UNC Outdoor Education Center debuts new trails on campus

UNC students now have more trails to choose from for walking, biking and hiking.

The Outdoor Education Center is developing a trail system that will stretch nearly 4 miles upon completion, which is expected to be this summer. The trails include features like jumps for mountain bikers. 

The new multi-purpose trails at the Outdoor Education Center are some of many on and around UNC's campus. Carolina North Forest, for example, houses about 18 trails for mountain biking and hiking.

David Rogers, director of the Outdoor Education Center, said that over 2 miles of the OEC's new trail system have been completed so far.

“It’s a great spot to go and it's a seven-minute walk from the Student Union," Rogers said. "As far as the multi-use trails, it’s fun for everybody.”

He said the trails are part of a three-phase plan under the OEC, which is a 67-acre facility of natural space for the campus community. The project was started in the fall of 2019, and the first two phases of the project are complete, Rogers said.

Trail Science, a group of community trail-builders from around the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area, has contributed to building the OEC trails.

“They’re using the natural topography of the land that we have to build on," Rogers said. "We stay high up on the base so that we don’t get down in wet areas, and design the trail to follow the most aesthetically pleasing path."

Chris Francis, a leader of the Trail Science group, said he has been working on the trails for the past couple of years. 

Community members who are part of Trail Science go to the OEC every weekend to build, Francis said. The group offered to build the trails at no cost and raised donations to cook meals for those working on the trails, he said.

“We love it, it’s my favorite thing to do," he said. "You get out there early with some good friends and some new people you haven't met, and you are just building something outside and it’s really fun."

Francis said Trail Science plans to continue building the trails for free, because many of the community members who are building the trails are mountain bikers who plan to use them upon completion.

“The reason we wanted to build (the OEC trails) is because we are Chapel Hill mountain bike riders, and we wanted to be in control of what kind of trails were built there,” he said. 

Russell Hobart, assistant director of climbing programs, said some community members have expressed the need for routes to be safe, and not too dangerous for students. 

"(We were) making certain that trail signage was appropriate and we had everything necessary to get maps so people could get around, or if someone had an injury — that they would have the resources to resolve it," Hobart said. 

The multi-purpose trails are open to the public. Trail Science hopes to complete the remaining miles over the next four months, Francis said.

For more information on the progress of the trails, visit the Campus Recreation website here.

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