Don’t miss out!
Sign up for the Partner News
to keep up to date on upcoming sessions.
Looking for a recording?
Jump to our section of recorded past presentations
Cities, Towns, & Counties for Trails
VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS
A&Y Greenway | Guilford County
Welcome to the The Great Trails State Coalition Virtual Sessions!
Enjoy live educational sessions with expert speakers, and a library of presentations from past recordings.
Upcoming Live Sessions
January 13, 2026
Engaging Communities in The Seam: Stitching Communities Together
Curtis Bridges, AICP, Planning Project Coordinator, Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization
Matt Weschler, PE, LEED ND, Senior Associate, Studio Leader |LandDesign.com
John Cock, AICP
Transportation Planning Group Leader | Principal Bolton & Menk, Inc.
Building on the Mooresville-Charlotte Trail study and NC Great Trails State Plan, The Seam will be a 60+ mile trail from South Carolina to Statesville, NC, that enhances regional connectivity. This interactive session will review the goals of the Seam and seek feedback for ongoing planning efforts.
February 10, 2026
The Intersection of NCDOT’s Prioritization Process and Trail Projects
Gretchen Belk, Strategic Prioritization Office (SPOT) Manager with NC DOT and
Sarah Lee, Strategic Prioritization Office (SPOT) Senior Transportation Engineer, NC DOT
Understanding how trails fit into North Carolina’s transportation planning framework is key to securing funding and advancing projects. Join us to demystify the state’s Prioritization Process —the data-driven system used to determine transportation investment priorities. Attendees will gain insight into how trail and greenway projects can compete for funding within this process, learn about recent updates to SPOT scoring, and explore best practices for aligning trail planning with local and regional transportation priorities.
Recordings of Past Presentations
Index:
- Great Trails State Year-End Impacts & Updates
- Designing Your Waterway Adventure: Promising Practices for Building Paddle Trails: Ben Rippe, Chatham County Parks and Rec and Ward Swann, Yadkin River State Trail Coordinator
- Ready to Design a Greenway? Best Practices: Iona Thomas, McAdams and Jimmy Prestwood, McAdams
- Resilient and Sustainable Trail Infrastructure: Kim Williams, Alta Planning & Design and Lucy Crown, City of Asheville
- America250 efforts in NC: Discover and tell Revolutionary War history through trails: Chelsea Keifer, America250
- Trails: An Outdoor Economy’s Essential Element: Allison Smith, Made x Mountains and Marc Wilken, PA Wilds
- Gear Up for Great Trails State Day: Nina Machnowski, The Backslope and Great Trails State Digital Engagement Coordinator
- The Power of Youth Driven Trail Advocacy: Brian Russell, Chelle Frost, Leonard Vanhoose – North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League
- Greensboro Downtown Greenway: Public Private Partnerships for Success & Impact: Dabney Sanders, Action Greensboro and Chelsea Phipps, Greensboro Parks & Recreation
- Using Visitation Statistics to Show Economic Impact: Beth Heile, Burke River Trail Association
- Trail Safety: An Overview of Greensboro’s Rescue Marker Program: Elizabeth Jernigan, Greensboro Parks & Recreation and Andy Jones, Greensboro Fire Department
- Resurrecting White Oak Creek Greenway with Strategic Partnerships: Paul Kuhn, Town of Cary, Jason Philbin, PermaTrak, and Jeff Moore, Kimley-Horne
- AARP Walk Audit: Carol Hoover, AARP Volunteer
- Trails of All Types: Will Washam and Jeromy Wegrzyn, McAdams
- Telling the Story with Trail Data: Jane Love, Carolina Thread Trail, and Steve Bert, NCSU
- Green Infrastructure, Soft Surfaces and Nature Preserves: Chuck Flink, Greenways, Inc.
- Why Trails are Important in My Community: Hear From Local Elected Officials: Sig Hutchinson, former Wake County Commissioner, Hope Haywood, Randolph County Commissioner, Maureen Copelof, Mayor, Town of Brevard, and Amy Ryan, Mayor Pro-Tem, Town of Chapel Hill
- Building Visitor itineraries Based Around your Trails: Simon Jones and Carol Kline, Uplift Tourism
- Trails, Towns, and Stewardship: How Outdoor NC is Promoting Responsible Trail Tourism: Amanda Baker, Outdoor NC and Bobby Chappell, Tourism Impact Services
Great Trails State Year-End Impacts & Updates
2025 was a fabulous year for the Coalition! Check-out the legislative updates, membership growth, and impact stories from Great Trails State Day—along with new data on grants, regional gatherings, and statewide social media reach. You’ll also hear the latest on Coalition governance and get a first look at what’s ahead in 2026, including the Great Trails State Conference.
