Connect with us
Events & Outings
Piedmont Land Conservancy hosts various events that are designed to connect people with nature. Outings include hikes, farm visits, paddle trips, and more. We would be happy to talk with you or your organization about hosting an outing for your team or group!
Get alerts about upcoming events and outings by joining our email list or following us on social media.
Sign up for our monthly enews to keep up to date with PLC events!
Upcoming Events

Volunteer Workdays at Emily Allen Wildflower Preserve
Various Dates
Winston-Salem, NC
Thanks for your interest in Emily Allen Wildflower Preserve Friends and Volunteers Workdays!
Help us maintain the beauty of this 6-acre wildflower garden located near Historic Bethabara in Winston-Salem. Under the permanent protection of Piedmont Land Conservancy, the Friendship Garden is home to a unique collection of over 500 species of native plants.
If you would like to spend time with like-minded people in a truly unique garden setting, please join us for spring workdays.
All of our February and March workdays are 2:00-4:00pm.
Please be advised we will only have an outdoor Porta potty available while we are in the middle of renovations.

Slow Hikers Club at Haw River Trail in Saxapahaw
Sunday March 16th | 10:00am-12:00pm OR
2:00-4:00pm
1711 Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Rd Graham, North Carolina 27253
Take a walk with PLC’s Slow Hikers Club! Choose from a morning hike or an afternoon hike!
If you enjoy soaking in the scenery, savoring every step, stopping to take pictures, and admiring the smallest details along the trail, join our Slow Hikers Club! PLC’s Slow Hikers Club is led by Brianna, PLC’s Communications Director and naturalist in training, who is on a never-ending journey to discover and share the natural world. She loves the version of hiking that is about the journey and the joy of exploring nature at a slow pace.
If you’re a casual walker, a plant enthusiast, a photographer, or someone who loves a good trail chat, the Slow Hikers Club is for you.
WHERE:
This outing of the Slow Hikers Club, we’ll explore a portion of the Haw River Trail in Saxapahaw, walking 2 miles in 2 hours, stopping frequently to enjoy the scenery, chat, and see what nature has to offer. This time of year, Saxapahaw has lots to offer with spring ephemeral wildflowers along the riverbank. We’ll try to do some identifying of plants and trees along the trail. And we’ll keep our eyes peeled for the many water birds that make use of the river. Cameras and binoculars are welcome, as well as nature ID apps like iNaturalist.
The trail is natural surface and has roots throughout. The trail is mostly flat but does start with a short set of stairs.
No rush, no pressure—just good company and great hikes.
The outing is open to the public but is limited to 20 people. If there are no tickets remaining, you can email Brianna at bhaferman@piedmontland.org to join the waitlist. You will be contacted if anyone cancels.
FULL:

Wells Knob Wildflower Hike
Friday March 21st | 10:00am-1:00pm
AND Sunday March 23 | 1:00-4:00pm
Wells Knob Trail | Wits End Rd. Thurmond, NC 28683
Join this group hike guided by PLC volunteers Matt Perry and Robert Jolly. The guided hike will begin at the parking area at Wits End Rd in Thurmond, NC. Parking is available at the trailhead. More parking directions will be sent to your email after sign up.
The group will hike from the northern trailhead to the summit and back. Total it will be approximately 3.5 miles and about 400ft of elevation gain. The hike will take about 3 hours. The trail is shaded and features Elkin Creek, beautiful flora and fauna, and glimpses of the surrounding countryside from the summit through the trees. This trail is considered moderate to difficult.
These outings are open to the public but are limited to 25 people. Sign up for your date of choice below:

Guided Hike at Knight Brown Nature Preserve
Saturday March 22 | 2:00-5:00pm
221 Waterfield Ln, Stokesdale, NC 27357
Join PLC Conservation Advisor, Dr. Ken Bridle, for an educational hike at PLC’s Knight Brown Nature Preserve. As PLC’s resident scientist, Ken loves to help you dig into all your nature questions so come eager to learn and enjoy a great walk in a beautiful preserve.
This hike will be between 2-3 miles and has some short descents and climbs. The trail is natural surface with roots and rocks. The hike is considered moderate.

Long Creek Trail Wetlands Walk
Sunday March 23 | 2:00pm
5801 Bethania Tobaccoville Rd, Pfafftown, NC 27040
As part of Forsyth Creek Week, NC Sierra Club Foothills Group outings leader Henry Fansler will lead a fun and informative walk exploring the wetlands of Long Creek. We will be joined by Ken Bridle, the Conservation Advisor of Piedmont Land Conservancy and a Ph.D. in plant physiology and natural product chemistry. Together we will learn why the quality of our water sources begin with wetlands. We will only hike a portion of the trail. Remember to dress for the weather and wear trail walking footwear.
Register by sending an email to Henry Fansler at henryfansler@windstream.net or 336-473-0283. Participants under 18 must be with a parent or guardian.
Long Creek Trail Wetlands Walk | Facebook Event
Meet at the Long Creek Trail parking lot off 5801 Bethania Tobaccoville Road.

