The Elkin Valley Trails Association (EVTA) formed about a year ago for the purpose of improving the quality of life and stimulating the economy in our community.

Our primary effort has been to raise support for building a trail from downtown Elkin to the Elkin Reservoir and Business Park.

This trail would bring a segment of the NC Mountain to Sea Trail, a 1,000-mile Linear State Park Trail from Clingman’s Dome to Jockey’s Ridge right smack through Elkin Valley into Elkin and to the Yadkin River where the trail could join with Jonesville Trails.

The EVTA is also working to help develop the Yadkin River Trail and the Overmountain Victory Trail (the eastern trail head is in the Elkin Park) that is planned to connect Elkin/Jonesville with King’s Mountain, South Carolina.

Those supporting our effort in one way or another include the Boy Scouts of America, Weyerhaeuser, Lowes, Vulcan Materials Inc., Greenhill Environmental Inc., Raffaldini Winery and Vineyards, Carolina Heritage Winery and Vineyard, Brushy Mountain Winery, Charles Fletcher’s Pick Your Own Blueberries, Quick & Kleen, Yadkin Riverkeeper, North Carolina Rail-Trail Inc., Yadkin Valley Heritage Corridor, Surry County Commissioners and staff, 21 & Main, Fiddles, Royals, Harry’s, Reeves Theater Committee, WIFM, Chatham Foundation, Boyles-Eidson Foundation, Jonesville Historical Society, Friends of the Mountain to Sea Trail, Friends of the Overmountain Victory Trail, Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Wild Turkey Federation, Elkin Jaycees, North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission, Nu-line Printing, Elkin Economic Development Authority, Jack Partin Associates and the Elkin Mayor, Commissioners and staff. I’m sure there are others and we’ll recognize them as we build the trails.

Skip Whitman deserves unique recognition for being willing to match $1,000 a month in donations for the next 12 months. We’d already have three matches and would love to have a nine more matches if an individual or company is interested and financially able to help us build these trails. We need money for materials and heavy equipment while volunteers man chainsaws, dig, cut, place benches, water bars, footbridges, etc.

A special thanks goes out to all the landowners who have graciously allowed trails easements across their property. Without the landowner’s help there would be no trail.

The trails will enable the creation of trout streams, a mountain bike course, horse-hike-running-bike trails to distant places and the development a new perspective on the history of the Elkin Valley.

Any who want to learn more or to participate with the Elkin Valley Trails Association can ‘check out’ our website at … elkinvalleytrails.org

Sincerely, Bill Blackley, Denise Lyon, Cynthia Beane, Mark Fowlkes, Joe Hicks, Joe Mickey, Julian Robinson, Rob Libbert, Robert Ball, Bob Hillyer, Bob Midkiff, Jason Couch, Karen and Terry Kryska, Martha Smith, Randall Ray, Rick Chatham, R G Absher, Scooter Parker, Terry and Karen Kryska, Ron and Phyllis Storey, Adam McComb, Robert Nicks, Andras Neumark, Will Gwyn, Tim Hendrix and Heidi Hall.