The Great Trails State Conference

Mark your Calendar for the next Great Trails State Conference:

August 10-12, 2026

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Benton Convention Center

Thank you to our presenting sponsor!

The Great Trails State
Conference

Bringing together trail planners, designers and builders, recreational professionals, community and elected leaders, tourism partners, and others to learn and share best practices to advance trail and greenway development and promotion throughout North Carolina.

See the full Conference Resources on Whova:

Great Trails State Awards

The Coalition presented the first Great Trails State Awards to honor and recognize individuals and organizations for their contributions to trails in North Carolina.

Trail Champion Award

Secretary Reid Wilson

NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

For extraordinary support for trails through the Year of the Trail campaign, the Great Trails State brand, and as presenting sponsor for the Great Trails State

Legislative Champion Award

Representative Dean Arp

Union County

Legislative Champion Award

Representative Hugh Blackwell

Burke County

Legislative Champion Award

Senator
Brent Jackson

District 9 – Bladen, Duplin, Jones, Pender, Sampson

Local Elected Official Award

Sig Hutchinson

Wake County Board of Commissioners

Trail Blazer Award

Smith Raynor

NC State Parks

For working tirelessly behind the scenes for decades advocating for trails in North Carolina and for first advocating for a Year of the Trail campaign.

Year of the Trail Spirit Award

Beth Heile

Burke County

for shepherding the legislative process for the Year of the Trail bill and devoting a tremendous number of hours as a campaign volunteer at the state level, and for championing the Year of the Trail campaign in her area through creative events and an incredible amount of enthusiasm.

Year of the Trail Spirit Award

Mary Joan Pugh

Randolph County

For being a devoted Year of the Trail volunteer, at the state level as well as in her community, always thinking strategically about how to leverage Year of the Trail to get people, including her elected officials, on trails, and for trails to get the recognition they deserve. With her tourism development agency behind her, she organized nearly 30 events, including ribbon cuttings and ground breakings, and events for the all of the major days – First Day Outdoors, National Trails Day and Great Trails State Day, including walks and hikes and cleanups.

Year of the Trail Spirit Award

Latinos Aventureros

Latinos Aventureros, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making trails more accessible and welcoming to Latinos, built on the belief that nature is for everyone, regardless of race or cultural background. They strive to be the bridge that connects people to the outdoors and build outdoor Latino leaders, empowering their community through shared experiences. Their organization makes it possible to experience all of this within a supportive and safe community.

Recognizing that it’s not just about adventure, that it’s also about understanding the environment we all cherish and growing knowledge so we can be better stewards of the earth, this year, they are focusing on water conservation and environmental justice.

In just three years, they have:

Held 100 events for the community yearly, all free of cost, breaking down barriers and ensuring accessibility with bilingual events in Spanish and English.
Reached a total of 10,000 members this year.
Hosted adventures in 43 counties this year, significantly expanding from approximately 26 counties last year.
Began with 8 leaders in our first year, grew to 12 in the second, and now, entering our third year, we have 18 dedicated leaders. Our group is entirely Latino-led, founded by two resilient migrant Latina single moms.

The award was presented to Vivianette Ortiz, one of Latinos Aventureros’ founders.

Great Trails State Impact Award

Old Fort Trails

The Old Fort Trails Project is a prime example of what happens when local, state, federal, and nonprofit partners all work together to improve their town and communities. The Old Fort Trail Project has been referenced as a best in class example of equitable outdoor recreation economic development by the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Rural Development Toolkit, the Aspen Institute’s Community Strategies Group, and the Richmond Federal Reserve’s Rural Investment Initiative because of its forward and comprehensive vision for housing, workforce development, and local business development.

The plan originated from the G5 Trail Collective, a local trail maintenance and advocacy group that partners with the USFS. The project picked up steam when Old Fort community members embraced the idea of making the outdoors more accessible. They held community meetings to gather feedback and worked with the USFS to identify and lower barriers to national forest access.

With help from state and local partners, funds were committed, and 42 miles of trails were approved in Pisgah National Forest with over half now already built. The trails have also helped revitalize Old Fort, a town that was in decline since the loss of it’s manufacturing base. Over 12 new businesses have opened in the small town, many catering to outdoor and mountain biking visitors regularly making the trip to Old Fort to experience new trails. And McDowell Tech Community College has opened a satellite campus in Old Fort to house it’s new Trail School which will focus on sustainable trail development. It truly is Trails for All.