Celebrate the Haw River Trail with a Wildflower Walk
Saturday March 29th | 10:00-11:45am
1711 Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Rd Graham, North Carolina 27253
This hike is in partnership with Haw River Canoe and Kayak before the 2025 International Paddling Film Festival in Saxapahaw.
If you enjoy taking it slow to soak in the scenery, stopping to take pictures, and admiring the smallest details along the trail, join Brianna Haferman, staff member at Piedmont Land Conservancy and naturalist in training, for a wildflower hike.
This hike will focus on enjoying and learning about nature, especially wildflowers, at a slow pace. If you’re a casual walker, a plant enthusiast, a photographer, or someone who loves a good trail chat, this hike is for you.
During this outing we’ll explore a portion of the Haw River Trail in Saxapahaw, walking approximately 1.5 miles in one hour and 45 minutes, stopping frequently to enjoy the scenery and chat. We will learn from each other, and questions are highly encouraged! This time of year, Saxapahaw has lots to offer with spring wildflowers along the riverbank. We’ll do some identifying of plants and trees along the trail. And we’ll keep our eyes peeled for the many birds that love this area of the river. Cameras and binoculars are welcome, as well as nature ID apps like iNaturalist.
The trail is natural surface and has roots throughout. The trail is mostly flat but does start with a short set of stairs. There will be no rush, and no pressure—just good company and a great hike!
The outing is open to the public but is limited to 25 people.
To begin the hike we will meet at the bottom of the outdoor amphitheatre in Saxapahaw, just outside of the Haw River Ballroom. Please arrive a little early as we will head out promptly at 10 a.m.

Black Walnut Bottoms Creek Crawl
Saturday March 29 | 2:00-4:00pm
5393 Ham Horton Ln, Bethania, NC 27010
Meet at the picnic tables beside the Bethania Visitors Center, 5393 Ham Horton Lane (near the intersection of Bethania Road and Main Street). MAP
NC Sierra Club Foothills Group outings leader Henry Fansler will lead a fun and informative creek crawl along Bethania’s Black Walnut Bottom Trail, where creeks feed into Muddy Creek. We will be joined by Ken Bridle of the Piedmont Land Conservancy, whose group helped to preserve Walnut Bottoms.
We will meet at the picnic tables beside the Bethania visitor center for an overview of the creeks of Wachovia. We will then hike the Black Walnut Bottom Trail and see what makes a healthy creek, explore the area bordering the creek, and consider why the Moravians made their second settlement here.
Along the hike, we will search a creek for macro-invertebrates whose presence will tell us about the water quality. In water quality, “buggy is better.” Anyone wishing to join in this activity must have boots or water footwear and expect wet and muddy conditions. Towels and spare socks and shoes are recommended. The trail is 1.4 miles in length and rated easy by the Foothills Group.
More details of the area can be found at http://townofbethania.org/trails/black-walnut-bottom-trail/. Register by sending an email to Henry Fansler at henryfansler@windstream.net or 336-473-0283. Note that the Sierra Club requires all outing participants to sign a standard waiver. Participants under 18 must be with a parent or guardian.
Forsyth Creek Week Creek Crawl at Bethania’s Black Walnut Bottom | Facebook Event
Register by sending an email to Henry Fansler at henryfansler@windstream.net or 336-473-0283. Participants under 18 must be with a parent or guardian.

Slow Hikers Club at Ridges Mountain
Sunday April 6 | 2:00-5:00pm
Asheboro, NC
Explore a unique landscape in the Uwharrie Mountains with PLC’S Communications Director and Slow Hikers Club leader Brianna Haferman.
We will be hiking somewhere between 2 to 3 miles. Some of this hike will be on an old road, some trail, and some off trail through the woods. This hike is considered moderate. There will be an opportunity to explore the big rocks at your own risk.
The guided hike will pass by a few upland pools, rare, isolated wetlands in upland settings, with water deep enough to prevent the formation of a forest canopy across the basin. These special pools are breeding habitat for several amphibians.
The crowning feature of Ridges Mountain is the boulders (some are as high as 50 feet) located within the Monadnock Forest at the top that provide some views of the surrounding Randolph County when the leaves are sparse. We will make sure to have some time set aside to take some photos and explore the boulders before hiking back.
Originally established in 2000 with a PLC and NC Zoo partnership, the preserve just grew again with as the NC Zoo added an addition 139 acres, making the preserve 423 acres in total! Read more in this press release.
The group will leave from the parking area at 2:00pm. An exact address and directions will be emailed to you upon registration.
The outing is open to the public but has a limit of 25 participants.

Wildflower Walk at Fall Creek Falls in Mayo River State Park
Friday April 11 | 10:00am-1:00pm
113 Deshazo Road, Stoneville, NC 27048.
Join this guided hike lead by PLC’s Conservation Advisor, Dr. Ken Bridle. Ken will lead the group on a partially off-trail hike, creating a 1.5 mile loop. The focus of this hike will be spotting and enjoying early spring emphemeral wildflowers.
The group will leave from the parking area at 10:00am and will hike a loop up into the Virginia portion of the park, back down to the river, then follow the river to Falls Creek, up to the Falls, and finally back to the parking area. Some of this hike will be off trail through the woods and on a public road. This loop is considered moderate to strenuous.
The outing is open to the public but has a limit of 25 participants. Sign up soon and come eager to learn!

Volunteer Workdays at
Knight Brown Nature Preserve
One Tuesday each month | 9:00am-12:00pm
221 Waterfield Ln, Stokesdale, NC 27357
PLC’s preserves need one day of tender loving care each month. Come help us keep Knight Brown looking pretty at the following volunteer workdays. Each is on a Tuesday morning:
December 17, 9:00am-12:00pm
Please RSVP on the trail workday facebook events. If you do not use Facebook, please let us know you’ll be there by emailing Abby at adraut@piedmontland.org.
Questions? Check out the FAQ on our Volunteer Page.

Volunteer Workdays at
Caraway Creek Preserve
One Wednesday each month | 9:00am-12:00pm
829 Jerico Rd, Asheboro, NC 27205
PLC’s Preserves need one day of tender loving care each month. Come help us keep Caraway Creek Preserve looking pretty at the following volunteer workdays. Each is on a Tuesday morning:
CANCELLED!
December 18, 9:00am-12:00pm
Please RSVP on the trail workday facebook events. If you do not use Facebook, please let us know you’ll be there by emailing Abby at adraut@piedmontland.org.
Questions? Check out the FAQ on our Volunteer Page.