Morganton and Burke County are the gateway to mountain adventure in North Carolina, home to two State Parks (South Mountains and Lake James), three State Trails (Fonta Flora, Overmountain Victory, Wilderness Gateway) and some of the wildest adventure in the Pisgah National Forest (Linville Gorge and Wilson Creek). Discover Burke Trails, a Year of the Trail celebration, offers a peek into the great adventures to be had.
Here's the agenda for the weekend's events. Register here and be the first to learn of new activities and other developments.
Friday, March 10
1-5 p.m. Adaptive Outdoor Recreation Day, McGalliard Falls Park, Church St. NW, Valdese. Sponsored by the Valdese Recreation Dept., this event will feature sporting gear adapted to help a wide range of people experience the outdoors. Among the types of equipment on display: mountain bikes, skis, hunting and fishing gear, boats.
Time tbd Intermediate Bike Ride: Fonta Flora State Trail, Morganton. 10 miles. This ride led by Overmountain Cycles of Morganton takes challenging on some of the Fonta Flora’s hillier terrain. The meeting place and exact route will be announced.
3-5 p.m. Hike on the Hill, Oak Hill Park, Morganton. Foothills Conservancy. Get a sneak peak of the trails being built at Foothills Conservancy's Oak Hill Community Park and Forest. Foothills Conservancy staff will lead the hike and share information about the project as we go. The hike is easy to moderate, natural surface trail, about 3 miles. Sign up through the Foothills Conservancy here. More information and sign up here.
6:30-7:30 p.m. Two-mile Night Hike, Fonta Flora State Trail/Lake James State Park, beginning and ending at the Fonta Flora Brewery’s Whippoorwill Farm, 6751 NC 126, Nebo. 2.2 miles, easy. In the waning daylight, we will head west on the Fonta Flora State Trail as it follows Paddy Creek into Lake James State Park. At the 1-mile mark, we will take a short break, then head back. If you have a headlamp or flashlight, bring it. Otherwise, we will have loaners available.
Saturday, March 11
10 a.m. Ranger-led Hike: South Mountains State Park, Clear Creek Access, 5999 Branstrom Orchard St, Morganton. 1.3 miles, moderate. This hike on the Lake View Trail departs from the quieter Clear Creek Access on the northwest side of the park. If you’re looking for more challenge after the hike, the Clear Creek Trail gains more than 600 vertical feet on its 2.2-mile climb up its namesake creek.
10 a.m. Holly Discovery Trail Hike: Lake James State Park, Paddy’s Creek Access, 7321 NC 126,Nebo. .75 miles, easy. The Holly Discovery Trail is a national-award-winning interpretive trail geared for young folks and parents who seek outdoor opportunities for their children. The trail also wends its way through a beautiful riparian forest near Paddy’s Creek that’s full of wildlife.
Noon – 5 p.m. Discover Burke Trails Day, City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium in downtown Morganton. Vendors, exhibitors, food trucks, kids activities, and the following lineup of speakers:
- 1 p.m. Opening remarks by State Rep. Hugh Blackwell (Burke County), and NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Reid Wilson
- 1:15 p.m. Jennifer Pharr Davis, Asheville resident who, among other things, holds the thru-hike speed record for women on the Appalachian Trail and is a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year.
- 2:10 p.m. Earl B. Hunter Jr., Founder and President of Black Folks Camp Too, with Raileigh Duschen, on "Increasing More Unity in the Outdoor Community and Beyond with Black Folks Camp Too"
- 3:25 p.m. Seth Hawkins, Medical Director for N.C. State Parks
- 3:55 p.m. Randy Johnson, guidebook author
More information here.
6:30 p.m. Flight of the Timberdoodle Bird Hike, Lake James State Park, Nebo. we’ll try to hear and hopefully see the male woodcock – a k a timberdoodle, bog sucker, sandpiper-that-lives-in-the-woods -- conduct their display flights over the open woodlands of the Catawba River area. More information here.
Sunday, March 12
9 a.m. Beginner-friendly Bike Ride: Fonta Flora State Trail, Morganton. 8 miles. Wolf Pitt Trailhead to Iron Tree and back. This ride led by Overmountain Cycles of Morganton eschews some of the hillier sections of the trail in favor of serene pedaling, for the most part, along Lake James.
10 a.m. Hike on the Fonta Flora State Trail/Mountains-to-Sea Trail, 5 miles, moderate. Hike on the FFST and MST beginning and ending at the Wolf Pit Trailhead. A mix of smooth-surface Fonta Flora Trail and the more challenging single-track of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail connector.
2 p.m. Swing on over to the Suspension Bridge, 2.5- or 4-mile hikes at Valdese Lakeside Park, 1149 Lake Rhodiss Dr., Valdese. This group hike lead by the Friends of the Valdese starts at Valdese Lakeside Park and follows a 2-mile greenway to to McGalliard Falls, crossing a 160-foot suspension bridge at the 1.3-mile mark, turnaround point for the 2.5-mile hike. After exploring the falls, the hike returns the way it came. More information here.
Lodging
For information on lodging, go here.