State Trails in North Carolina
State Trails in North Carolina
A Carolina Paddler Article
By Gretchen Smith
-The recent authorization of the Haw River State Trail has generated interest in state trails and what it means to be a state trail. State Trails are part of the North Carolina State Parks system, which consists of state parks, state recreation areas, state natural areas, state lakes, state rivers, and state trails. The NC State Parks system, known as the Division of Parks & Recreation, started out in 1915 with Mount Mitchell as the first state park. The system has grown into hundreds of thousands of acres of public areas attracting millions of visitors each year. State rivers were created as part of the system with the passage by the NC General Assembly of the “Natural and Scenic Rivers Act of 1971”, with the New River and the Linville River being the first rivers added to the state parks system in 1976. State trails became a new unit of the system in 1973 with the passage by the NC General Assembly of the “North Carolina Trails System Act”, with the French Broad River State Trail being the first state trail added to the system in 1987.
As of 2023, there are now 15 State Trails with the recent addition of the Haw River State Trail, the Equine State Trail, and the Saluda Grade Trail. To become a state trail, the trail must be authorized by the NC General Assembly. According to NC State Parks, “A state trail is a linear corridor on land or water, separated from vehicular traffic, providing public access for non-motorized recreation or transportation…These trails offer opportunities for regional connectivity and public access to some of North Carolina’s most significant and scenic landscapes.” Although state trails are units of the NC State Parks system, a state trail consists of multiple sections and each section is built and managed by a government agency, nonprofit organization, or private landowner.
State trails can be land-based trails, paddle trails (also known as blueways or water trails), or a combination of land-based and paddle trails. There are currently 8 land trails, 4 paddle trails, and 3 combination land and paddle trails. These 15 State Trails include:
Dan River State Trail – paddle trail
Deep River State Trail – land and paddle trail
East Coast Greenway State Trail – land trail
Fonta Flora State Trail – land trail
French Broad River State Trail – paddle trail
Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail – land trail
Mountains-to-Sea State Trail – land trail
Northern Peaks State Trail – land trail
Overmountain Victory State Trail – land trail
Roanoke River State Trail – paddle trail
Wilderness Gateway State Trail – land and paddle trail
Yadkin River State Trail – paddle trail
The three new trails will be added to the State Trails web page once each has finalized their partner organization.
Equine State Trail (new) (land trail)
Haw River State Trail (new) (land and paddle trail)
Saluda Grade Trail (new) (land trail)
So what does it mean for a trail to be a State Trail? State trails are expected to adhere to and maintain sustainable trail design and construction standards. State trails require effective partnerships of diverse groups working together to build and maintain a showcase regional network that provides trail users an exceptional experience and trail communities a valuable natural asset. State trails could be thought of as the “best of the best” – regional trail networks that showcase the best scenic, historic, cultural and natural resources in our state that should be conserved for future generations and managed for sustainability though good stewardship.
- Gretchen Smith is President of Friends of Lower Haw River State Natural Area
Sources:
History of the North Carolina State Park System by Alan Eakes, Lewis Ledford, and Ron Reuter, 2011 https://files.nc.gov/ncparks/37/NC-State-Parks-History.pdf
NC Trails website of North Carolina State Parks https://trails.nc.gov/state-trails