Certainly doesn’t inspire thoughts of a day on the trail. A long day, at least.

That’s why this time of year we pull out our Summer Shorts: hikes long enough to sate your thirst for trail, but short enough to prevent heatstroke.

I got into shorter trails when I moved north of Greensboro four years ago. The reason? There were no long trails close by. Initially, the Shorts came in handy when I simply didn’t have the time to invest a half day, drive included. They become even handier when the heat settles in. 

Today, a salute to Summer Shorts. Five hikes I turn to when the heat gets turned up.

MST James M. Johnston Nature Preserve

Hillsborough

320 Elizabeth Brady Road

2 miles out and back 

Just across from Historic Occoneechee Speedway, now part of the N.C. State Parks system, sits a small preserve that clings to a bluff overlooking the Eno River. And clinging to the bluff is a mile-long stretch of trail that includes elevation (150 feet), floodplain forest, and rhododendron and mountain laurel stretches that’ll make you swear you’re in the mountains. 

The trail itself is a mile in length; to get there from the Occoneechee trailhead you’ll need to tack on another mile (out-and-back). This flat stretch makes for a nice warm-up, especially in summer, for short-but-steep climb that awaits. Looking for more mileage? A loop on the speedway adds a half-mile; tack on another 1.5 miles on the MST west into Hillsborough, and another half mile, still on the MST, to Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area. What you wind up with here is a hike with a length for all seasons.

More info here

Seven Mile Creek Nature Preserve

Hillsborough

2187 Moorefields Road

1.5 miles

I’ve been hiking Seven Mile Creek for a decade now and I still think only a handful of us know about this 360-acre gem. Granted, it’s small and with a mile and a half of trail it may not be worth a drive across the Triangle, especially if you’re looking for miles. But in summer there’s passage along the preserve’s namesake creek, which, like the Eno it deposits into a mile downstream, is more montane than piedmont. A mature forest offers a sun-sheltering canopy and good sightline through the understory. Get ambitious and you can cross the creek at low water and pick up an old roadbed across the way. Or head upstream for a little timberbashing. Even with those additions, don’t expect to hike much more than a couple miles total. 

More info here, at the Orange County website

Take a 87-second virtual video tour here

Richard P. Gravely Jr. Nature Preserve

Ridgeway, VA

2525 Eggleston Falls Road

2 miles

This was quite the unexpected find when I moved to Eden. I don’t what I expected to find on this 75-acre preserve just a 17-minute drive from home, but what I found was an outer loop that spends part of its time along a stretch of the Smith River rich with rhododendron and mountain laurel. A connectoin trail runs along a ridge with lush hardwoods and a cemetery dating back to the mid-1800s. Depending upon the time of year you’ll find a range of wildflowers — including trillium, bloodroot, and wild orchids— ferns and mushrooms. It’s also got some elevation, topping out at just under 750 feet.

More info here

Knight Brown Nature Preserve

Stokesdale

221Waterfield Lane

3+ miles

The hike: Few places do as good a job of quickly escorting you from civilization as the 189-acre Knight Brown Nature Preserve. Take the Beechwood Bottom Loop Trail from the trailhead and hike clockwise, and you quickly descend to Belews Creek. (As soon as you reach the creek, look across, to the north, for a cascade tumbling down the far slope.) Large sections of three trails run along the creek, which has forged a surprisingly deep valley: in just over a tenth of a mile, the terrain rises 80 vertical feet above the creek. The east-facing slope probed by the Leatherwood Loop Trail has some understory growth, but for the most part, the high canopy provides a protective roof above open terrain below. Nice in summer because it blocks out the sun but not the downslope breezes, nice in winter because the leafy canopy disappears letting the sun’s warming rays penetrate. Belews Creek, which runs west, then north through the preserve, offers rocky relief, spilling over car-size boulders in spots, before mellowing out on its journey to the Dan River. An exceptional hike in all seasons.

