“The trails movement is just beginning,” said Palmer McIntyre, coordinator of Year of the Trail in NC and leader of the Great Trails State Coalition.

She was joined yesterday at a celebration in Raleigh by Gov. Roy Cooper, N.C. House Rep. Dean Arp; Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Reid Wilson; Department of Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins, and Year of the Trail partners, sponsors and trail advocates from across the state.

In this release:

Deep River State Trail at Franklinville Access via Piedmont Legacy Trails and HeartofNorthCarolina.com

Raleigh, N.C. (March 12, 2024) - After hosting the largest celebration of trails in America, North Carolina’s Great Trails State Coalition announced plans yesterday in Raleigh, N.C. to continue building trail awareness and funding. They received strong support from a bipartsian group of state and local lawmakers.

“North Carolina’s array of beautiful trails and natural lands is an integral part of our state’s identity,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “We must fight to preserve and protect these areas so that people across the state can continue to enjoy all that North Carolina’s green spaces have to offer.”

"North Carolina has been blessed with an abundance of natural resources—from our mountains to our coast—that have been or will be developed for use in outdoor recreation," said Rep. Dean Arp. "It’s important that we act as good stewards of those natural resources to see that they are used to increase quality of life and strengthen communities all across the state."

NEW BRAND AND LOGO

To strengthen North Carolina quality of life through trails this year and beyond, the Great Trails State Coalition launched a new brand for North Carolina yesterday: North Carolina Is The Great Trails State

“North Carolina is The Great Trails State because our citizens and visitors are always close to a great trail experience. Our vast network of trails showcases our diverse and beautiful landscapes and communities,” McIntyre explains. 

More Opportunities in 2024

“In the coming months, we’re inviting people to experience trails” McIntyre says. “We’ll help them find those trails. We’ll continue educating citizens and elected leaders about the value of trails–from economic development and increased tourism to health and mental well-being.” Other offerings include:

Blown-glass ornaments made by artists at Starworks in Star, NC (near Pinehurst) will be hidden along Moore County trails. If a hiker finds one, the individual can keep it and vie for other prizes.

In 2023, the coalition secured funding for a new $25 million Great Trails State Grant Program while the North Carolina General Assembly invested a total of  $54.9 million dollars in trails and greenways, an historic funding milestone.

In addition, tens of millions of people engaged with the Year of the Trail campaign. As part of the campaign, local parks and recreation departments, tourism marketing organizations, state and national parks, trail groups, nonprofits, outfitters, health advocates and more were invited to host and join Year of the Trail events.

The Great Trails State Coalition accomplished this list and more with grassroots support from across the state:

Iona Thomas, Great Trails State Coalition co-founder and Chief of Strategy + Growth at McAdams, says, “Trails change people’s lives by creating access to nature and healthy recreation, increasing property values, and creating new businesses. We'll continue working together to bring trails and their benefits closer to all North Carolinians.”

Did you know all rail trails are accessible? Rutherford County's Thermal Belt Rail Trail, above

Media Contact: Susan Dosier at 704.993.7871  susan@dkcommunicationsgroup.com

Palmer McIntryre at 336-402-6551 | pmcintyre@piedmontland.org

Trail images available here. Additional interviews and story ideas relevant to your local area are available upon request. 

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