This is a new, exciting event for NC Trail Days 2026! If you're all for kayak and canoe racing, mark this one down! Register as a team or individual for Saturday, June 6th and get ready to rush through 6.8 miles of easier rapids for a chance at taking home bragging rights. Competitive divisions to be announced soon.

Join Yadkin Riverkeeper (YRK), the Elkin Trails Association, and other volunteers to remove debris from our Yadkin River while paddling from Crater Park to Burch (about 6 miles) near the confluence of the Yadkin and Mitchell Rivers.

Tickets are now available for Yadkin Riverkeeper’s 4th Annual Farm to Fork, and we would love for you to join us!

The South Yadkin River is a beautiful river that is the border of Davie and Rowan Counties. Farmland and Wildlife Resource properties line the river giving it a feeling of remoteness in the heart of North Carolina. Enjoy this easy flowing paddle with Yadkin Riverkeeper and help pick up trash along this section of the South Yadkin.

Earth Day Jam is a FREE Earth Day music + arts celebration and farm-to-festival benefit concert for Happy Roots, right in the heart of Downtown Salisbury! Join us to celebrate live music , local art , local foods , community , and the love—and responsibility—we all share for our planet .

Yadkin Riverkeeper is a proud sponsor of the Piedmont Earth Day Fair on April 18th from 10AM - 4PM at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds.

Volunteer at CraftHalf and Support Yadkin Riverkeeper!

We have a fun opportunity to support Yadkin Riverkeeper while being part of one of Winston-Salem’s most energetic spring events. For every volunteer who signs up from Yadkin Riverkeeper, we receive $25 in support of our clean water work.

Join the Yadkin Riverkeeper staff at Salem Lake from 5pm to 9pm for a little paddling in the moonlight. Weather permitting, the moon will rise at 4:30p and the sun will set at 7:40p. While the moon won’t be full, it will have 90% luminance to make paddling in the evening a beautifully memorable experience. Twilight is an excellent time to catch nature’s nightshift start to stir. Gliding from the seat of a canoe or kayak gives you a vantage point that is more open than woods. Paddlers are encouraged to bring their own boats. Yadkin Riverkeeper will have a limited number of boats if you do not have your own.

Come enjoy an early paddle on the Yadkin River with the Yadkin Riverkeeper and hosted by the Town of Lewisville. The section from Old 421 to Huntsville access is so close and yet feels so far away. Paddling it in the early spring is a great way to see further into the woods before the foliage cloaks the landscape. This easy paddling will have a few quick spots but leaves much time to enjoy the natural area so close to Winston-Salem and Lewisville.

Learn about the most pressing issues facing our waterways in Forsyth County and ask questions of local water experts from environmental organizations, local government stormwater departments, and utility providers. Light snacks, beverages, and door prizes will be provided.

Come out with Yadkin Riverkeeper for a cleanup of Salem Creek. Gloves, trash bags, and a limited number of trash grabbers will be provided. So bring your friends and meet us at the Anderson Building parking lot (WSSU campus)!

Yadkin Riverkeeper is hosting, with local steering committee members, a series of educational forums to discuss the High Rock Lake Rules, a state-led nutrient management strategy for the High Rock Lake watershed.

Yadkin Riverkeeper is hosting, with local steering committee members, a series of educational forums to discuss the High Rock Lake Rules, a state-led nutrient management strategy for the High Rock Lake watershed.

Already one of the paddling volunteers of Yadkin Riverkeeper and want a refresher course in rescues? Perhaps you would like to join the team but are unsure on how to help other paddlers in need? Or maybe you are missing summer and want to spend time with paddle buddies. Come to the pool on Saturday, February 7th and enjoy time to explore unique circumstances and how to have a better outcome.

**Our Annual Membership Meeting will now be virtual!

Calling all Yadkin Riverkeeper members! Please join us on Tuesday, February 3rd for our Annual Membership Meeting!

Yadkin Riverkeeper is hosting, with local steering committee members, a series of educational forums to discuss the High Rock Lake Rules, a state-led nutrient management strategy for the High Rock Lake watershed.

Join us on Wednesday, October 22 from 5:00–7:00 PM at our office (846 W 4th Street, Winston-Salem) as we celebrate the incredible dedication of our volunteers. From cleanups and paddles to events and behind-the-scenes support, your hard work makes Yadkin Riverkeeper’s mission possible. This is our chance to say thank you and recognize all that you do to protect the river we all love. Light bites and drinks will be provided—we hope to see you there!

Join Yadkin Riverkeeper for a morning paddle on the South Yadkin River to celebrate both Great Trail State Day and Rowan Creek Week! We will meet registered participants at Hannah Ferry. Then we will shuttle to the put-in for a 2-3 hour paddle that will cover almost 6 miles of beautiful, mostly protected shorelines. The paddle will end back at Hannah Ferry just before the South Yadkin River meets the Yadkin River State Trail.

Celebrate fall in the Yadkin Valley at Yadktober Fest, Yadkin Riverkeeper’s signature autumn fundraiser! This family-friendly festival brings together the best of local flavor, art, and community, all in support of clean water in the Yadkin River Basin.

Come out on a Saturday afternoon to evening with Yadkin Riverkeeper and enjoy time by and on the water at Easy Bend Farms! If you don’t have a boat, we can provide one. Paddling will be upstream to explore on your own and around the immediate area. Bring a picnic dinner and join great conversations at the river’s edge. You are welcome to start paddling at 5 and then stay until 9, after the moon rises.

Join us on Saturday, September 20th for the eighth annual High Rock Lake Clean Sweep!

Join us for a cleanup with Piedmont Land Conservancy on Saturday, July 19th! We will be paddling from Donnaha to Old 421 River Park. We have a limited number of kayaks/canoes available to use, so paddlers are encouraged to bring their own boats. More event information will be emailed upon registration. Please sign up below!

Yadkin Riverkeeper will once again be joining Waterkeepers Carolina in their Paddle Parade this summer to celebrate our Carolina rivers! They will kick off the parade with paddle events hosted by Waterkeepers during the week of Friday, June 13th through Sunday, June 22nd.

Yadkin Riverkeeper will be paddling a 4.5 mile loop starting and ending at the York Hill access in Yadkin River Park. Paddlers will paddle upstream and visit the historic Beard's Bridge (1818) pilings and explore the Trading Ford crossing used for more than 10,000 years.

We’re excited to announce the third annual Farm to Fork fundraiser and you won’t want to miss it! Join us on Saturday, June 14, from 5–8 PM at the beautiful Old Nick Williams Distillery in Lewisville for an evening filled with great food, live music, raffles, and the return of the crowd favorite: Chicken Poop Bingo!

Join Yadkin Riverkeeper (YRK), the Elkin Trails Association, and other volunteers to remove debris from our Yadkin River while paddling from Crater Park to Burch (about 6 miles) near the confluence of the Yadkin and Mitchell Rivers. Registration is recommended for this event. YRK may be able to provide a limited number of boats to volunteers, but we are encouraging volunteers to BYO boat. Paddlers will meet @ Crater Park for lunch, drive to Burch Station to drop off vehicles and shuttle back to Crater to put in. Volunteers will receive a free lunch.

On May 31, Yadkin Riverkeeper will host a “Know Your Watershed” and paddle event at the RiverPark at Cooleemee Falls (645 Erwin Temple Church Rd, Woodleaf, NC 27054).