Registration opens for Tour des Trees 2026 bike ride in South Carolina, North Carolina

Registration for the Tour des Trees, a multi-day bike ride that serves as an annual community engagement event and fundraiser that benefits the Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund), is now open and accepting riders for the 2026 event to be held in the Blue Ridge Mountains area of South Carolina and North Carolina.

The Tour des Trees is also an outreach event that focuses on educating the public about the importance of tree research, education and support of arboriculture. The ride will take place Sept. 12 to 18, starting in Greenville, South Carolina, and ending in Asheville, North Carolina.

The full ride includes approximately 335 miles of riding, with participants stopping at various outreach events along the route, working with local groups to spread the word about the importance of trees and proper tree care, with local engagement events including tree plantings, children’s presentations, informational learning sessions and more.

Riders come from all over the country and around the world to participate in this annual event and raise money for TREE Fund. This year, there are also plans to participate in local service projects aiding in hurricane relief efforts, allowing many of the riders to use their expertise as professional tree care workers.

The ride is fully supported, with hotels, meals and aid stations provided, as well as on-road rider support. This year’s ride will also be a celebration of the retirement of 22-year Tour Director Paul Wood, who lives just outside Asheville.

Each day will feature ride routes with multiple distance options, between 45 and 100 miles each day, for riders of varying abilities. While most riders will ride for the full week, partial week options are also available. All riders fundraise in order to participate, and this year’s goal is to raise over $410,000 to support TREE Fund.

“We are looking forward to a beautiful ride this year, and everyone we have spoken to so far is very excited about being able to see some wonderful sights and make great connections along the route,” said Jonathan Cain, TREE Fund communication and engagement manager. “We appreciate all the support we have had in the planning process so far and are looking forward to some wonderful, creative events to get the local communities involved.”

Registration and information can be found here. Registration will be open until July 19 or when rider capacity is met. Donations can be made to individual riders, teams or to the ride in general at tourdestrees.org.

For those unable to attend the in-person Tour des Trees ride in the Carolinas, a virtual option will also be available, with details coming soon.