Friends of the Mountains - to - Sea Trail

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About us

The primary purpose of this group is to support a community of volunteers focused on building, enhancing and maintaining North Carolina's premier hiking trail, the Mountains-to-Sea Trail!

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail, stretches 1,175 miles from Clingmans Dome State Park in the Great Smoky Mountains to Jockey's Ridge State Park on the Outer Banks. The trail showcases our state's diverse landscape and culture: mountain vistas, rolling Piedmont farms, picture-postcard colonial towns, weathered tobacco barns, old textile villages, country churches, rushing mountain streams, coastal swamps, hardwood and pine forests, lighthouses, sand dunes and miles of seashore.

In addition to joining us on Meetup, where we post numerous MST workdays, we also hope you'll visit the FMST website ([ https://www.mountainstoseatrail.org](http://www.ncmst.org)) to learn more about this wonderful backyard resource and ask that you consider becoming a Friend of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail at:
https://mountainstoseatrail.org//get-involved/become-a-member/
If you'd like to help build and maintain the trail and don't see a workday in your area posted on this Meetup group site, FMST has a workday going on somewhere in the state almost every weekend of the year and on some weekdays too. For more information contact the trail crew leader in your vicinity. You can find a list of crew leaders at:

https://mountainstoseatrail.org/get-involved/trail-workdays/

Come help enhance and give back to hiking in North Carolina by helping build, enhance and maintain the Mountains-to-Sea Trail!

Upcoming events

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Old Oxford Hwy-Penny's Bend Clean up
Thu, Mar 12 · 10:00 AM EDT
Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, 3706 Snow Hill Road, Durham, NC, US
Join us during Keep Durham Beautiful Creek Week for a cleanup along the Eno River. We are going to tackle a tough spot at the Penny's Bend Trailhead and Old Oxford Hwy. This is a BUSY NARROW Bridge that goes over the Eno. We will focus on roadside trash and then make our way to the riverside/trailside moving eastbound.

Dress for the weather. Long sleeves and pants are recommended. Bring your own water and snacks. NO Kids for this one, too much road activity.

We will provide all the tools: gloves, bags, buckets and grabbers.
7 attendees
Orange County MST Workday - Saturday, March 14th
Sat, Mar 14 · 9:00 AM EDT
Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trailhead, 320 Elizabeth Brady Rd.,, Hillsborough, NC, US
WORKDAY LEADER:
Bill Boyarsky, FMST Task Force Leader, Orange County

For complete details about this workday, including the preliminary planned activities for the day and a list of 2025 workdays be sure to click on either of the following links:

ORANGE County FMST activity, Mar. 14th or if you prefer En español

Below is a summary of Bill's notes:

Hi Friends (of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail),

On our March workday, we'll return to the speedway to continue removing invasive plants, primarily autumn olive.

Note: we will not have a workday on April 11. Come join the Friends from across the state at the Gathering.

Date, Time: March 14th, 9 am - 2 pm+. If you can't stay for the entire time, please know that we are deeply appreciative of any effort you contribute.

Meeting Location:
The Historic Occoneechee Speedway parking lot (320 Elizabeth Brady Rd, Hillsborough 27278). 36.070, -79.085

If you can join the team: Please respond by email to Bill.Boyarsky@gmail.com by March 10th -- your response informs the breakfast preparation and tools that will await you, helps me plan the day, and puts you on the notification list for further updates (about this workday) or a workday cancellation message.

What to bring: You need to wear appropriate-for-the-weather work clothes (that can get dirty), solid shoes or boots, and work gloves. Bring lunch (if you plan to work into the afternoon), snacks, and water, . If you have a favorite tool, bring it.

What we bring: We will provide all tools, extra work gloves, and instructions. If you are new to this kind of activity, there will be experienced volunteers within asking distance: we are a supportive trail community that loves to grow.

Cancellation: If the workday is cancelled due to bad weather an email will be sent out no later than 10:00 p.m. the preceding day, to all those who RSVP'ed to Bill.Boyarsky@gmail.com

Safety: Use tools carefully. If you do not know how to use a particular tool, or what to do in a particular circumstance please ask. Do not work too close together -- avoid hitting the person next to you. When walking past another volunteer, please say something so they know you are approaching. Do not lift anything heavier than you can comfortably lift -- know your own limits. Take plenty of breaks. Undertake different tasks with different tools throughout the day. Make sure to drink plenty of water, even when it's cold outside. .Be aware of ticks, chiggers, snakes, stinging insects, and poison ivy.

If you are not on our Eno/Orange County workday announcements email list (to get announcements like this one), but would like to be let me know by email (Bill.Boyarsky@gmail.com).

Next Orange County MST workdays (RSVP to Bill)
- May 9
- Jun 13
Next Eno MST workdays (RSVP to Fred )
- Mar 7
- Apr 4
- May 2
- Jun 6
Next Alamance County MST workdays (RSVP to Andrew ).
The Alamance County team is working on trail along the Haw River. Andrew, the Task Force Leader, would welcome email about a workday or a request to be added to his Workday Announcement email list.
- Mar 21
- Apr 18
- May 16
- Jun 20
Next Archaeological Conservancy (TAC/MST) workdays (RSVP to Bill).
- Mar 6, 15, 31
- Apr 9, 16, 29
- May 10, 23
- Jun 3, 14, 27
And thanks for all you do for the Mountains-To-Sea Trail,
Bill
Bill.Boyarsky@gmail.com
Friends of the MST Task Force Leader, Orange County
(919) 451-2900
Pronouns: he, him
Check out the Friends of the Mountains-To-Sea Trail website

If you want to be added to the official MST email notification list to receive Falls Lake Trails workday announcements and details, email: bbrown@mountainstoseatrail.org
Betsy Brown, Brent Laurenz and the crew at the Friends of the MST
3 attendees
ERA/FMST Stewardship Workday: Trash Removal in Durham
Sat, Mar 21 · 9:00 AM EDT
Location not specified yet
The link to the sign up - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/erafmst-stewardship-workday-trash-removal-in-durham-tickets-1983367637996?aff=oddtdtcreator

Join us to clean up trash from Chantal along the Eno River between Stanley Road and Teer Quarry!
This is a collaborative trash cleanup between the Eno River Association, Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, Keep Durham Beautiful, and Heidelberg Materials.
Meeting location: 5013 Denfield St, Durham. Enter through the gate and turn right, parking in the paved and gravel areas as directed. Please arrive 15 minutes early if possible to allow time for signing in and eating breakfast.
4 attendees
Big Sweep Spring Paddle Cleanup
Wed, Apr 1 · 9:00 AM EDT
Holly point campground, 14500 New Light Rd, Wake Forest, NC 2758714500 New Light Rd,, Wake forest, NC, US
Join us for our annual Wake County Big Sweep Spring 2026 paddle cleanup on Falls Lake. This is a fun one! We get out on the water and paddle the shoreline and pull debris and litter improving the waterway and the land.

Follow the link above for details and then register with Big Sweep. Let them know if you need a watercraft or will bring your own.

Get your spot!
14 attendees