This weekend could go either way. One the one hand, there’s a chance the temperature could hit 70 in some of our region, a welcome relief after a lot of 40s. On the other, there’s a chance of rain. 

Chance of rain. What exactly does that mean?

It means you could miss out on a whole lot of outdoor fun if you let a little forecast for run bully you around. Outdoor fun, such as:

Winter Plant Hike, Saturday, 1 p.m., Lake James State Park, Nebo. It’s always about spring wildflowers, or fall leaves. Life exists at other times of year, you know. And Park Ranger Kevin Bischof would love to tell you about it on this three-quarter-mile hike on the Holly Discovery Trail. More info and sign up here.

GetOriented! Finding Your Way in the Woods, Saturday at 1 p.m. in Raleigh and again Sunday at 1 p.m. in Greensboro. There’s hiking on trail, and there’s hiking off trail. Kinda like the difference between the kid that always toes the line and the one who strays every once in a while. Come and let us show you how to stray this weekend, with our GetOriented! class. We spend about 45 minutes going over basic map and compass skills, then head down the trail and off to let you test your newfound abilities. For details on Saturday’s class at Umstead State Park in Raleigh, go here, for details on Sunday’s class at Haw River State Park in Greensboro, go here.

The Long Upland Hike, Sunday, 9:30 a.m., Eno River State Park, Durham. Even if you’re a regular at Eno River State Park, it’s a good bet you haven’t heard of the Ridge, the Knight and the Shakori trails. An even better bet you don’t know about the Fieldstone connector, since it barely just opened. But Saturday, you’ll get a chance to hike these lesser-appreciated trails on the north side of the park’s Fews Ford Access. Six miles, rated “moderately strenuous,” and suggested for ages 14 and up. More info here.

As always, you can find more opportunities this weekend here:

• North Carolina State Parks have a variety of adventures planned for the weekend. Check those options here.
• North Carolina Environmental Education Centers has an extensive calendar of what’s happening at its affiliates; check it out here.
• You can also find more adventures right here, at GetGoingNC.com.

Learn more about where we visited this past week, the places featured in the video above, by checking out:

• Hagen Stone Park
• Brumley Forest Nature Preserve
• Ayr Mount’s Poet’s Walk