Partners:
- Eagle Market Street Development Corporation
- USFS
- Camp Grier/G5 Trail Collective
- West Marion Community Forum Inc
- People on the Move Old Fort
- Town of Old Fort
- McDowell County
- McDowell TDA
- State of NC

Great Trails State Impact Award

Roanoke River State Trail

The Roanoke River State Trail (RRST) is a paddle and camping trail through the largest and least disturbed bottomland hardwood forest ecosystem in the mid-Atlantic region, and perhaps the entire East Coast. Referred to as the “Amazon of North Carolina”, much of the Roanoke River corridor has been protected through the efforts of public and private agencies. RRST has hosted thousands of users from throughout the US and internationally, providing access into protected wilderness.

The Roanoke River Partners, the partner organization for the RRST, have developed the paddle trail over the past 25 years; promoted ecotourism and provided an infrastructure for local small businesses, like outfitters, throughout the entire region; and are renovating a former Rosenwald school to serve as a trailhead and interpretive center for the RRST. They have been very efficient and proactive in spending the funds for the RRST that were allocated through the Complete the Trail program. Additionally, they have involved all of the counties and municipalities along the RRST.

As a result of all of their efforts, the RRST is the first state trail in North Carolina to be completely designated. Designation is the process that officially includes a trail segment as a part of a state trail.

Great Trails State Impact Award

Table Rock Mountain

Table Rock in Linville Gorge has long been a celebrated destination for hikers and climbers. The first rock climbs here date back to the 1950s, when the US military used the sheer rock faces for training. Over the past seven decades, as rock climbing evolved into a popular outdoor activity, climbers have continually been drawn to Table Rock.

A major appeal of Table Rock is its high concentration of beginner-friendly multi-pitch routes in the southeastern United States. Many climbers come here to develop traditional climbing and multi-pitch skills and to safely navigate moderate rock terrain. This abundance of accessible routes led the North Carolina Outward Bound School to establish its Table Rock campus just ¾ mile east of the formation. Since its completion in 1967, both the campus and Table Rock itself have seen increasing popularity among both instructional and recreational climbers.

Despite heavy use, the base of the rock and access to climbing routes were previously served by an unofficial, user-created trail. This trail was not designed with sustainability in mind. To address this, Carolina Climbers Coalition, in partnership with Wild South and the Access Fund, collaborated with the Grandfather Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest to formalize the existing trail in 2020 through a NEPA process. The USFS completed the necessary environmental compliance under the National Environmental Policy Act in 2020-2021, authorizing the trail’s construction. In 2023, the

Carolina Climbers Coalition (CCC) received grants from the Access Fund, American Alpine Club, NC RTP Program, and National Forest Foundation to begin the trail construction. The CCC, along with Conservation Corps of NC, Wild South, Outward Bound, Access Fund, TAASC, local climbing gyms, and area volunteers, have been working on the trail.

Given the presence of rare species like Heller’s Blazing Star and Mountain Golden Heather, preserving the surrounding environment is crucial. The new trail alignment avoids these protected species, replacing the previously braided and unclear paths with a single, sustainably-built trail that is designed to last for generations. This new trail also enhances rescue services and accessibility.

Table Rock, accessible via the Mountains to Sea Trail, remains a favorite spot for hikers, trail runners, climbers, and outdoor enthusiasts. Each year, both first-time and seasoned climbers visit Table Rock to refine their skills and enjoy the stunning views and geological features of Linville Gorge’s most prominent natural landmark.

Great Trails State Impact Award

Little Sugar Creek Greenway

Little Sugar Creek Greenway, approximately one mile in length, serves as a living room to uptown Charlotte. It is a linear park offering wide off-road trail, plazas, fountains, storm water treatment features, abundant seating, special people places and a Trail of History featuring bronze sculptures of people who have been significant in the development of Mecklenburg County.

This reach of greenway, from East 7th Street to East Morehead Street, connects with major destinations including Atrium Carolinas Medical Center, Central Piedmont Community College and the Metropolitan, a mixed use development that includes residential, office and many retail amenities that support greenway use such as Target and Wendy’s.

Stories abound. One gentleman shared that he walks this greenway daily and he is no longer diabatic. Atrium Carolinas Medical Center staff encourages patient to use the greenway for exercise, training on public use of wheelchairs, and for mental health. Morrison Gardens, part of this linear park, is adjacent to the Levine Cancer Institute and offers a peaceful refuge for their patients. Each spring the greenway is the location for a major art festival, ArtWalk, and weddings occur at Midtown Park and St. Mary’s Chapel, an adjacent historic structure which was part of Thompson Orphanage. Robust wayfinding tells the stories of the places and people highlighted along the trail.

