10/19/2026
A great time to be outdoors.
🥾🌲 Great Trails State Day is just 5 days away!
How will you celebrate? Give back to a trail. Hike Chimney Rock. Explore with a Naturalist. Then trade trails for tales as the sun goes down. 👻🔥
Saturday, October 17th is Great Trails State Day, and we’ve got a full day of ways to get outside and celebrate right here in the Blue Ridge Foothills:
🥾 9 AM | Great Trails State Day Trail Workday
Start the day by giving back! Join Rutherford Outdoor Coalition for a morning trail workday and help care for the outdoor spaces that give us so much.
🌲 10 AM–3 PM | Great Trails State Day at Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park
Hit the trails and explore all six trails at Chimney Rock State Park, with special Naturalist-led hikes throughout the day to help you discover more about the wildlife, landscapes and natural wonders of the Gorge.
🔥👻 6–9 PM | Great Trails State Day at Chimney Rock Smokehouse
Come for the trails. Stay for the tales. Head to Chimney Rock Village for an evening of music, Appalachian folklore, local ghost stories and cryptid legends inspired by the mountains surrounding Chimney Rock. Grab dinner and a drink, settle in and discover a spookier side of the Blue Ridge Foothills.
🌙 7:30–9:30 PM | Nature at Night Hike
When the sun goes down, a whole new side of the trail wakes up! Join a Park Naturalist for a guided nighttime adventure along the Hickory Nut Falls Trail and meet some of Chimney Rock’s rarely seen after-dark residents.
And why stop at one day?
🌙🌲 Sunday, October 18th | 6:30–7:30 PM
Slow Down & Tune Into Nature: Silent Hike
End the weekend at Rumbling Bald on Lake Lure with a peaceful 1.5-mile Ranger-led hike. Turn off the lights, quiet the conversation and tune into the sounds of the forest as evening settles in—you may even encounter some of the Park’s crepuscular wildlife.
Pick one. Make a day of it. Or make it a whole weekend. 🍂
Great Trails State Day is your invitation to get outside, try a new trail, give back, learn something new—and experience the Blue Ridge Foothills from morning until well after dark.
🥾 Saturday, October 17th
🌲 Find Your Trail. Then see where it takes you.
