TRACK Trails - A Kids in Parks Program

“Get Unplugged. Get Outdoors. Get Cool Prizes.”

This is the Kids in Parks motto, on the free TRACK Trail program designed to get kids to have fun outdoors. With TRACK Trails in twelve states as well as an e-Adventure and Backyard Adventure option, Kids in Parks is an expanding network of family-friendly outdoor adventures that has been another way our family gets outdoors to explore new places.

Each TRACK Trail features self-guided brochures that turn your visit into a fun outdoors experience as you learn about the things you see all around you. Most trails have multiple brochures available, so that your kids can choose a topic that interests them and is appropriate for their age level. Common topics include insects, geology, animals and plants, and it is common for my boys to each choose a different brochure and end up sharing what they have discovered with each other.

The Glassy Mountain TRACK Trail at Carl Sandburg Home NHS

South Carolina currently has three adventures, one in Congaree National Park, one on the Peak to Prosperity Passage of the Palmetto Trail, and one in Vereen Memorial Gardens. However, there are numerous adventures in North Carolina that are easily reached on a daytrip, including several in places that you’ve likely already visited: Gorges State Park, Pisgah National Forest, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, Chimney Rock State Park and the NC Arboretum.

Signing up is easy; you just create an account, and then start logging your hikes. Register here: https://www.kidsinparks.com/user/register. If you would rather not create an account, you can still participate; the brochures at the trailheads are free, and you’re sure to still have fun even if you don’t log your hikes online. First, find a TRACK Trail near you, and then let the adventures begin!

A luna moth caterpillar near Bolin Creek, Carrboro, NC

In return for registering hikes, kids receive cool gear. With their very first hike they’ll get a nature journal in the mail, where they’ll be able to put their trail stickers (each trail has its own sticker) and write down cool things that they saw or did. Additional hikes earn prizes like bandannas and hand lenses, with a total of eight prizes for those who have hiked eighteen TRACK trails.

The program isn’t just about hiking… In addition to the hiking trails there are also biking trails, geocaching trails, paddling trails, nature trail disc golf courses, and even adventures you can do in your own back yard. The Nature Trail disc golf courses have their own prizes, such as a course dogtag for each course played, and the Bike TRACK Trail gear includes a bike light and bell.

The NC Arboretum TRACK Trail near Asheville NC

The miles add up quickly! You’ll be able to track your adventures in online nature journal; see how many trails you’ve visited, how many miles you’ve hiked, and earn virtual medals for accomplishing extra goals within the program: TRACK Trail Traveler (visiting more than one TRACK Trail), State TRACKer (visiting TRACK Trails in multiple states), and Outdoor Adventurer (more than 1 type of TRACK Trail).

You can read more about some of the TRACK Trails in our region by following these links:

Congaree National Park, Hopkins SC

Peak to Prosperity, Alston SC

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, Flat Rock NC

Chimney Rock State Park, Chimney Rock NC

NC Arboretum, Asheville NC

Crowders Mountain, Kings Mountain NC

Oconaluftee River in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Blackrock Summit Trail in Shenandoah NP

Carrboro, NC (Charles Herman Wilson Park)

Jockeys Ridge State Park, Nags Head NC

Lake Benson, Garner NC

Antietam National Battlefield, Sharpsburg, MD

Crowders Mountain TRACK Trail

To sign up for the Kids in Parks program, click here.

For a map of all the TRACK Trails, click here.

To learn more about the prizes the kids will receive in return for logging hikes, click here.

And to see examples of the brochures you’ll find on the TRACK Trails, click here.

On the Blackrock Summit TRACK Trail in Shenandoah National Park