First thing: Saturday — Christmas Day — is the one day North Carolina State Parks are closed. All of them. So let them have their day of peace and instead take a hike on your own. And if you have little or no experience doing that, well, Happy Holidays, friends — we’re here to help.

Today through Christmas, our entire inventory of hiking guides is available to you free of charge. Simply enter the code word “Ovaltine” at checkout and all hiking guides and tutorials will be free.

Some quick notes:

• The guides will be made available immediately as downloadable PDFs.
• Some of the guides include trails at North Carolina State Parks; do not use those guides on Saturday/Christmas Day since, as noted earlier, the parks are closed.
• Other public lands may be closed; check to make sure before heading out (you should be able to quickly find out via the links included in each guide).
• Some of the guides are for individual trails. 
• Some of the guides are compilations, such as “3 Hikes for Avoiding the Masses,” and “5 Great Hikes for Beginning Hikers.” 
• Some are themed. “Top 10 Training Hikes in North Carolina,” for instance.
• Also included in the offer are our skills guides. If you like the idea of hiking in wet weather, for instance, there’s our GetHiking! Guide to Hiking in the Rain. Curious about Exploring Off Trail? We’ve got a skills guide for that, too.

You can check out our trail guides and tutorials here. And remember to type in the code word “Ovaltine” when prompted at checkout to get them for free.

Our (discounted) gift of adventure

And while we’re moved by the spirit of the season, if you’re looking for a last-minute gift to help that special someone (which could be you, btw) get off to a more active and adventurous New Year, we’re offering a 25 percent discount on the following winter programs:

• GetHiking! Winter 2022 Sunday Afternoon Hike Series. 10 weekly hikes beginning at 1 p.m., each on different trails throughout the Triangle. Jan. 9 – March 13.
• GetHiking! 2022 Tuesday Night Hike Series. 10 weekly Tuesday night hikes, beginning at 6:30 p.m. and finishing around 8 p.m. Each hike is about 3 miles. 
• GetHiking! Winter 2022 Series for the Aspiring Hiker. Instruction and guide-led hikes 10 Sunday afternoons from Jan. 9 – March 13. Hikes start at 2 miles and increase to 5 miles.

Learn more about the Sunday afternoon and Tuesday evening hikes here, the Aspiring Hiker program here. Sign up by Tuesday, Dec. 28, enter the code RedRyder at checkout and get 25 percent off.

GetHiking! Gift of Adventure card

Not sure if any of the above fit the bill? Play it safe with our GetHiking! Gift of Adventure card, good for all of our GetHiking, GetBackpacking! and GetOriented! hikes, trips, and classes.

This holiday season, remember to GetOut! and enjoy!