The Haw River Trail is a recreational, natural, and historical resource between the Triad and the Triangle.

• Recreation: Possibilities include paddling, hiking, camping, picknicking, fishing, and horseback riding. For paddlers in particular it offers family-friendly calm stretches and rapids up to class 2+, within an easy 30-minute drive from the Triangle and Triad.
  
  
• Nature: This river has made an impressive comeback from the industrial pollution of earlier decades. With its banks and tributaries, it is once again a home for a variety of wildlife and a vital greenspace for the people of the central Piedmont.
  
  
• Tourism: Historical, textile mills, Indian structures, and small towns give the Haw a unique character.