Events
GET INVOLVED
Enjoy the Trail with us! Each year, we hold community events. These events not only serve as benefits for the Trail, but also as opportunities to connect the community to this wonderful resource. The Haw River Trail captures the natural resources, history, and culture of Alamance County and surrounding regions, and serves as a critical resource for connecting the community to its heritage. We rely heavily on grant funding, donations, and fundraising to continue building and maintaining the Trail. All event proceeds support the Haw River Trail.
Never been on the river before? That's OK - our events are friendly to all skill levels. We welcome families, locals, and out-of-town visitors every year. We also invite local businesses to sponsor the events. For more information about sponsoring an event please visit the "What Can I Do?" page.
We announce events on our Facebook Page and provide details here when events are upcoming, so check back for updates!
Join us on National Public Lands Day for this free event. Living with wildlife can be exciting but it can also be challenging. Although Chatham County has a rural character, remaining natural areas are being surrounded by residential development. As people move into homes adjacent to natural areas, there will be increasing human-wildlife interactions and more potential for conflicts as wildlife start appearing in the surrounding residential development. Learn about ways to peacefully coexist with the wildlife that live around you and what you can do to prevent common issues when wild animals make themselves at home on your property. Falyn Owens is a wildlife biologist with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission who specializes in human-wildlife interactions and conflict prevention.
Birds of Prey
Date: October 17, 2026
Time: 10:00 to 11:00 AM
Location: Lower Haw River State Natural Area, Bynum Mill Access, 160 Bynum Church Rd, Pittsboro NC 27312
Join Friends of Lower Haw on the Great Trails State Day for an event about Birds of Prey. Our guide will be naturalist and nature photographer Jason Brown. We’ll look for birds of prey at the Haw River, such as eagles, osprey, and hawks. Bring binoculars if you have them, and your camera if you want to take photos. Meet in the Bynum Mill Access parking lot at 10:00 AM. This event is free and open to the public. All ages welcome. Details at www.lowerhaw.org/events
Graham Recreation and Parks invites participants to a hands-on smartphone photography workshop this fall. Learn simple techniques and helpful apps to capture high-quality images of trees, plants, and natural landscapes using your smartphone. While exploring the Longmeadow Trailhead, participants will search for and photograph letter shapes found in nature, formed by branches, leaves, and natural features, while building creative photography skills in celebration of the Haw River Trail’s 20th anniversary.
No prior photography experience is needed; just bring a fully charged smartphone and a sense of curiosity. The workshop will be led by Elizabeth Larson of Elizabeth Larson Photography.
Join Friends of Lower Haw and State Parks educator Sean Higgins to build your own toy boat out of recycled materials. We will consider science and engineering, including balance and buoyancy. Then we will test your creation by floating it down a section of the Haw River. Our program captain, Sean, will wade out into the river so nobody needs to get their feet wet unless they want to. All ages are welcome, no registration required for this free event. This America 250 event on Veteran’s Day is in honor of George Washington’s historic crossing of the Delaware River in winter of 1776 that saved the American Revolution.
Ecotones: Transitional Zones Where Ecosystems Meet
Date: November 21, 2026
Time: 10:00 to 11:00 AM
Location: Lower Haw River State Natural Area, Bynum Mill Access, 160 Bynum Church Rd, Pittsboro
Friends of Lower Haw is offering a program on ecotones, transitional areas of vegetation where different natural communities meet. Our guide will be naturalist and nature photographer Jason Brown. We’ll visit transition areas where birds and wildlife can be spotted. Our guide will also talk about how past land use and land management has had an influence on the flora and fauna occurring at the Lower Haw River State Natural Area. This event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome. Details at www.lowerhaw.org/events