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2023 and Year of the Trail Review

2023 and Year of the Trail Review

Published: December 27, 2023

This article, written in partnership with the Hickory Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau for the 2023 North Carolina Year of the Trail December theme of "Year in Review & Future Aspirations," was co-published on the Visit Hickory Metro blog.

December wraps up North Carolina's Year of the Trail, the largest statewide celebration of the paths, greenways and blueways that span our state's diverse landscapes. As 2023 comes to a close, here's a look back at how we celebrated outdoor recreation in "the Great Trails State" this year and how the Year of the Trail contributed to making.living.better in Catawba County.

We kicked off 2023 on January 1 with ranger-led First Day Hikes. Soon after, we launched a series of featured routes across the four parks in the Catawba County Park System (Bakers Mountain, Mountain Creek, Riverbend and St. Stephens) to help you explore our parks on your own. Each month, we showcased a suggested route at one of the parks so you can learn more about the trails to encourage you to hike, bike, walk or run in celebration of the Year of the Trail. In summary, below is the full list of the featured routes along with the total round-trip distance and estimated time to complete each.

We love it when you visit and have been thrilled to see an increase in park visitation in recent years. In fact, county park system visitation increased 336% over the past five years, from 160,803 total visitors in fiscal year 2017/2018 to 541,820 total visitors in fiscal year 2022/2023. Our biggest visitation numbers have traditionally been at Riverbend Park, located along the Catawba River at the upper tip of the county. Last year, Riverbend saw nearly 148,000 visitors. Mountain Creek Park, which opened in June of 2022 in Sherrills Ford, is solely responsible for driving these numbers up – most likely due to its 19+ miles of hiking and mountain biking trails, pickleball courts, and adventure playground. This past year, Mountain Creek saw nearly 320,000 visitors. These numbers are proof of how much people enjoy the outdoors in Catawba County.

Providing access to our amazing outdoors and preserved natural heritage is the ongoing mission of the Catawba County Park System and we continue to make additions and improvements to our parks. In 2023, we added a brand new playground, cornhole boards and a dog agility course at St. Stephens Park, a Little Free Library and an American flag retirement drop box at Mountain Creek Park, and a chimney swift tower at Riverbend Park; we updated the educational signage and renamed the routes at Bakers Mountain Park to make them easier to follow. Our rangers prioritized trail maintenance to keep our parks safe and enjoyable for everyone; a HUGE thank you goes out to them for all they do for the Catawba County Park System!

Though the Year of the Trail comes to an end, the opportunities for adventure on the trails do not. Catawba County Park System’s four major parks (Bakers Mountain, Mountain Creek, Riverbend and St. Stephens) offer more than 1,500 acres of natural habitat with over 45 miles of multi-use trails. This doesn't include the acreage and miles at the 50+ other parks within the County.  As you make your resolutions for the new year, set a goal to take advantage of all that our parks offer. Visit one new trail or park a month. Cover a specific number of miles per week/month/year. Try a new trail activity. Revisit the featured routes listed above and tag us on Facebook and Instagram when you do. 

Thank you for helping make 2023 and the Year of the Trail a great success and cheers to 2024 as another year filled with outdoor fun!