By Ward Swann, Yadkin River State Trail Coordinator
With warm weather officially here, we are getting out and hitting the water. There are three opportunities to enjoy time on the water with Yadkin Riverkeeper. These range from mild to wild, from clean to “don’t wear that into the house” dirty. If you do all three of the paddles, you will have done 18 miles on the Yadkin and South Yadkin Rivers combined. Shake the spiders out of the river shoes and coax the birds out of the boat and join us.
May 16 2026 - South Yadkin River Clean-up
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. We’ll lead a group of people in a mid day paddle on the section from Cooleemee to the Hwy 601 access. Bring some snacks and a curious mind to discover what litter that may have gotten into the stream.
Elkin Trail Days and River Clean-up
Hello all you water warriors! This year there are two ways to show how much you love the Yadkin at Elkin Trail Days. On the 5th you can be a warrior for the river by helping us with a clean up from Crater Park to Burch Station. This is the same section we did last year and if the drought conditions continue, we’ll have the opportunity to fill even more bags. For those who have not done a clean-up, the fun is when you realize that it’s like a scavenger hunt and everything that’s not natural is what you are looking for. Teamwork comes in when it’s a really large piece of trash, and comradery is built while sharing stories of the strange things that have made its way into your trash bag. Anybody want to guess how many balls we’ll collect this on this clean-up
Register today, more directions will follow, but in the meantime know that we will provide lunch before the event, boats, paddles and pfds for some people who need them, and gear to handle the trash that you find. Help the “fight” for a cleaner river.
And the next day, ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE!?!?!?!?!?!
Yadkin River Rumble Canoe and Kayak Race
Even if you aren’t super competitive, the Yadkin River Rumble Canoe and Kayak Race is a fun time to get on the water with a large group of paddlers. Some you will pass, some will pass you, and some will strike up a conversation as you make your way to the finish line. It’s fun to see boats that you have never thought about using on a river like this, long and lean, go screaming by and show you how fast a paddler can go.
This will be the first year of the Rumble. We look forward to this becoming a yearly and growing event. Be sure to get on the first Rumble and see if you can improve your time each year. Register for that at this link.
Yadkin River Rumble Tickets, Saturday, June 6 • 9 AM - 1 PM | Eventbrite
Both are ways for you to let out your Warrior Nature!