Huge victory for the MST will create 11 miles of new trail

Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is excited to announce the acquisition of nearly 800 acres of land along the North River in Carteret County for the expansion of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) and to expand the existing North River Wetlands Preserve and protect water quality.

The newly acquired property will provide a critical link for the MST, eventually creating approximately 11 miles of new, off-road trail miles and greatly expanding the trail’s presence in this area.

Funding for this acquisition was made possible by the Complete the Trails Program, which was created by the North Carolina General Assembly in 2021 to support the planning and building of North Carolina’s officially designated state trails. Friends of the MST is extremely grateful for that funding source and the state’s continued investment in trails, because without that funding this acquisition would not have been possible.

Friends of the MST partnered with the North Carolina Coastal Federation to acquire this property, and the Federation was able to provide funding from the NC Land and Water Fund and also additional funds from the US Navy toward the acquisition to support military operations nearby.

Going back several years, this property has been a priority for Friends of the MST because of its out-sized impact on the trail. And while we created a plan for a trail on this property and developed a relationship with the landowner, it wasn’t until the Complete the Trails Program was created that we were able to move into active conversations about purchasing the property.

This piece of land gave us the rare opportunity to create more than 10 new miles of MST with the acquisition of one property. We also recognized the land’s conservation value and its ability to help protect our natural resources while expanding outdoor recreation access at the same time.

Currently, the MST route is entirely on roads between the Croatan National Forest and the Cedar Island Ferry, a distance of nearly 50 miles. On top of that, people wishing to complete the entire MST would have to cross the Highway 70 bridge over the North River. With the addition of this property, hikers will soon be able to walk nearly 11 miles through a protected coastal landscape instead of along roads and over the North River Bridge.

We are thankful to our partners at the NC Coastal Federation for shepherding this acquisition through to the end and are excited to see it under their stewardship as it is added to their existing North River Wetlands Preserve.

As of now, there is no set timeline for when the trail will open to the public on this property, but we’re thrilled to be moving forward on this very impactful project.