Looking for a way to get your kids outside? Take a walk on the Arboretum’s TRACK Trail! Self-guided brochures accompany the Natural Garden Trail and turn hiking into a fun, interactive experience for kids and adults alike. 
The following brochures are available year round: Nature’s Hide and Seek, Let’s Explore ecoEXPLORE, and Whos at Willow Pond. There are additional brochures that rotate throughout the year, complementing ecoEXPLORe badge season.
“The program has been successful in helping us develop and market our network of 300+ ecoEXPLORE HotSpots across North Carolina – with a goal of 600 of these sites by the end of 2023. Many of our HotSpots are also TRACK Trails – including all 41 units of the NC State Parks. The programs naturally compliment each other and allow for greater experiences for all involved,” said Director of Education, Jonathan Marchal.
Just like ecoEXPLORE, kids can earn prizes for completing adventures through TRACK Trails.
The Arboretum has been recognized as one of the top 10 TRACK Trails for 2021 and 2022. The Arboretum has partnered with TRACK Trails since 2008, and has had its own trail since 2012.
“One of the great advantages of joining this network is the valuable data that it provides regarding our guests who are learning at the Arboretum via our trails and the TRACK Trail program. This data helped us secure funding from the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation for a Ribbons of Hope grant of $25,000 that started our Project EXPLORE program in 2013. The success of that funding, along with the successful implementation and growth of Project EXPLORE, helped position us to apply for and receive the $1 million grant from the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation for our statewide expansion,” said Marchal.
You can find TRACK Trails Brochures at the Nature Garden Trailhead (next to Baker Visitor Center), in the Nature Discovery Room, and Arboretum’s TRACK Trail page on the Kids in Parks website.