It’s the Year of the Trail for NC State Parks and we are excited to see that other members of the outdoor community have taken the theme in stride!

If you’re not too far from Morganton, make sure check out the Discover Burke Trails Day! at the Municipal Auditorium, Mar. 11. This event is for all ages and will include food trucks, an inflatable obstacle course, and different exhibitors and presenters. Also, Foothills Conservancy of NC will have a guided hike at the Oak Hill Community Park and Forest on Mar. 10.

Here at Lake James State Park, we are hosting the first ever Paddy’s Creek Challenge. This three-day event is for all ages and will include prizes. “We want to encourage people to get outdoors and go hiking and biking in an attempt to complete as much of the nearly 30 miles of trails in the Paddy’s Creek Access as they can,” said event organizer, Ranger Robert Townsend.

Later this Spring, on April 15th and 16th Park Rangers will be leading guided hikes on the Overmountain Victory Trail and the Fonta Flora State Trail.

If you’re on the other side of Lake James, the McDowell Trails Association has a full schedule of hikes, cycling events, and clean-ups. A few of their upcoming events include the Spring Trail/Greenway Clean-up, Mar. 25, a hike on the Fonta Flora State Trail, Apr. 1 and the Rock-n- Roller Cycling Event in Old Fort, Apr. 29.

If you happen to not be near our lovely lake for the events above don’t fear! Across North Carolina, the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and The Great Trails State Coalition will be hosting different trail days and other fun events throughout the year.

CHECK OUT THESE LINKS FOR MORE INFO & EVENTS!

Burke County: https://www.discoverburkecounty.com/events/discover-burke-trails-day

Foothills Conservancy of NC: https://www.foothillsconservancy.org/volunteer

McDowell Trails Association: https://mcdowelltrails.org/YOTT2023/

The Great Trails State Coalition: https://greattrailsnc.com/events/

Lake James State Park: https://www.ncparks.gov/state-parks/lake-james-state-park/events-list

NC State Parks: https://www.ncdcr.gov/programs-services/featured-programs/path/year-trail/trail-days