More info here

Hickory Creek Access: Mayo River State Park

Stoneville

Tyne Road (off of Bennett Road),

GPS: 36.5093, -79.9984

This access is so new it’s barely on the park website. It’s so new it doesn’t even have an address. It’s so new that to get there, you need old-timey written directions (from US 220, take the NC 770 ramp and head west on NC 770 for 6.8 miles; turn right onto Victory Hill Church Road for 3.1 miles; turn right onto Bennett Road for 0.6 miles; turn right onto Tyne Road and into Hickory Creek Access). The trailhead is atop a subtle summit where you’ll seem to have options: only one, well marked, is the actual trail. Take it for a leisurely 0.8-mile hike down a mellow ridge to the Mayo River. Much of this hike is on an old, barely detectable, roadbed. Reaching the Mayo is a bit anticlimactic as the river bottom is densely vegetated and views of the river are limited. Turn and hike back to the trailhead. Up for another mile or so? Just before where you parked is a gated dirt road which offers a half-mile or so of easy hiking before “No Trespassing” signs suggest it’s time to retreat. If the heat has yet to defeat you, it’s three quarters of a mile down the access road to the park entrance. All told, you can get in about 4 miles of quiet hiking.

More info here.

The post 5 Summer Shorts appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

As we’ve settled in to summer’s steady drumbeat of 90/90 — temperature/humidity — days, I’ve been trying to sort out what I don’t like about summer hiking, as well as what keeps me on the trail. The latter first.

The case for summer

• No crowds. Summer hiking is an acquired taste, a taste even some of the most ardent hikers haven’t acquired. But here’s the thing: if you’re not into sharing the trail, it’s the best time to be on it.
• The intimacy. Come summer, every nook of the forest is adorned in green: a rich canopy, a robust understory, a thickly carpeted forest floor. All help insulate you from the world beyond, and when it comes down to it, isn’t being shielded from the outside world a big part of why you like the outdoor world?
• Hot bod, I. As you age and your body stiffens, nothing works out the kinks like the heat. On a 90-degree day those stiff joints all-but-disappear within minutes of hitting the trail. Think of it as the benefit of a steam bath while enjoying a walk in the woods.
• Hot bod, II. Hiking is a good way to firm up and lose weight. Hiking in hot weather accelerates the process.
• It makes you a kid again. For most of us as kids, summer was our favorite time of year. No school, all play, all day. Recapture that feeling with a summer hike. And maybe to capture that feeling of summer youth throw a little water into the mix. One of the best days I’ve had on the trail was nearing the end of a 14-mile loop at Doughton Park and pausing to remove my hiking shoes and dip my feet in the cold water of Basin Creek. Had there been a pool deep enough I would have been all in. 

Pretty good case for a summer hike, I believe. Now, on to the downside and how I deal with it.

The downside (and dealing with it)

• Sweaty eyes. There’s an easy solution to keeping salty sweat from dripping into your eyes, obscuring your vision, and making you crabby: a bandana, or Buff. You could use a ball cap, relying on on the headband to absorb your salty discharge, but the closed top causes heat build up. Solution? A wrap-around cloth that lets heat evaporate but catches sweat. When it reaches maximum capacity simply remove, wring, replace.
• Dehydration. You need to replace all that sweat leaving your body, lest you succumb to a summer swoon. Take a minimum of two liters of water, regardless of how long and far you plan to hike. Of course, simply having water doesn’t mean you’ll drink it. Which leads to …
• Make it a cold one. One of my favorite songs as a kid growing up out West: “Cool Water,” the Marty Robbins version. Clear, cool water to be precise. Which is why every night before a summer hike I stick a couple of three-quarter-full water bottles in the freezer. Next morning I top them off with cold water and I generally have clear, cool water for most of the hike — water I look forward to indulging. 
• Pack extra socks. Always pack an extra pair of socks and swap ‘em out before you hear the tell-tale squish-squish-squish of your feet swimming in your socks. When that happens, take the socks you’ve just removed and tie ‘em to the back of your pack. Within a half hour or so a pair of wool socks will dry just enough for you to put back on, should the need arise. (Help yourself even more by wearing lightweight summer hiking socks.)
• Vanquish the pests. I use DEET, deemed safe in concentrations of less than 30 percent, to rid myself of most summer pests. Most, but not all. …

