Hillsborough Riverwalk to Occoneechee Speedway

Join us for a Sunday afternoon hike along the Hillsborough Riverwalk to the Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail and back. We did this one in March on a rainy afternoon, and this time I expect it will be a lot more dry. One of the nice things about this trail is that there is a lot of free parking, so we can set the participant limit much higher, to make up for the smaller one we did recently at Bluestem.

The route is about 4 miles in all, an easy walk along mostly level ground. We'll start on a paved section of the riverwalk along the Eno River, past the reconstruction of an Occaneechi village, and then do a loop of an old NASCAR track now deep in the woods, with a stop to read and rest on the old racetrack grandstand before heading back. The approximate route is shown here: https://www.komoot.com/tour/2782192961 And you can see some photos from our last hike here to get a sense of what it's like: https://www.meetup.com/triangle-reading-and-nature-walk-meetup-group/photos/35872061/

Meet at 3:00pm on Sunday June 21 at the entrance to the Riverwalk Trail in downtown Hillsborough. The trail entrance is by the Eno River Parking Deck at the end of Nash and Kollock Street, near Weaver Street Market. There is abundant free parking in the town-run parking deck. Note that the surface lot is for Weaver Street Market and I think they only want customers to park there - for this hike, use the adjacent municipal parking deck, which is free and open to the public.

We'll get started a few minutes after 3:00pm and will aim to be back at the parking deck around 5:00pm. If anyone wants to continue conversations after the hike, you can walk to Weaver Street Market or a nearby bar/restaurant and get a drink after the hike with friends you've made on this walk.

We hope to see some of the "regulars" there, and to meet new folks! This group is a great way to meet people who both enjoy walking in nature and reading and talking about books and ideas. It's a fun group, with friendly people.

A couple of other notes:

• If you sign up and later realize you can no longer come, please change your RSVP to indicate that, so it will open up your space for someone on the waitlist, and so we know not to wait for you at the trailhead.
• If you're on the waitlist, check Meetup up to the day of the event, because often people drop out late and spaces open up at the last minute.
• We’ll still plan to walk if it’s drizzling or raining lightly. But if there’s heavy rain or extreme heat or cold in the forecast, we’ll reschedule and send a notice by the morning of the event to people who have registered.
• Participation in this hike and any of the events organized by this group are at your own risk. These hikes are on public and well-used trails, but there may be dangers like tripping over tree roots, snake or insect bites, poison ivy, or other unpredictable risks. By joining this event you agree not to hold the organizers responsible for any injuries, and that you understand that you participate at your own risk.

See you soon!