Wilderness Gateway State Trail About the trail The Wilderness Gateway State Trail will meander through Catawba and Burke counties and along the border of Rutherford and McDowell counties. Part of this trail will include a paddle trail in Catawba County. The planned trail will connect Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail and South Mountains State Park with the towns of Valdese and Hickory. Part of the trail will follow the same route as the Overmountain Victory State Trail. Each state trail is a unit of the state parks system and must be authorized by the General Assembly. When any new state trail is added to the system, the Division of Parks and Recreation engages in a planning process, including a feasibility study for the new trail. Effective planning is essential to determine a corridor for the trail and identify potential partners. Planning includes extensive data collection, outreach to potential partners, public input, and mapping of the trail corridor. Constructed trail within the identified corridor is not part of the state trail until it is designated by the Secretary of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. All designation applications are evaluated by the North Carolina Trails Committee. State Trails overview Deep River State Trail Fonta Flora State Trail French Broad River State Trail Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail Mountains-to-Sea State Trail Northern Peaks State Trail Overmountain Victory State Trail Wilderness Gateway State Trail Yadkin River State Trail Planning process Wilderness Gateway State Trail Study Download the 2019 Wilderness Gateway State Trail Study The planning process for the state trail is underway. Thank you to all who attended our public informational meetings and to those who provided feedback on the study via email.
Wilderness Gateway State Trail About the trail The Wilderness Gateway State Trail will meander through Catawba and Burke counties and along the border of Rutherford and McDowell counties. Part of this trail will include a paddle trail in Catawba County. The planned trail will connect Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail and South Mountains State Park with the towns of Valdese and Hickory. Part of the trail will follow the same route as the Overmountain Victory State Trail. Each state trail is a unit of the state parks system and must be authorized by the General Assembly. When any new state trail is added to the system, the Division of Parks and Recreation engages in a planning process, including a feasibility study for the new trail. Effective planning is essential to determine a corridor for the trail and identify potential partners. Planning includes extensive data collection, outreach to potential partners, public input, and mapping of the trail corridor. Constructed trail within the identified corridor is not part of the state trail until it is designated by the Secretary of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. All designation applications are evaluated by the North Carolina Trails Committee. State Trails overview Deep River State Trail Fonta Flora State Trail French Broad River State Trail Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail Mountains-to-Sea State Trail Northern Peaks State Trail Overmountain Victory State Trail Wilderness Gateway State Trail Yadkin River State Trail Planning process Wilderness Gateway State Trail Study Download the 2019 Wilderness Gateway State Trail Study The planning process for the state trail is underway. Thank you to all who attended our public informational meetings and to those who provided feedback on the study via email.
