The Wake County portion of the American Tobacco Trail offers programs covering nature, history and recreational topics. Public programs are open for registration to the general public.
Program Registration & Reminders
Program Registration
Register for any of our programs by using the button below the program listing to be taken to the registration page on our online registration website. You can also use the button below to search all park programs by location, date and more!
Having trouble registering for a program online?
Contact the park office at 919-387-2117 or email us at americantobaccotrail@wake.gov for assistance.
Important Program Reminders:
- For Family Programs, every participant must be registered online in advance.
- "Walk-ups" (those not registered online but show up) may not be able to participate in the program. Register early!
- Pets, except service animals, are not permitted at programs.
- If a program has a minimum age, children who do not meet the minimum will not be allowed to participate. Children who do meet the age requirement must have a parent or guardian with them in the program. Age limits are established for safety and program content.
Family Programs
Designed for families to enjoy together, these programs are geared toward all ages, unless a minimum age is specified. For Family Programs, all participants must be registered online in advance.
Remarkable Reptiles at the ATT
Friday, July 10, 11 a.m.–noon
Reptiles are really "cool" critters! Learn more about these fascinating, often misunderstood animals, their importance to the ecosystem, and meet our educational box turtle and corn snake up close. Bring your own chair or blanket to sit on. For all ages. All participants (children and adults) must be registered. Meet at the New Hill parking area (1309 New Hill-Olive Chapel Road) at the upper picnic table.
Adult & Educator Workshops
The Wake County section of the American Tobacco Trail periodically offers programs and workshops for adults and older teens led by staff or volunteers, most of which are eligible for NC Environmental Education Certification or CEU credits.
Check back for updates!
Become a Junior Park Explorer!
Do you like to explore parks and preserves? Do you like winning prizes? Our Junior Park Explorers program is for you!
Self-Guided Activities
Go for a StoryWalk®
Take a self-guided StoryWalk® at the American Tobacco Trail! A StoryWalk® is a children’s book that is presented page by page along a trail or path. It combines the pleasures of reading a children's book while enjoying nature. Every other month, the New Hill parking area will feature a different illustrated children's book. Interactive activities are included at the bottom of each set of storybook pages to further engage your child as you make your way through the book. StoryWalk® will be available during current park hours.
The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont, and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. StoryWalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.
The June StoryWalk® is I (Don't) Like Snakes written by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Luciano Lozano. It is available from June 6–28 and is located at the White Oak trailhead located at 1305 White Oak Church Road.
Geocaching
The hunt is on during this high-tech "treasure" hunting game where park visitors come equipped with GPS devices in search of hidden geocaches! The geocaches located on the American Tobacco Trail are hidden containers that have been approved by park staff and placed on park property for your exploration and enjoyment. Geocaches can be of varied sizes and hidden in easy- to difficult-to-find places. Use GPS devices to help find these hidden containers and then record your find on the paper log provided in the geocache. Some geocaches have little items, such as toys and stickers, that you can collect and replenish as you play, so the activity can be a real "treasure hunt." This activity can be self-guided by getting coordinates from Geocaching.com and bringing your own GPS unit, or you can participate in one of our scheduled “Geocaching 101” public programs.
To learn more about geocaching, here is a short introductory video created by Park Manager Christina Hester.
Placing a Geocache
Geocaching on Wake County Park property is handled on a park-by-park basis. To see if geocaching is allowed and what the approval process is for placing a cache, please contact each park directly.
Geocaching is an accepted recreational activity at the Wake County section of the American Tobacco Trail, though at this time, no additional/new geocaches will be approved until further notice. The park maintains a maximum number of caches on park property. Those wishing to establish a new cache must receive approval from the American Tobacco Trail prior to placing a cache. To obtain the approval you must complete and submit a Geocache Placement Request Form to the park office. Please refer to this form for more information.
Mobile Tour
Take a mobile tour and see the park through a new lens!
The American Tobacco Trail has an interactive cell phone tour that you can access from home or while you're at the park. You can access the tour from its hyperlinked title below.
American Tobacco Trail Tour
Explore trailheads, amenities, areas of interest and more!
Park Special Events
Statewide Star Party
The Wake County portion of the American Tobacco Trail was again selected as a host site for the 2026 annual Statewide Star Party on April 24!
The NC Science Festival’s Statewide Star Party, themed “Mission to the Moon,” featured fun, hands-on activities until 8 p.m., including solar system walks, games, crafts and face painting. After sundown, visitors enjoyed constellation storytelling around the campfire and observed the night sky through telescopes and binoculars as experts took them on a celestial tour, including the Moon, Venus and the Pleiades star cluster.
This free Star Party event was hosted by Wake County’s American Tobacco Trail staff in partnership with the Raleigh Astronomy Club, Go Camp! LLC, Kona Ice of Western Wake, and Green Level High School’s Astronomy Club, Science National Honor Society and National Art Honor Society, with generous volunteer assistance from Green Hope High School.
The Statewide Star Party is made possible each year with the support of NC Space Grant and the NC Science Festival.