This Land, Your Land

The state Parks and Recreation Division is taking a closer look at North Carolina's paddling community as it helps local governments create paddle trails and find grant money.

The division's State Trails Program found in a study released this week that paddlers most often participate in the sport within 50 miles of home and that the Neuse, Cape Fear and Nantahala are the most popular among North Carolina rivers.

More canoeists and kayakers come from the Piedmont - the state's most populous region - than any other area of the state, the study says.

The 2008 Paddle Tourism Study found that North Carolina is a destination for paddlers from other states, primarily Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, and revealed that respondents who consider themselves avid paddlers took an average 17 paddle trips last year, with most paddlers preferring camping for overnight accommodations, a news release about the study says.

The state is currently developing the Deep River State Trail, which will be a canoe/paddle trail along the river corridor from Guilford County through Randolph, Chatham and Moore counties to the confluence of the Deep and Haw rivers in Lee County. The state has already established paddle trails on the French Broad and New rivers.

The State Trails Program joined with North Carolina State University’s School of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management to conduct the study. More than 2,000 online responses were collected from paddling enthusiasts and outdoor outfitters.

The 68-page study report is available online as a .pdf document.