Quick story: Years ago I was complaining to a former superintendent at Umstead State Park in Raleigh about her horse flies. “I’m on my mountain bike,” I explain, “trying to outride this especially pesky horsefly. I’m peddling like mad, but it keeps nipping at my ears. I look down at my speedometer and I’m going 35 miles per hour!” 

“The park speed limit is 20,” she replied. 

In fact, it wasn’t until recently that learned of the one thing that does seem to keep horse flies at bay.

Vinegar

Vinegar.

Like, a dab behind the ears?

Exactly. Although if the thought of smelling like a tossed salad on the trail doesn’t appeal to you, any essential oil — citronella, eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint — will do. A spritz or two about the head and summer hiking’s real nemesis will be someone else’s problem.

So, in addition to your Ten Essentials, add an 11th.

A spritz of white vinegar.

The post Embrace the Summer Hike: Here’s How (and Why) appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Oh, mamma!

The rejuvenating nature of water is something you simply have to experience yourself, whether it’s an icy cold gulp from a canteen on a humid summer’s day or simply soaking up to your calves on a warm spring day. Water, especially this time of year, makes all the difference. Which is why, at the start of summer, we run our top 10 list of summer hikes with water — only this year, with a twist.

The Top 10 concept is arbitrary, at best, a Letterman conceit that we’ve felt compelled to stick with. We discover a new hike to add to the list, we drop a hike that once deemed itself worthy. But no more.

From here on out, we’re only adding to the list. Without further adieu, we bring you our 2026 list of Top 11 Summer Hikes with Cooling Water. We start with our most recent favorite …

1. Basin Creek, Doughton Park

Blue Ridge Parkway (Longbottom Road Access)

Water feature: Rejuvenating soak in cold mountain water after a long day of hiking. 

The intro to this post sums up why this hike makes the list. Take about a water feature earned. And there are two ways to earn it: with either the 12.6-mile Cedar Ridge/Bluff Mountain/Bluff Ridge Primitive/Grassy Gap loop, or the 17.3-mile Cedar Ridge/Bluff Mountain/Grassy Gap Fire Road loop. Plan to spend at least a half hour lolling in foot-soaking bliss at the end

2 . Morrow Mountain State Park, North Carolina State Parks, Albemarle, NC (northeast of Charlotte)

Water feature: swimming pool

A scouting trip to Morrow Mountain twentysome years ago was, I’m certain, on the hottest day recorded on Earth. How hot it was I’m not sure because the profuse sweat filling my eyes keep me from reading a thermometer. When I was done slogging up Sugarloaf Mountain, then Morrow Mountain, I was desperate for relief — relief I found in the park’s swimming pool, a genuine cement pond that was closed for renovation but has reopened for this summer. Part of the park’s original Civilian Conservation Corps construction, the pool’s inviting blue waters offer soothing recovery from even the sweatiest of hikes. Fee: $6 per day for adults, $4 for kids 3 to 12.

3. North Mills River

Pisgah National Forest, southwest of Asheville, NC

Water feature: creek crossings

We did a GetHiking! trip here in 2016 that had us spending much of our time in the mercifully cool waters of burbling North Mills River and Big Creek. Our 5-mile hike from the campground up to Little Pisgah Mountain on the Blue Ridge Parkway saw us spending all but the last mile splashing as much as hiking (the last mile was a bearish climb to the summit). It also included a pass by the Hendersonville Reservoir (probably not for taking a dip). A great hike in the right water shoes.

