Trail Riding Opportunities

When we did a review of our NC Horse Blog several folks expressed an interest in learning more about horseback riding opportunities in North Carolina. When I started doing some research I was surprised at the numerous places in the state that offered a wide variety of trails and facilities. In fact it was so numerous that I could not compile it all in one article for the blog without leaving some off due to information overload. What I have done is included the state & county maintained facilities in this article and created a link to a more expansive list that will include national forest information, privately owned facilities, guided rides or hourly rental, and guest ranches or resorts. This was compiled by the NC Horse Council and can be found on their website as the North Carolina Horse Council Trail Directory at: http://www.nchorsecouncil.com/trail-map/#

The following list is the state & county parks with trail riding opportunities which will include the facility name, county it is located in, the nearest city, and contact phone number.
North Carolina - STATE & COUNTY PARKS (County, Nearest City, Contact Information)

American Tobacco Trail, Wake, Apex (919) 387-2117

Bladen Lakes (State), Bladen, Elizabethtown (910) 588-4964

Cane Creek Park (County), Union, Waxhaw, (704) 843-3919

Cedar Rock County Parks & Rec. (County), Alamance, Graham, (336) 570-6760

Dupont State Forest, Transylvania, Cedar Mountain, (828) 877-6527

Hanging Rock State Park, Stokes, Danbury, (336) 593-8480

Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center, Johnston County, (919) 938-0115

Latta Plantation Park (County), Mecklenburg, Huntersville, (704) 875-0808

Morrow Mountain State Park, Stanly, Albemarle, (704) 982-4402

Pilot Mountain State Park, Surry/Yadkin, Pinnacle, (336) 325-2355

Raven Rock State Park, Harnett, Lillington, (910) 893-4888

South Mountain State Park, Burke, Connelly Springs, (828) 422-4772

Stone Mountain State Park, Alleghany, Roaring Gap, (336) 957-8185

Tanglewood Park (County), Forsyth, Clemmons, (336) 766-9540

William B. Umstead State Park, Wake, Raleigh, (919) 571-4170

The following link will take you to the more extensive list of trail riding opportunities:
http://stanly.ces.ncsu.edu/files/library/84/NCTrailRiding.pdf

Written by: Steve Lemons, Extension Agent, Stanly County
with help from the North Carolina Horse Council