It’s paddler’s choice this weekend in North Carolina. Don’t like to get wet? Then make a run for the hills.
Coast
Pine Knoll Shores is the place to be along the coast this weekend is you like to paddle or pedal. The weekend’s Kayak for the Warriors highlight is a 3.2-mile kayak and paddle board race that begins in Bogue Sound, follows canals inland through town, then pops back out onto the sound at the finish. A little too intense for the kids? There’s a Family Fun Race that’s just “a few hundred yards” as well. For mellow cyclists — the beach cruiser crowd — there are family-friendly rides of 5K (3.1 miles) and 10K (6.2 miles). The event kicks off Friday evening with a reception at Town Hall, all races are Saturday. Proceeds benefit Hope For The Warriors, a non-profit whose goal “is to enhance quality of life for U.S. Service Members and their families nationwide who have been adversely affected by injuries or death in the line of duty.”read more
If you like to paddle, plan on calling in sick for most of June. And if you think you might like to try paddling, plan to take at least a day.
This morning at 10 a.m., the Tour de Yadkin got underway on the Yadkin River, from the base of W. Kerr Scott Dam and Reservoir. The Tour continues daily through the 23rd, with daily paddle trips led by Yadkin Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks and various related events. It’s an event suitable for veteran paddlers as well as folks who don’t know their bow from their stern.
While a great paddling opportunity, the annual TdY’s primary goal is to expose the masses to the challenges the Yadkin faces, from fracking to fibrowatt.
“This is the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act,” Naujoks said before the event, “so we’ve made the annual paddle even bigger and better than previous years because we want people to discover the beauty of this North Carolina resource and ways that doing just a little can make our waters more fishable, swimmable and drinkable.”
Each day will include time on the river — and something unique as well.
Today’s 7.1-mile paddle, for instance, will be followed by a Historic Ghost Walk Tour on the Wilkes County Greenway led by Historian, R.G. Absher. Friday, there’s a 6.8-mile paddle planned, from Ronda downstream (we know, but we still feel obligated) to Elkin, followed by yoga, dinner and camping at Crater Park in Elkin. Saturday begins with breakfast and a one-mile hike on a freshly-minted stretch of the Mountains-to-Sea Tail, followed by a 5.7-mile paddle to the Carolina Heritage Winery for a tour, wine tasting and bluegrass concert. I’m challenged to think of a better way to spend a Saturday.
Other highlights:read more
On the Appalachian Trail, on the way to Grassy Ridge.
National Trails Day is non-denominational: you can celebrate on a paddle trail, a bike trail or a hiking trail. Come one, come all.
Coast
Most ranger-led paddle trips are quick one-hour affairs. This Saturday at Lake Waccamaw State Park you’ll have a full half day to explore this Carolina Bay in the wake of a knowledgeable lead. The paddle starts at 10 a.m.read more
It’s what you’ve been waiting for since September: the first weekend of the year that will feel like summer. Celebrate with a 100-mile bike ride in the coastal plain, a hike under a full moon, or celebrating one of the mountains’ most popular and playful rivers, the French Broad.read more
Now when you want to find out where to rent a boat, you can just click on the "Paddling' link on the left rail of our home page.
Yesterday’s Weekend Plans section, in which we offer our thoughts on how and where you can have fun over the coming weekend, was a clean sweep for paddling. That made us realize that the paddling season is upon us, which made us realize that our helpful guide to 33 places where you can rent a canoe or a kayak (or a Sunfish-type sailboat) is buried somewhere in this Web site. That made us realize we needed to spend some time under the hood of this operation and make it easier for you to find certain key resources — such as those 33 places in the state where you can rent a canoe or kayak.read more
