Mountains to Sea Trail Birthday Hikes

Celebrate MST’s 42nd Birthday with guided THREE guided hikes in Hillsborough (and 27 other trail towns!)

ERFM Hillsborough 3-Mile MST Birthday Hike 

LOCATION:  Trek east along the Hillsborough Riverwalk by the Occoneechee Palisade crossing the Eno River at the Oxbow Bridge to take a lap at the Occoneechee Speedway (an original NASCAR dirt track)

TIME: Meet at 9 am on Saturday, September 7

HIKE DESCRIPTION: Hillsborough is hosting two hikes, including this 3-miler to and around the historic speedway, departing from the Eno River Farmers Market Pavilion (ERFM) and hosting a MST birthday celebration including exhibits by MST sponsors and local outdoor adventure partners. On September 7th, our vibrant market and gala will be open from 8 am to noon. You may pre-register but we are very open to additional hikers registering on the day of the hike at the MST table. Both hikes are planned to depart at approximately 9:00. Both hikes involve a mix of paved and unpaved trails.

LENGTH OF HIKE: 3 Miles

DIFFICULTY: Easy

MEETING LOCATION: Eno River Farmers Market Pavillion, 144 E. Margaret Lane, Hillsborough, NC 27278.

ERFM Hillsborough 4-Mile MST Birthday Hike 

LOCATION:  Will depart the Eno Farmers Market  and travel west along the Eno River to Gold Park, then cross the Eno into Occoneechee Mountain State Park (OM) to follow the OM trail to the Eno-Hillsborough overlook. This hike features current and future MST trails.

HIKE DESCRIPTION: Hillsborough is hosting two hikes, this being the longer hike, departing from the Eno River Farmers Market Pavilion (ERFM) and hosting a MST birthday celebration including exhibits by MST sponsors and local outdoor adventure partners. On September 7th, our vibrant market and gala will be open from 8 am to noon. You may pre-register but we are very open to additional hikers registering on the day of the hike at the MST table. Both hikes involve a mix of paved and unpaved trails. This moderate/strenuous hike requires brief walking along the road in single file. The Occoneechee Mountain has about 1/3 mile of sometimes steep hill trail.

LENGTH OF HIKE: 4 Miles

DIFFICULTY: Moderate to Strenuous

HIKE LEADER: Bill Boyarsky, bill.boyarsky@gmail.com

HIKE LOGISTICS: Easy and ample parking:
1- Orange County Board of Elections, 208 Cameron Lane, Hillsborough, NC 27278 (adjacent to ERFM, from the parking lot follow the path that leads to River Park)
2- Occoneechee Speedway, 320 Elizabeth Brady Rd, Hillsborough, NC 27278 (10 min walk to ERFM follow the Riverwalk signs to downtown)
3- Street and public parking on Margaret Lane and in open courthouse lots
4- Public parking deck located at Weaver Street Market, 228 South Churton St, Hillsborough NC 27278 (3 min stroll to ERFM on the Riverwalk east to River Park)

Registration will be day of the hike at the MST table.

GOLD PARK Hillsborough-MST Birthday Hike

LOCATION: Hike to and around Occoneechee Mountain from Gold Park on the western side of Hillsborough, with option to hike to Farmer’s Market afterwards for brunch

TIME: Meet at 9 am on Saturday, September 7

HIKE DESCRIPTION: With a summit at 867 feet above sea level making Occoneechee Mountain the highest point between Hillsborough and the coast, this little-known state park presents several trails that might possibly provide the closest simulation to mountain climbing you can get without leaving the Triangle. We’ll do a combination of trails to get an altitude gain of 1,000 feet in 5 miles (no climbing involved). Total distance for the event will be about 6 miles.

LENGTH OF HIKE: 6 Miles

DIFFICULTY: Challenging

MEETING LOCATION: Pavilion at Gold Park. 415 Dimmocks Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278.

GPS: 36°04’14.6″N 79°06’40.6″W

HIKE LEADER: Jae Furman, OutdoorsEvents@gmail.com

HIKE LOGISTICS: We’ll try to maintain an average pace of 3.0 mph with one brief stop at the overlook so we can enjoy a view of treetops as far as the eye can see. Sturdy, closed-toe shoes and a water bottle are recommended. No dogs. We’ll hike in drizzle, mist or chance of rain. Bring a dry set of clothes to leave in your vehicle, just in case. Actual rain at the start or slippery conditions will cause the hike to be cancelled.