SALISBURY — Saturday is National Trails Day, and a variety of free guided hikes and bike rides in celebration of trails and the outdoors will be offered throughout the area.

One such event will be held at the Fred Stanback Ecological Preserve at Catawba College as participants can join Preserve Manager Joshua Cool for a morning bird watching hike through the preserve.

National Trails Day is an annual event, held the first Saturday of June, and is a great way to kick off the summer by spending time in nature. 

This year, as noted in a release, at least one program will be hosted by the Thread Trail or a partner organization in 14 of the 15 counties served by the Thread Trail. In addition to the event in Salisbury, other locations for the free programs will be in the greater Charlotte area with programs to be led by staff or volunteers from the Thread Trail, Catawba Lands Conservancy and other participating partner organizations.

Programs on this special day will begin as early as 8 a.m. and continue throughout the day.

Space may be limited for each program, and advance registration is required. Go to www.carolinathreadtrail.org/ntd/ for a complete list of the trail programs, to register and for additional details.

To end the day, attendees are encouraged to join Thread Trail staff at the new Olde Mecklenburg Brewery in Ballantyne, 15025 Bowl Street, Charlotte, for a Trails Party from 5-7 p.m.

Rowan County boasts multiple trails that are included in the Carolina Thread Trail for those wanting to enjoy the great outdoors any day of the year. 

Those trails include the Dan Nicholas Park Trail, Salisbury Greenway, Ellis Park Trail and Salisbury Community Park, all in Salisbury; Lake Corriher Wilderness Trail in China Grove; Granite Lake Park Trail and Granite Civic Park Trail, both in Granite Quarry; Royal Giants Park Trail in East Spencer; Yadkin River Park Trail and Fred Stanback Ecological Preserve, both in Spencer; Gold Hill Rail Trail in Gold Hill; Bull Hole Park Trail, which runs through Rowan and Davie counties; and Bakers Creek Greenway and 8th Greenway, Walter M. Safrit Park Trail and Irish Buffalo Creek Greenway, all in Kannapolis.

For more trails on the Carolina Thread Trail’s online map, go to www.carolinathreadtrailmap.org/trails.