The community considers this section of greenway its own and approximately 350,000 trips annually are counted. Guided tours are often given for conventions and conferences in Charlotte. Students from Clemson University and others tour the greenway annually to study design, function, and development of the project.

Year of the Trail Campaign Award

Pinecone Pathways

The Pinecone Pathways program was created by the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) to celebrate the Year of the Trail in North Carolina. They partnered with Starworks, which produced 100 colorful class pinecones that were hidden along trails throughout Moore County for people to find and keep. Everyone loves a scavenger hunt, especially for something as unique as a handblown glass pinecone you couldn’t get anywhere else. They repeated the campaign this year because it was so popular, and offered great prizes including passes for the 2024 U.S. Open, and restaurant gift cards.

• We hide 100 pinecones from the First Day of Spring to Earth Day. Weekly we will give out which trails they will be hidden on through our social media channels. We do not specify how many on each trail or when they will be out, we only share that at least one will be out at some point during the week.

• For Great Trails State Day, we are doing a special Pottery Pinecone Hunt and will be hiding 30 on various trails on October 19. Phil will send out a press release on Tuesday with more details.

• People in the community created an unofficial Facebook page with over 3,000 people: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3443993705813368

• Through surveys we have found a majority of people visit our trails are from between 20 to 50 miles away, about 10% surveyed come from more than 50 miles.

• Many people have indicated they have walked over 50 miles looking for pinecones.

• We use all our municipalities so people can participate anywhere. We include a few very small park/trails that are paved so all people can have a chance to find one.

• You cannot purchase these pinecones we own the mold and do not sell them and have an agreement with Starworks that they cannot sell the pinecones.

• We have heard from people from all over the east coast inquire about our program.

As for economic impact, it would be purely anecdotal. We gather where visitors are from based on them registering their pinecone.

Promotionally, we only spend to boost social media posts through the Carolinas, so we know the program is reaching people and the campaign has been getting exposure from word of mouth and from earned media in the form of blogs, social media influencers and traditional media (TV, print, etc.).

Year of the Trail Campaign Award

Wake County

Wake County jumped into the Year of the Trail campaign with tremendous commitment and energy, creating a dedicated webpage, promoting a series of creative and engaging events and some really great swag. They developed a printable trail tracker for people to check off all of the trails in the county (and a template we borrowed for partners across the state to use). We loved the energy created for trails through Wake County’s Year of the Trail campaign!

Topics will include:

trail planning, design, and construction strategies,
partnerships,
how to work with elected leaders,
tourism strategies,

economic impacts of trails and creating outdoor economies based on trails,
trail safety,
data,
and more, along with field trips and social events.

We will also convene regional roundtables and hold our first in person Cities, Towns and Counties for Trails meeting.

Topics will include:

Impact (Economic, Environmental, Health, Data)
Funding: Opportunities and Strategies
Trail Planning, Design & Construction: Best Practices
Management (Operations, Maintenance, Monitoring/Assessment)

Promotion & Programming (Trail Tourism, Community Engagement)
Technology / Innovation
Advocacy & Leadership
and more, along with field trips and social events.

Professional Trail Builders Track:

Trail Contracting
Optimized Facilities for Mountain Bikes
Trail Project Life Cycle
Trail Surfacing

Keynote speaker

Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle

Our keynote speaker is Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, who is an enrolled citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and award-winning author of Even As We Breathe. Annette, who committed to getting on a trail every day during NC Year of the Trail, will speak about the importance of trails to her personally, her family and her community.

Co-hosted by

Where?

Winston-Salem is a central location in North Carolina as well as a leader in creating trails with many outdoor opportunities in the city and nearby. The newly renovated Benton Center features excellent space in the Center of Winston-Salem’s downtown, adjacent to accommodations, local businesses, the Downtown Arts District, Fourth Street’s Restaurant Row, craft breweries, and more.

301 W 5th St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101

Sponsorship
Opportunities

We are seeking sponsors!
Join with natural allies and be a part of educating for a better future for North Carolina.

Why sponsor the Great Trails State Conference?

Demonstrate your organization’s commitment to advancing healthy, prosperous, and sustainable communities through trail and greenway development.
Connect with attendees and regional member organizations who are working together to leverage their resources to develop trails and greenways.
Further develop your organization’s brand awareness with an influential community of public and private sector leaders.

Details about different sponsorship levels are below.

Please contact Palmer McIntyre (pmcintyre@piedmontland.org) for more information.

Thank you for your consideration!