Outdoor Programs

What's Happening Now: IMG_6344

  • Environmental Education Programs: Nature Play for families to learn about nature in the great outdoors! And OutdoorU engages homeschoolers in the natural world. 
  • Get Hiking! Guided, small group hikes open to all ages that take place around Alamance County.
  • SOAR Hikes: Guided hikes & adventures for ages 55 and up.
  • Hikes with Hounds: Volunteer to take shelter dogs on hikes!
  • Adopt-A-Park: Volunteer opportunity to keep our parks beautiful!
  • Volunteer: Help build and maintain trails.

Get Hiking! Series - 2023 NC Year of the Trail

2023 has been designated as NC Year of the Trail - celebrating North Carolina’s vast network of trails, greenways, and blueways which showcase our diverse landscapes – grand mountain vistas, quiet rivers, vibrant urban greenways, coastal forests, and the rolling hills of the piedmont

Celebrate Year of the Trail by joining a Get Hiking! hike on local trails in Burlington and around Alamance County! These small-group guided hikes take place on natural surface trails, over rolling terrain with occasional steep hills. Hikes are typically between 2-3 miles and generally last 1.25-2 hours depending on length. All ages are welcome, but minors must be accompanied by an adult. Registered hikers will receive a receipt with additional details regarding each hike. 
Hikes are free, but pre-registration is required!  Register online now!

  • Saturday, December 2 at 2:00 pm
    Cane Creek Mountain Natural Area | 2.5 miles (Lookout Trail)
  • Sunday, December 17 at 2:00 pm
    SAX Island | 1.3 miles (with option for more distance!)
  • 2024 hikes coming soon!

**Be sure to join the waitlist if you are interested in a hike that is full! We will reach out to you if there is a cancellation - which often happens! 

Volunteer - Trail Building & Maintenance 

New volunteers are invited to join the volunteer trail crew to help build and maintain trails along the Haw River Trail/Mountains-to-Sea Trail and all around Burlington and Alamance County. No experience is necessary and tools will be provided. Volunteering is coordinated through the Alamance Task Force of the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Contact Alamance Task Force Leader Andrew Sam at 336-263-7753. The trail crew typically meets on Mondays at 9 am and the 3rd Saturday of the month at 9 am. Contact Andrew Sam for the most up-to-date schedule and locations.

**A note about online registration**
Burlington Recreation and Parks has transitioned to a new cloud-based registration program, CivicRec. When you click the link to register, you will be taken to this new platform. If you are a new user, you will create an account. You will only have to do this once. Under your account you will be able to add members of your family for quick and easy registration for hiking programs and any other program offered through Burlington Recreation & Parks. If you are a returning user, log into your account and register! 
Of all the paths you take, make sure a few of them are dirt.