Alamance County plans Haw River trail system on 800 acres

Alamance County has closed on nearly 800 acres south of Saxapahaw, putting one of its largest recreation projects in years in motion along the Haw River and Cane Creek. The land, the majority of the historic Alston Quarter tract, is the largest undivided parcel in Alamance County and is being positioned as both a conservation purchase and a public trail asset.

Alamance Parks announced the acquisition on Jan. 22, 2026, after the sale was completed in December. County park documents say the property will add about 2.75 miles to the Haw River Trail and 1.25 miles to the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, while other county materials describe the expansion as roughly 3 additional miles of Haw River State Trail and MST access. The site sits at the confluence of the Haw River and Cane Creek and is expected to help tie together a broader corridor that county officials say stretches about 80 miles along the Haw River.

The trail system already includes 20 miles of completed land trail, 40 miles of paddle trail and 15 recreational parks and trailheads in Alamance County. The Haw River Trail became a state trail in June 2023, after nearly two decades of work that North Carolina Trails says began with early efforts by Alamance County Parks. The county says the trail eventually runs from Haw River State Park to Jordan Lake State Recreation Area in Chatham County.

Nolan Carter, the Haw River Trail coordinator, said people have already begun using parts of the developing trail, a sign he said shows public demand for the project. Carter said the plan calls for about 8 miles of hiking trails and between 10 and 15 miles of mountain biking trails. He also said Alamance County currently has no dedicated mountain bike trails, forcing riders to travel to Guilford County or Orange County for that access.

County records show officials were working with The Conservation Fund on the Alston Quarter purchase as early as February 2024. The acquisition was funded through a mix of state and local resources, including the North Carolina Land and Water Fund, the Complete the Trails Grant Program, Alamance County Landfill Enterprise Funds and a donation from the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

Volunteer trail builders are already part of the project, and Alamance Parks says trail-building groups generally meet on the third Saturday of the month, except in July and August. County leaders are treating the land as a rare public asset that could expand access, keep recreation spending closer to home and give Alamance County a larger role in the region’s outdoor trail network.