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!
Friends of Lower Haw is having an invasive plant removal workday with NC State Parks biologists on September 9th from 9:30 am until 3:00 pm, or whenever you need to leave. Meet in the parking lot at 9:30 am and stay however long you want to help. We will be working in the Pegg Tract area of the Lower Haw River State Natural Area, located upstream of the Bynum Dam by US Hwy 15-501. Invasive plant workdays involve identifying and removing non-native plants using clippers, pruners, saws, and other non-motorized hand tools. Learn about invasive plants and removal techniques. Hand tools will be available, or volunteers can bring their own loppers or hand pruners.
After dropping off your overnight stuff with our team at the Valley Paddle Access, we will shuttle you to begin your paddle at Altamahaw Paddle Access on NC-87. From there you will make your way downriver collecting debris as you go until you make it to your overnight campsite at Shallow Ford Natural Area where you will set up camp and make dinner. Sunday morning you will be provided breakfast and then paddle one more stretch of river collecting trash and enjoying the river as you go and take out at the Valley Paddle Access.
We will help handle all of the logistics of getting your overnight stuff to and from Shallow Ford Natural Area as well as getting to/from parking.
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.
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.