 11 communities with unheralded — or underheralded — recreational resources, and is working with those communities to shine a light on said resources. This will take place in 2023 in the form of trail day weekends celebrating these resources with street fairs and guided hikes and trips. This is where you get out your 2023 calendar to jot down the following trail festival dates:

• February 17-19 — Elizabethtown
• March 24-26 — Morganton
• April 22-23 — Eden
• May 12-14 — Sanford
• June 2-4 — Old Fort
• June 2-4 — Elizabeth City
• September 15-17 — Swansboro
• October 15-17 — Robbinsville

Other communities with dates yet to be determined are West Jefferson, Edenton, and Shelby.

With the possible exceptions of Morganton and Old Fort, you may be looking at this list and wondering: I’ve never heard of some of these places. Who on Earth put this list together? 

I did.

Elizabethtown? Eden?

In July, I was brought aboard Hometown Strong as an ecotourism advisor. It’s a dream assignment because in my 30 years of writing about the outdoors in the Southeast, and my 10 years of guiding trips, I’ve been all about uncovering the state’s hidden gems. From the state parks less visited (Medoc Mountain), to the back entrances to popular spots (the Longbottom Access to Doughton Park), to the places you might not think to visit unless you think about the right time to visit (the Great Dismal Swamp, in the dead of winter).

Basically, the places best accessed through the towns Hometown Strong will celebrate in 2023.

But … Elizabethtown? you ask.

You bet, Elizabethtown! (For those of you scratching your head, Elizabethtown is in the Coastal plain, southeast of Fayetteville.)

For starters, the Mountains-to-Sea runs through Elizabethtown. The area is also home to Jones Lake and Singletary Lake state parks, as well as Turnbull Creek Educational State Forest. There’s also Bay Tree Lake State Natural Area, Bladen Lakes State Forest, the Suggs Mill Pond Game Lands. There’s at least 70 miles of hiking in the area, through pine savannah, bay forest and more. On a cool and sunny winter’s day, you can’t find a better place to hike.

And Eden? I don’t even know where that is?

It’s north of Greensboro, near the Virginia line. It’s also where we recently relocated to, in part because of the varied outdoor opportunities. (I can be on the Smith or Dan rivers in less than 10 minutes after getting a hankering to paddle.) And where hikes such as the one in Mayo River State Park take you to surprising finds such as Deshazo Falls, pictured above.

Through the end of this year, I’ll be taking you to the 11 communities we will celebrate in 2023. I’ll provide an overview of the activities and a hint of the event itself (a “hint” because some won’t be fully conceptualized until after the first of the year).

Truly, the Great Trails State

In fact, some of you may even scoff at the notion of North Carolina as the “Great Trails State.”

For starters, there’s the 1,175-mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail, the 300 miles of the Appalachian Trail (some of which we share with Tennessee); The Great Smoky Mountains National Park with its 800 miles of trail (again, we share some with Tennessee), the Blue Ridge Parkway, known for  its scenic pavement but with 369 miles of trail (some of which is in Virginia), the Art Loeb Trail, the Neusiok Trail, the Bartram Trail, the Benton MacKaye Trail, the Foothills Trail … .

Perhaps even more impressive is everything that’s to come. There’s the 159 trail projects identified by the Great Trails State Coalition as waiting to come out of the ground. There’s the Fonta Flora State Trail, which is seemingly growing by the month and will one day link Morganton and Asheville. There’s the 40-mile Northern Peaks State Trail, the northern terminus for which will likely break ground in 2023 on Paddy Mountain near West Jefferson. There’s footbridge construction in the works that will result in a 12-mile continuous stretch of the MST near Elizabethtown, resulting in one of the longest completed stretches of the MST east of Smithfield. 

Trails are in demand in North Carolina and the money to build them is becoming available. That’s thanks in part to the State Legislature and its visionary Complete the Trails Fund. But also to the communities, especially the smaller ones, willing to allocate often sparse resources to create trails. Those communities are the ones we will celebrate in 2023.

So, again, mark your calendars.