Designing Your Waterway Adventure: Promising Practices for Building Paddle Trails
Ben Rippe, Trails and Open Space Planner, Chatham County Parks and Recreation
Ward Swann, Yadkin River State Trail Coordinator
Building a paddle trail is more than mapping a route—it’s about creating safe, accessible, and environmentally responsible experiences on the water. This session has key steps from design to signage, partnerships, and long-term maintenance, giving you the tools to turn a waterway into a paddling destination.
Ready to Design a Greenway? Best Practices
Iona Thomas, Chief Strategy Officer, McAdams
Jimmy Prestwood, Engineer, McAdams
New to greenway design and don’t know where to start? This session highlights design criteria (greenway width, longitudinal slopes, cross slope, cut/fill slopes, safety rail warrants), structures considerations (type, siting, loading requirements), drainage considerations, long-term maintenance considerations, and interaction with park amenities.
America250 efforts in NC: Recommendations for how best to discover and tell Revolutionary War history through trails
Chelsea Keifer, America250
America250 has compiled upcoming milestones and opportunities to get engaged and ensure that all Americans can find ways to commemorate this historic moment in our nation’s history!
Resilient and Sustainable Trail Infrastructure
Asheville’s Post-Helene Recovery Work with Lucy Crown, the City of Asheville
Resilient and Sustainable Trail Infrastructure with Kimberly Williams, Alta Planning + Design, Inc.
Trails: An Outdoor Economy's Essential Element
Allison Smith, Made x Mountains
Marc Wilken, PA Wilds
Explore ways trails have catalyzed economic development and local entrepreneurism in West Virginia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania
The Power of Youth Driven Advocacy
Brian Russell, Chelle Frost, Leonard Vanhoose
North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League
Gear Up for Great Trails State Day
Nina Machnowski, Digital Engagement Coordinator for Great Trails NC (The Backslope)
Using Visitation Statistics to Show Economic Impact
Beth Heile, Burke River Trail Association
Greensboro Downtown Greenway: Public Private Partnerships for Success & Impact
Dabney Sanders, Action Greensboro
Chelsea Phipps, Greensboro Parks & Recreation
Trail Safety: An Overview of Greensboro’s Rescue Marker Program
Elizabeth Jernigan, Greensboro Parks & Recreation
Andy Jones, Greensboro Fire Department
Resurrecting White Oak Creek Greenway with Strategic Partnerships
Paul Kuhn, Town of Cary
Jason Philbin, PermaTrak
Jeff Moore, Kimley-Horne
Telling the Story with Trail Data
Jane Love, Carolina Thread Trail
Steve Bert, NCSU
Green Infrastructure, Soft Surface Trails, and Nature Preserves
Chuck Flink, Greenways, Inc.
Sponsored by
Why Trails are Important in My Community: Hear From Local Elected Officials
Sig Hutchinson, former Wake County Commissioner
Hope Haywood, Randolph County Commissioner
Maureen Copelof, Mayor, Town of Brevard
Amy Ryan, Mayor Pro-Tem, Town of Chapel Hill
Building Visitor itineraries Based Around your Trails
Simon Jones and Carol Kline, Uplift Tourism
It’s a lot of work to plan, develop, and maintain a trail. In this session, we will provide a primer on creating visitor itineraries (based around your trails) to maximize the trail’s economic impact in your community. Best practices include creating itineraries, including setting your theme, your stops and transitions as well as ways to make them useful for visitors.
Trails, Towns, and Stewardship: How Outdoor NC is Promoting Responsible Trail Tourism
Amanda Baker, Outdoor NC
Bobby Chappell, Tourism Impact Services
Trails connect us to nature, culture, history, and community. This informative session will focus on destination stewardship, accessible outdoor recreation, responsible travel, and how these concepts help trail towns of all shapes and sizes reimagine the purpose of tourism. Outdoor NC Trail Town Stewardship Program enhances the cultural, economic, and environmental benefits of trails for local communities across the state of North Carolina.