4. St. Mary’s Wilderness

George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, Raphine, VA

Water feature: multiple creek crossings

Every time I see this hike posted by our GetHiking! Charlottesville crew I’m reminded of why I love summer so much: 10 creek crossings on a relatively short (5 or so miles) hike! Don the water sandals and quick-dry shorts and wade in. With nearly 10,000 acres, St. Mary’s is the largest wilderness on National Forest (George Washington and Jefferson) land in Virginia. If you’re looking for a great summer escape in the Charlottesville area, this is it.

5. Carolina Hemlocks Recreation Area

Pisgah National Forest, Burnsville, NC

Water feature: tubing, swimming holes

Could there be such a thing as a tubing and swimming hole resort? There could and there is: the Carolina Hemlocks Recreation Area, which sits on a stretch of the South Toe River that has a ridiculous number of great places to wallow in the bracing waters that drain from the Black Mountains, the highest mountain range in the East with elevations approaching 6,700 feet. Wander through the Carolina Hemlocks Campground (36 campsites) and the majority will sport tubes and other gear suited to days on end spent frolicking in this mountain creek. And what a great carrot to dangle after hiking the Colbert Ridge Trail, which leaves from the west side of the campground, climbing 3.6 miles and gaining nearly 3,000 vertical feet on its way to Deep Gap on the crest of the Black Mountains.

6. Panthertown Valley: Schoolhouse Falls

Nantahala National Forest, Cashiers, NC 

Water feature: swimming

You have to hike in about a mile-and-a-half for this hole, but what a hike it is, past towering hemlocks and rock outcrops in an area described as the Yosemite of the East. The payoff is sweet: Schoolhouse Falls is a picturesque curtain of water dropping 20 feet into a luxurious pool, at the far side of which is a sand beach. Those of you who apply to the gradual immersion school will be especially pleased by the gentle incline that introduces you to the cold. Fed by the Tuckasegee River, it’s possible to walk behind the falls at lower flows.

7. Sliding Rock

Pisgah National Forest, Brevard, NC

Water feature: water slide/stellar spectating

Spectating? The true joy of Sliding Rock is standing in the spectator area where this smooth rock waterslide empties into a small pool and watching the surprised sliders emerge from their ice-bath landing: all smiles going into the seven-foot-deep pool, an I’ll-never-be-warm-again look of horror coming out. Located on the upper reaches of the Davidson River (rent a tube and float the river several miles downstream), this is a definite must-do for anyone seeking Appalachian swimming hole cred. A fee area ($5), with bathhouse and lifeguard. Seasonal operation.

8. Gragg Prong: Wilson Creek area

Pisgah National Forest, Mortimer, NC

Water feature: swimming

Ah, Wilson Creek — probably our favorite summertime water escape in the state, in large part because it’s dang near impossible to avoid water (which is why we generally don’t visit in winter). From the Huntfish Falls trailhead hike down to the falls, then follow the Mountains-to-Sea Trail down Lost Cove Creek. Shortly, you’ll encounter Gragg Prong and after maybe a quarter mile of climbing, a series of cold pools encased in rock. Wade in, jump in, warm yourself on the surrounding rock. Read more in a blog we wrote about the area for our friends at Great Outdoor Provision Co. Read it here.

9. Hanging Rock State Park,

Sauratown Mountains, Danbury, NC

Water feature: swimming in a mountain lake

OK, this one gets an asterisk since it’s not in what we typically think of as “the mountains;” that is, the Southern Appalachians. But it is in the ancient Sauratown Mountain range, which runs from Hanging Rock to Pilot Mountain, and it does have 18 miles of hiking that mimics the Appalachians, visible to the west. It’s also got a 12-acre lake with swimming beach, strategically located at the nexus of the park’s trail network. We especially love liking the 4.7-mile Moore’s Knob Loop Trail, working up a good glow, then dousing that glow in the lake’s cooling waters. 

