Yadkin Riverkeeper Announces “Meet and Greets” and Press Availability for “The Long Paddle”
For Release: July 27, 2026
Contacts:
Katie Wilder, Yadkin Riverkeeper Director of Operations and Communications
katiew@yadkinriverkeeper.org, 336.722.4949
Nicole Eastman, Riverkeeper
nicole@yadkinriverkeeper.org, 330.861.8387
Ward Swann, Yadkin River State Trail Coordinator
ward@yadkinriverkeeper.org, 336.406.0976
Newly appointed Yadkin Riverkeeper, Nicole Eastman, and Yadkin River State Trail coordinator, Ward Swann, will embark on a 192-mile, 14-day “Long Paddle” on August 1. The paddle will float almost the entire length of the Yadkin River starting on the upper Yadkin in Happy Valley to the River’s end at its confluence with the Uwharrie River at Lake Tillery and Morrow Mountain State Park where it becomes the Pee Dee River.
The Long Paddle will include the entire 163-mile Yadkin River State Trail (YRST) and will be divided into two segments. The first segment will be from August 1-8 starting near Patterson, NC in Caldwell County and ending at the Highway 64 access in Davidson County. The second will run from August 15 - 20 starting at the Highway 64 access and ending at YRST Mile Marker 0 at Morrow Mountain State Park in Stanly County. Yadkin Riverkeeper (YRK) staff will take a break from the paddle to participate in the Great Trails State Conference August 10-12 at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem, NC.
The purpose of the Long Paddle is more than highlighting the fun of paddling the Yadkin River State Trail. It is also to draw attention to the beauty and value of the Yadkin River and identify potential threats to our watershed. Nicole and Ward will be joined by several “Long Paddlers” throughout the journey. Their goals are to build YRK’s community of environmental advocates over long floats and camping trips, monitor water quality along the way, and provide reports and stories about the Yadkin River to be shared online to raise awareness of YRK’s work. The public may join paddle on the following days by registering on YRK’s website at the links below:
July 31-August 2: Long Paddle- Upper Yadkin
August 8: Long Paddle- Tanglewood to Highway 64
August 14-16: Long Paddle- Highway 64 to York Hill
Meet and Greet opportunities include:
Monday, August 3, 9:00 AM – Kerr Scott Reservoir Tailrace Access, Wilkesboro, NC-Press Availability
Tuesday, August 4, 11:00 AM – Crater Park, Elkin, NC – Press Availability
Thursday, August 6, 10:00 AM – Shoals Access Area, Pilot Mountain State Park, River Section, East Bend, NC – Press Availability
Saturday, August 15, 4 PM – 6 PM – Boone’s Cave Park, Davidson County, NC
Sunday, August 16, 4:00 PM, Yadkin River Park, York Hill Access Camping Area, Davidson County – Press Availability
Wednesday, August 19, 5:00 PM, Badin Lake Boat Access, Badin, NC – Press Availability
Thursday, August 20, 1:00 PM, End of Long Paddle Celebration, Morrow Mountain State Park Boat Ramp, Stanly County
The Yadkin Riverkeeper 2026 Long Paddle follows the historic tradition and route of Dr. Douglas Rights’ 1925 voyage more than 100 years ago from the River near Wilkesboro to the end of the Pee Dee River at Winyah Bay in Georgetown, SC. Dr. Rights, a Moravian minister and historian, documented his trip in the 1928 book “A Voyage Down the Yadkin-Great Peedee” based on a series of articles published in the Twin City Daily Sentinel and the Winston-Salem Journal. That book served as the inspiration and guide for Winston-Salem Journal reporter Floyd Rogers’ trip down the River with several fellow paddlers in 1982 once again documented in a series of newspaper articles and published along w/ Dr. Rights’ account in “Yadkin Passages,” which drew considerable attention to efforts to protect the river and improve water quality and provided the spark to officially establish the Yadkin River State Trail.
"Paddling the Yadkin River from Happy Valley to Morrow Mountain State park is a great opportunity to take inventory of our river and highlight its beauty and importance to the communities along it while noting the threats and opportunities for better protection," said Yadkin Riverkeeper Nicole Eastman.
"The Yadkin River has enormous, unrealized recreation potential. Not only is it some of the best paddling and smallmouth fishing in the state, but also it's the easiest way to have a nature-based experience and see wildlife without having to travel days to get to it,” added Ward Swann, Yadkin River State Trail Coordinator
Yadkin Riverkeeper is accepting donations and sponsorships to support the Long Paddle at Sponsor the Long Paddle on YRK’s website.
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