The first annual NC Trail Days, a multi-day festival celebrating the great outdoors, the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and other local trails, plus the great trail communities in Surry and Yadkin Counties will be held May 31 through June 2, 2019. Trail Days is based in the small trail town of Elkin, NC, in the western Foothills in the Yadkin Valley, with activities and adventures spanning a much larger region. Most activities are free, though many require registration in advance. We’ve been advised that spots are filling up fast, so hop to it so you won’t be disappointed. Many Friends have visited Elkin when we held our 2017 and 2018 Gathering of Friends in the area, and have really enjoyed their time in town and on the trails. Take a peek at what’s in store in this video.
Bikes, boats and boots will be out in full force through the weekend, exploring the many ways to experience all the types of trails in the area. Spend the weekend with trail lovers from all North Carolina on guided hikes and paddles, at the Five Point Film Festival, munching on a low-country boil and tapping your feet to music at the Trail Days Gathering, learning from outdoor oriented exhibitors and non-profits, enjoying kid’s events, hearing guest speakers, hustling through a 5k trail run at Stone Mountain State Park, noshing and sipping from food trucks/beer garden on Main Street, stepping back in time at the Overmountain Victory Trail Revolutionary War encampment, taking part in mountain bike and bikepacking clinics, demos and rentals and so much more… Whew! Check out NCTrailDays.com for the whole schedule and more information.
Friends of the MST’s executive director, Kate Dixon, will be speaking on Saturday afternoon from 2:30 to 3:30 at the Heritage & Trails Visitor Center, along with two trail completers, Kimberly Brookshire, the first woman to yo-yo hike the trail (4:30 – 5:30 pm), and Kenny Capps who ran the trail in 2018 while raising money for multiple myeloma awareness (from 1-2 pm). Betsy Brown, Friend’s Outreach Manager, will also be there, manning an MST booth at the Main Street Exhibitors Village from 10-4 on Saturday. We’ve heard that many folks are coming, so please stop by.
Elkin is at the confluence of the MST, the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail and the Yadkin River Paddle Trail, and is also located between Stone Mountain and Pilot Mountain State Parks. The Yadkin River flows through the heart of the downtown, making this area a wonderful host for the first of many Trail Days to come. We look forward to celebrating the beautiful Foothills region, the network of trails and the great community spirit that makes this area so special.
