North Carolina has many nicknames, but one of my favorites is the Great Trails State. We got that nickname in 1973 when the general assembly passed the NC Trails System Act. Besides creating the Trails Program and Trails Committee, the act envisioned a network of state trails within the larger state park system.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the act, the North Carolina assembly named 2023 the Year of the Trail. The designation has inspired a whole year’s worth of celebrations and festivities.

Jeff Yockel, the director of one of those festivities, reached out to me and asked me to share the announcement for the 4th annual North Carolina Trail Days Festival. You’ll find it below.

NC Trail Days Festival

Join us this spring for the fourth annual North Carolina Trail Days Festival, a multi-day festival celebrating the great outdoors, the NC Mountains-to-Sea Trail, and our local trails!

This year the festivities coincide with National Trails Days and “The Year of the Trail.” These designations, along with the inclusion of the surrounding Trail Towns such as Jonesville, Stone Mountain, and Pilot Mountain, make this year’s celebration an event not to miss.

Originally started four years ago as the brainchild of the Elkin Valley Trails Association, our festival celebrates the extensive hiking, rafting, running, and horseback riding trails through the western Foothills of the Yadkin Valley wine region. Bring your bikes, boats, and boots to enjoy the weekend on our many trails.

We have plenty of exciting things for you to enjoy during the festival weekend, including guided hikes, self-guided hikes, paddles, floats, documentary films on our Trails and Rivers in NC, an Arts and History Trail, outdoor-oriented exhibitors and non-profits, kid’s events, tons of live music, food trucks, beer and wine, and so much more!

Even if you’ve been to the festival in the past, this year offers new trail additions and extensions. To that point, we are officially opening a new trail that weekend with the help of NC Dignitaries to help us cut the ribbon. This is a big deal!

Your participation, and that of our local town and neighbors, as well as ‘Explore Elkin,’ along with other generous supporters of many of the festival’s activities, continues to make the North Carolina Trail Days Festival an ongoing annual event.

So blaze a trail this spring in Elkin, NC, at our fourth annual North Carolina Trail Days Festival. The four-day event takes place June 1-4, 2023. To see all of our planned events, please click here.

We hope to see you there!

Elkin is one of my favorite spots! We went a couple of years ago to tour some of the hiking trails. I was blown away by the area’s beauty. I hope to make it back for the North Carolina Trail Days Festival. Is anyone else planning to attend?