Among your active options for this weekend in North Carolina …

Coast

Wings Over Water may be over and the tourists may have left, but the star attractions — the birds — remain. Check out the nearly 400 species of birds who call the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge home — either year-round or seasonally — on a guided hike Sunday at 8 a.m. Specifically, the hike will explore the refuge’s North Pond. Bring a field guide and binos if you have them, otherwise you may be able to borrow. Meet at the Pea Island Visitors Center. It’s free, 252.987.2394 if you have questions.

Piedmont

Technically, the Festival of Bikes Holiday Lights Ride is Friday night, but doesn’t the weekend really begin no later than 5 p.m. Friday? Besides, who can resist a biking event where cars are banned! Friday from 6:30-8 p.m. only bicycles will be able to tour the Tanglewood Festival of Lights. Four miles of family-friendly, holiday razzle-dazzle enjoyed as holiday lights should be enjoyed — on two wheels. It’s $3 per person (cash only, proceeds benefit the N.C. Chapter of the National MS Society), helmets are required (bikes, too, it should go without saying), headlights and taillights are suggested, you can score hot chocolate and marshmallows afterward. More info here.

Mountains

To the typical runner who pounds the pavement, “trail running” conjures images of rocky, rooty trails and twisted ankles. Toss in the mountains and you have rocky, rooty trails with steep climbs and descents and assorted additional injuries. Not so the case with the Swain County Trail Runners weekly Saturday morning run from the Deep Creek Trailhead outside Bryson City. From Deep Creek, on the east edge of the Great Smokies, trails in the form of travel-friendly (read: smooth foot tread) old roadbeds gradually rise into the Smokies. And when the club advertises “all distances, paces, ages welcome,” you can believe it as a network of these old roadbeds can mean anything from a 2.4-mile run (Three Waterfalls Loop) to a 4.4-mile jaunt (Deep Creek-Indian Creek Loop) to a run that will take you as deep and high as you want — including up to 6,643-foot Clingman’s Dome.  Runners meet at 8 a.m. More info, call 828.399.0989 or 828.488.6769, or e-mail wdtreern@yahoo.com.

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Those are GGNC’s thoughts for an active weekend. Find out other ways you can get out this weekend by browsing our super calendar, a collection of events calendars from throughout the state, below.

Coast

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

Crystal Cost Tourism Authority
Comprehensive calendar focusing on the Crystal Coast. Good source for programs offered by N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Lookout National Park, N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve and other costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

Blue Ridge Outdoors
Searchable calendar lets you extend your reach to events throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast (or you can just limit it to North Carolina). Also lets you search a boatload of categories, ranging from Hiking, Mountain Biking and Climbing to Trail Running, Triathlon and Road Walking.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triad

GoTriad.com
Comprehensive calendar includes a Sports & Recreation category.

Piedmont Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triangle

Triangle.com
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including: Birding, Boating, Cycling, Nature, Rec & Wellness, Recreation, Running, Swimming, Tennis, Yoga.

Carolina Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Statewide

Office of Environmental Education
One calendar for the numerous Environmental Education Centers statewide.

North Carolina State Parks
Lets you search for programs at the state’s parks, recreation areas and natural areas by location, by month, by topic. To reach the calendar from the home page, click on “Education,” then “Fun & Free Programs at Parks.”

National Forests in North Carolina
From the home page, click on Carolina Connections for news updates on the state’s four national forests as well as hints on recreational opportunities and a detailed rundown of recreation areas and the amenities at each.