 * * *

Resources

• Great Trails State Coalition. You can find additional information on Year of the Trail here; you’ll find even more when it posts its calendar listing all events planned for the year.
• Parks and Trails for Health. This program through the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is a new initiative intended to promote physical activity in the state’s parks, greenways and other outdoor spaces. Find information about those activities and, in 2023, Year of the Trail events here.

The post Year of the Trail: Start Marking Your 2023 Calendar appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

The headline says it all. Without further adieu … .

Coast

Last year we drove through Elizabeth City on the way to New Jersey. We stopped, walked around for about an hour, wished we had more time. We vowed to look for a reason to return, a reason such as this Saturday, when there’s not one, but two walks, both of which provide an opportunity to explore Elizabeth City, stretch your legs and help a good cause.

The Great Strides 4th Annual Walk for a Cure for Cystic Fibrosis is billed as a “leisurely” 2-mile walk at Charles Creek Park. The leisurely is underscored by the fact the walk is from 9 a.m. until noon. The incentive is underscored by the fact there’s free locally handmade pizza for lunch. Call 252-340-5425 or email curecf4reilly@hotmail.com for more information.

Meanwhile, down at Waterfront Park, the Waterway 5K Run/Walk will take walkers — and runners, if you so choose to be — down Rivershore Road to River Road and back. Registration begins at 6:30 a.m., the 5K at 8 a.m. (there’s also a 10K, which also goes at 8 a.m.) $25 for the 5K, $35 for the 10K. More info here.

Piedmont

We don’t often get to invoke the, The-Weekend-Technically-Begins-Friday-at-5 Rule, but we do this weekend.

Start your weekend off Friday evening at Jordan Lake paddling “the sub impoundment” — a k a Weaver Creek — off Beaver Creek Road / SR 1008, three miles south of U.S. 64 (just past Pea Ridge Road). Ranger Steve McMurray leads this paddle, which should take in a fair amount of wildlife including, if you’re lucky, bald eagles. Bring your own binos; all paddling gear is provided (though if you’ve got your own canoe/kayak, you’re welcome to bring it). Paddle begins at 6 p.m. and will run until 8 p.m.

More info: Call Ranger McMurray at 919.362.0586, ext 244, or email him at steve.mcmurray@ncdenr.gov It’s free, but preregistration is requested.

Mountains

It’s a two-fer this weekend as well at Mount Jefferson State Natural Area near the twin cities of Jefferson/West Jefferson.

Saturday, there’s an Underground Railroad Hike exploring the role Mount Jefferson played in helping slaves escape to the north in the 1800s. That program starts at 2 p.m. at the picnic area.

At 2 p.m. Sunday, at the 2nd Overlook, there’s a Vista Viewing program. Check out three states “while learning the oral tradition associated with Mount Jefferson and its surrounding mountains.”

Both programs are free. Go here for more info.

* * *

Those are GGNC’s thoughts for an active weekend. Find out other ways you can get out this weekend by browsing our super calendar, a collection of events calendars from throughout the state, below.

Coast

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

Crystal Cost Tourism Authority
Comprehensive calendar focusing on the Crystal Coast. Good source for programs offered by N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Lookout National Park, N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve and other costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

Blue Ridge Outdoors
Searchable calendar lets you extend your reach to events throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast (or you can just limit it to North Carolina). Also lets you search a boatload of categories, ranging from Hiking, Mountain Biking and Climbing to Trail Running, Triathlon and Road Walking.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Todd’s Calendar

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triad

GoTriad.com
Comprehensive calendar includes a Sports & Recreation category.

Piedmont Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triangle

Triangle.com
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including: Birding, Boating, Cycling, Nature, Rec & Wellness, Recreation, Running, Swimming, Tennis, Yoga.

Carolina Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Statewide

Office of Environmental Education
One calendar for the numerous Environmental Education Centers statewide.

North Carolina State Parks
Lets you search for programs at the state’s parks, recreation areas and natural areas by location, by month, by topic. To reach the calendar from the home page, click on “Education,” then “Fun & Free Programs at Parks.”

National Forests in North Carolina
From the home page, click on Carolina Connections for news updates on the state’s four national forests as well as hints on recreational opportunities and a detailed rundown of recreation areas and the amenities at each.

The post This weekend: walk the coast, paddle the Piedmont, get educated in the mountains appeared first on GetGoing NC!.