Venturing outdoors
Elon is surrounded by parks, trails, botanical gardens and opportunities to spend time outside, especially since temperatures are mild throughout the academic year. There is also easy access to North Carolina’s beaches (3-hour drive) and the mountains (2.5-hour drive). The Blue Ridge Parkway is a great place to take in the autumn leaves beginning in early October.
Elon outdoor adventures
Adventures in Leadership
Adventures in Leadership is an outdoor pre-orientation program for incoming students. AIL offers opportunities to meet other incoming students, become more familiar with campus, and engage in a variety of adventure-based activities.
Elon Challenge
Elon Challenge is an experiential team development program that focuses on building community and strengthening teams. At Elon Challenge, participants work together to reach beyond their perceived boundaries, overcome obstacles and experience success in a variety of problem-solving initiatives.
Elon Outdoors
Whether the trip is to our local rivers, trails or climbing areas, Elon Outdoors invites outdoor enthusiasts of all skill levels to participate in exciting adventure-based learning opportunities. The program offers a wide range of outdoor pursuits providing a diversity of rich experiences for students.
Outdoor equipment and bike rental overview
You don’t have to lug all your outdoor equipment to Elon. You can rent sleeping bags, tents, kayaks, paddle boards, mountain bikes and more.
Campus lakes
Elon has three lakes on campus: Lake Mary Nell, Lake Verona and South Campus lake. Lake Mary Nell is surrounded by the Center for the Arts, Lakeside Dining Hall and the Global Neighborhood. Originally a marsh, in 1997 it was dredged to make it deeper and three fountains were added. It is a favorite spot by students whether they are relaxing on a hammock, enjoying the ducks or studying on the Adirondack chairs sprinkled around it. Lake Verona is in Danieley Center Neighborhood and is a serene spot for Danieley residents to study or hangout with friends. South Campus lake is a place where environmental studies and biology students are often found gathering samples and conducting research.
Labyrinth
One of Elon’s hidden gems, the labyrinth is located on South Campus near Holt Chapel. It’s the perfect place to relieve stress as you follow the windy path toward a tree in the center. Two benches in a shaded meditation garden sit beside it.
Botanical gardens and aboretums
Elon University campus
Elon’s campus was designated a botanical garden in 2004. Many of the plants, flowers and trees on Elon’s campus have been labeled to promote environmental stewardship, education and research. This effort is continually expanding with more gardens and labels added every year. Plants are carefully selected for every project and garden to ensure that they perform well in their individual environment and require the minimum amount of water, nutrients and care possible. In 2019, Elon’s Botanical Garden earned a Level II Accreditation by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and the Morton Arboretum.
The Trees of Elon
There are 125 different trees that are part of a 1.25-mile walk located within the core of Elon’s campus. The walk takes 90 minutes to complete, and the trees on the trail are identified by sequentially numbered plaques that correspond with the numbers on an interactive map.
Burlington Aboretum at Willowbrook Park
The Arboretum at Willowbrook Park features a wide, paved walking path that meanders the length of this 17-acre park. The arboretum is full of plant collections including daylilies, hostas, azaleas, roses, hydrangeas, camellias, wetland gardens and more. A creek runs through the park with a wide vegetation buffer brimming with native plants and grasses that provide habitat for wildlife and filters stormwater runoff protecting the water quality of the creek.
Greensboro Arboretum
This 17-acre site features 14 plant collections, special display gardens and distinct structural features. The extensive variety of plants offers rich educational opportunities. The Greensboro Arborteum is open year-round.
Parks and trails
Burlington City Park
Burlington City Park features year-around aquatics center, tennis center with 12 lighted courts, five softball fields, walking tracks, greenway system and amusement rides for children. Burlington’s restored 1910 Dentzel Menagerie Carousel is the centerpiece of the 76-acre City Park. The carousel was built by the Dentzel Carousel Company, and has 46 hand-carved animals, three to a row. There are only 14 Dentzel Menagerie Carousels remaining intact in the world.
