Take a hike on Trails Day

June 2 is National Trails Day. For the past 15 years, the first Saturday in June has been set aside to celebrate the nation's 100,000-plus miles of hiking and walking trails, either by taking a stroll on them or or by helping to spruce them up.

Next Thursday, we'll explore the latter. We'll look at the vital role volunteers play in creating a trail network that grows substantially each year. In the Triangle, if there's a dirt trail that's been cleared in the last 15 years, chances are good that it wouldn't have happened without volunteer labor.

Today, we'll share a partial list of events planned locally for National Trails Day. This list comes from the American Hiking Society, which sponsors National Trails Day. You can find out more on the events by visiting the hiking society's Web site at www.americanhiking.org. If you know of events that aren't listed here, fill us in and we'll include it in a more comprehensive list to run with next week's story.

* Eno River State Park, Orange and Durham counties, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., trail maintenance. Details: 383-1686, jason.gwinn@ncmail.net.

* Falls Lake Trail workday, sponsored by the Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail and Great Outdoor Provision Co., Raleigh, 9 a.m. start, new trail construction and trail rerouting. Details: 868-6274, jdbrewer@bellsouth.net.

* Little River Regional Park, Orange and Durham counties (Rougemont), 9 a.m.-noon., activity to be determined. Details: 732-5505, littleriverpark@or.orange.nc.us.

* Umstead State Park, Raleigh, sponsored by REI, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., trail maintenance. Details: 571-4170, william.umstead@ncmail.net.

* Museum Park at the N.C. Museum of Art, Raleigh, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., guided hikes on the greenway and hiking trail. Details: 839-6262, ext. 6780, CHerring@ncamail.dcr.state.nc.us.

* Walkable Hillsborough Day, Hillsborough, 9 a.m., three walks of varying lengths. Details: 967-6705, nancybaker@mindspring.com.

* Trading Path Association Hike on the Eno (part of Walkable Hillsborough Day), Hillsborough, 9 a.m., 1.5 mile hike. Details: 644-0600, tmagnuson@tradingpath.org.

* Unveiling of Welcome to Chatham County Sign on American Tobacco Trail, sponsored by Triangle Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Chatham County, 10 a.m. Details: 545-9104, americantobaccotrail@earthlink.net.

* Triangle Trailblazers Volkssport Club 10 kilometer and 5 kilometer walks, Lillington, 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Details: 847-1075, pgraeber@juno.com.