Hike and Wine Down at Grassy Creek: Trails, Carter Falls, and Wine in the Yadkin Valley

Grassy Creek Vineyard and Winery has always been a different kind of stop on the valley wine trail. The hiking trails, the old dairy barn, Carter Falls at the edge of the property -- it is not a setup most wineries can replicate. On May 16, 2026, they are leaning into that with their Hike and Wine Down event. You can find the Eventbrite listing for tickets and the latest details.

I have driven out to State Road more times than I can count. The back road in gives you a good read on what kind of afternoon you are in for, and at Grassy Creek, it has always delivered. This event is a natural fit for a property that already invites you to slow down and stay a while.

What the Event Actually Is

The concept is straightforward: you hike the property trails, including the stretch that leads to Carter Falls, and then you move into the tasting room when you are ready. The historic red barn tasting room has been there long enough to feel earned rather than staged. It was a dairy barn before it was a winery, and that history is still in the bones of the place.

The combination works because the property earns both halves of it. The trails are real trails, not a short loop around the parking lot. Carter Falls is worth the walk. And the wine is genuinely good -- Grassy Creek has the recognition to back that up, including a top winery ranking from Sherman's Travel.

Pace your afternoon accordingly. Between hiking time and time in the tasting room, a visit here tends to run closer to two or three hours than a quick stop. That is not a warning, that is the point.

What to Know Before You Go

Wear shoes you can actually hike in. The trails can run dusty or muddy depending on what the weather has been doing, and May in the Yadkin Valley means you should expect some humidity and the chance of afternoon rain. Check conditions before you leave.

Grassy Creek is dog-friendly and welcoming to families. The lawn areas give you room to spread out, and the tasting room does not require you to dress up or know anything specific about wine before you walk in. Bring who you want to bring.

If you are thinking about making a full weekend of it rather than a day trip, Grassy Creek has Klondike Cabins available for overnight stays on the property. I would check directly with the winery on current availability and rates. Staying on-site means you do not have to think about the drive home after an afternoon of tasting.

The winery also connects to the Turtle Creek Trail, which is Segment 6 of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. That 2.55-mile one-way stretch runs to Adagio Vineyards, so if you want to turn a hike into a hike-between-wineries day, the infrastructure is there.

Building the Rest of Your Day

If you are making the drive out, Grassy Creek is worth anchoring an itinerary around rather than treating as a quick add-on. The State Road area rewards a slower pace. I have written a first-timer's guide to Yadkin Valley if you are newer to the region and want a framework for how to think about a full day or weekend. There is also a dedicated Turtle Creek Trail guide if the hike-between-wineries angle appeals to you, and a lodging guide covering Klondike Cabins alongside other overnight options near State Road.

The event page on Eventbrite has the current ticket information. Grassy Creek's own site has hours and any updates to the schedule. Always worth a check before you head out, especially for a ticketed event.

Explore More of Yadkin Valley Wine Country

If you're leaning into the trail side of this, the Turtle Creek Trail guide covers the segment that runs from Grassy Creek over to Adagio, which is the kind of day this property is built for. The lodging guide covers Klondike Cabins and other overnight options near State Road, and the first-timer's guide is the right framework if it's your first real day in the valley.

Use the ValleySomm trip planner to build a full day or weekend around the event.

Plan Your Trip

If you want help building a full itinerary around Grassy Creek and the rest of the Yadkin Valley, that is exactly what I built ValleySomm to do. Start planning at ValleySomm and you can put together a driving route, a winery lineup, and a timeline that actually works -- without spending an afternoon on logistics before you even get in the car.