Cedarock Park in Alamance County
Cedarock Park is a 500-acre nature park with more than 180,000 visitors annually. The park offers four miles of hiking trails, six miles of equestrian trails, two disc golf courses with a total of 36 holes for play, a footgolf course, a historical farm restored to the late 1800s time period, a fishing pond, a picturesque waterfall over an old mill dam, picnic shelters and gazebos, a basketball court, a volleyball court, a playground, canoe, and kayak rentals, camping and ample field space for open play.
Eno River State Park in Durham
The Eno River flows through Durham for 33 miles before eventually ending up in Falls Lake on the eastern edge of the county. The Eno River State Park, only 10 miles from downtown Durham, offers terrific access for those who wish to experience the natural beauty the region has to offer. The river winds through hills and bluffs with shrubs and pines that are ready to be hiked and enjoyed through one of five access points.
Great Bend Park in Burlington
Great Bend Park at Glencoe features 30-wooded acres along the Haw River, which offer spectacular views from the hiking trails and fishing areas. Picnicking, fishing, hiking and paddle access points are available. The park is also a part of the Haw River Trail/Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Enjoy the impressive Glencoe Dam and close proximity to Historic Glencoe Mill Village.
Haw River State Park
Picturesque terrain on nearly 1,500 acres makes the Haw River State Park the perfect place to connect with nature. Home to wetlands of the upper Haw River in a natural ecosystem. Three easy loop trails range from .66 – 3.2 miles, plus you can enjoy a wetlands boardwalk. The park is on the N.C. Birding Trail.
Haw River Trail
The Haw River Trail and Haw River Paddle Trail follow the course of the Haw RIver from Haw River State Park to Jordan Lake State Natural Area. The Haw River Trail is part of the “North Carolina Mountains to Sea Trail” and offers visitors a unique glimpse at the region’s rich history and natural heritage. The Haw River Paddle Trail includes numerous paddle accesses throughout the county, allowing paddlers of all skill levels to find a section of the river perfectly suited to their abilities.
Historic Occoneechee Speeday Trail in Hillsborough
The Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail is a 44-acre site on the National Register of Historic Places. Four miles of trails takes you along the banks of the Eno River, where you’ll walk around the only surviving dirt speedway from NASCAR’s inaugural 1949 season. The one-mile oval Occoneechee/Orange Speedway was active from 1948-68, attracting the best stock car drivers and thousands of spectators. Today, this unique outdoor site allows for a diverse range of activities and is enjoyed by individual hikers, joggers and other sports enthusiasts. No access after sunset.
Joe C. Davidson Park in Burlington
Joe C. Davidson Park is one of the most recently developed parks within the system. With its primary focus being soccer and baseball, the park features a wonderful handicapped accessible playground unit, 3/4 mile walking track, nature trail, tennis courts and the large Kiwanis Club outdoor picnic shelter available for rentals.
Lake Mackintosh Park and Marina in Burlington
With more than 1,150 acres and a shoreline of 61 miles, the Lake Mackintosh Park and Marina offers guests the opportunity to enjoy a variety of outdoor activities including kayak, canoe and john boat rentals.
Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area in Hillsborough
Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area offers a quick escape into nature with its three miles of trail exploring riverside forests, bluffs reaching to the highest point in the area and mountain laurel and rhododendron thickets. Visitors can fish in a pair of quiet ponds for bass and panfish or in the Eno River, either from the bank or by wading its shallows. Picnic grounds supply a grassy lawn and large, shading oaks. Rangers lead regular interpretive programs about the state natural area and its piedmont monodnock supports species that are rare and significant in the region.
Riverwalk in Hillsborough
Riverwalk is an accessible, urban greenway that stretches about 3 miles along the Eno River between Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area and the Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail. It is popular for walking, jogging and cycling and provides pedestrian connections between several neighborhoods. Its downtown portion is part of the N.C. Mountains-to-Sea Trail.
Shallow Ford Natural Area
Shallow Ford features over 5 miles of natural surface hiking trails that are part of the Haw River Trail and North Carolina Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Four loop trails wind through the park, passing a variety of interesting ecosystems and offering opportunities for short hikes less than a mile or longer hikes over 3 miles.
Other places in the area