YEAR OF North Carolina Celebrates State's Diverse Landscapes

By SCOTT MCELHANEY, SUZY BETH SARVER Source of this article and other information is greattrailsnc.com.

The 2023 NC Year of the Trail celebrates North Carolina’s vast network of trails, greenways, and blueways, which showcase the state’s diverse landscapes – grand mountain vistas, quiet rivers, vibrant urban greenways, coastal forests, and the rolling hills of the piedmont.

NC Year of the Trail is the largest statewide celebration of trails and outdoor recreation in North Carolina history.

North Carolina is the Great Trails State, where each of North Carolina’s 100 counties should be able to enjoy the proven benefits of trails, including health, safety, economic development, tourism, transportation, and environment. Trails are the backbone of the state’s growing $28 billion outdoor recreation economy.

The Year of the Trail campaign reaches communities with the message of how and where to experience trails that showcase North Carolina’s beautiful landscapes, provide healthy recreation, and stimulate local economies. The NC General Assembly NC designated 2023 as NC Year of the Trail, an effort led by the Great Trails State Coalition – a broad-based group of diverse organizations, agencies, and supporters advocating for increased state investment in all types of trails statewide: Hiking, paddle, mountain biking, equestrian, and paved.

The goals for the NC Year of the Trail include: n Inspire people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to try trails. n Demonstrate the importance of trails to elected officials. n Boost outdoor recreation tourism across the state through Year of the Trail events in all 100 counties. n Promote safe and responsible use of trails, with the Outdoor NC Principles. n Advance diversity and inclusion on trails.

For more information on the NC Year of the Trail and upcoming events and activities throughout the state,

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East Coast Greenway Big Part of Coalition’s Year of the Trail Plans

With the support of the East Coast Greenway Alliance, the Great Trails State Coalition’s 2023 North Carolina Year of the Trail campaign also celebrates the East Coast Greenway.

These trails showcase the state’s diverse landscapes—including quiet rivers, vibrant urban greenways, coastal forests and the rolling hills of the Piedmont.

The East Coast Greenway features a 365-mile spine route and a 425-mile complementary coastal route. The 75-mile stretch of greenwa—from North Durham through Cary, Raleigh and Clayton-forms the longest nearly continuous stretch of the entire 3,000-mile East Coast Greenway in a metropolitan area.

In 2021, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed House Bill 130 into law, officially designating the East Coast Greenway as a unit of the North Carolina State Parks system and an official North Carolina State Trail.