10. Upper Whitewater Falls

Nantahala National Forest, Jackson County

Water feature: waterfalls. 

You can’t talk about best water-based hikes in North Carolina without mentioning Upper Whitewater Falls, which plunges 411 feet (with its sister Lower Falls, they combine to make an 811-foot drop, making it the highest waterfall east of the Rockies). There’s an easy way to view the falls, via a quarter mile paved path to the upper overlook. Or, hike down to the lower overlook for better views, or hike down even farther to an area great for swimming and also to access the Foothills Trail, which runs 77 miles along the N.C./S.C. border.

11. High Shoals Falls

South Mountains State Park, Connelly Springs

Water feature: waterfall

At just 60 feet, High Shoals Falls might not sound that impressive. But it’s not just the falls, it’s the quarter mile or so of jumbled boulders — and Jacob Fork trying to figure its way through them — that lead up to it that makes this hike so cool. Even the lead-up to the boulder field, a civil gravel path the parallels Jacob Fork, is pretty swell. It’s about a mile up to the falls (and a mile back), but the beauty of a visit to South Mountains is that there are about 40 miles of trail in all, most of which is also open to equestrians, some to mountain bikers. If you’re into solitude, once you get past High Shoals Falls, you pretty much have South Mountains to yourself.

* * *

Resources

For more information on the locations mentioned above, click the appropriate link:

1. Doughton Park/Blue Ridge Parkway
2. Morrow Mountain State Park
3. St. Mary’s Wilderness
4. North Mills River
5. Carolina Hemlocks
6. Panthertown Valley: Schoolhouse Falls
7.  Sliding Rock
8.  Gragg Prong/Wilson Creek
9.  Hanging Rock State Park
10.  Upper Whitewater Falls
11.  High Shoals Falls

In addition, you can find details on trips 3, 5 and 9 in “Backpacking North Carolina: The Definitive Guide to 43 Can’t-Miss Trips for Mountains to Sea.”

The post 11 (not 10) Top Hikes with Waterplay appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

From our GetHiking! Guide to Summer Hiking, a bit of advice:

• Dress appropriately. Button-up fishing and hiking shirts typically have vents and mesh that do a good job of keeping your torso from building up head. Shorts are good, but there are also inexpensive lightweight nylon pants that protect your legs without keeping in the heat.
• Hydrate. Always important, especially in heat. Increase your desire to drink by packing cold water, either by filling a water bottle three-quarters full the night before, freezing it and topping it off with cold water before the hike, or by loading a bladder with ice, then filling in the nooks and crannies with cold water.
• Hike early. The coolest part of the day. This weekend, the temperatures shortly after sunrise should be in the low 60s.
• Hike late. Temperatures typically peak late afternoon, then drop as the sun does. By 6:30 p.m. you should be down 10 degrees from the day’s high, and you’ll benefit from a continually dropping thermostat.
• Choose a heat-resistant trail. How, you ask? Look for trails with:
  • Higher elevations. The temperature drops roughly 3 degrees for every 1,000 feet of elevation.
  • Near water. Trails along creeks or around lakes are especially good. If you start to overheat, kick off your boots and wade in.
  • Look for a northern exposure. Trails that spend most of their time on a northern exposure, away from direct sunlight, tend to be cooler.

Not sure you want to do that much research? Worry not. We have some recommendations.

• 

  Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, Hillsborough. At 867 feet, Occoneechee has elevation in its favor. It also has a protected, north-facing slope on the Mountain Loop Trail, along the Eno River that’s so protected it hosts rhododendron, mountain laurel, galax and other plants more common to the Southern Appalachians.

• Cane Creek Mountains Natural Area, Snow Camp. Talk about elevation, we’re looking at roughly 1,000 feet here — in the heart of the Piedmont. Plus, the Northern Approach Trail spends a goodly amount of time on the northern flank of the mountain.

• 

  Knight Brown Nature Preserve, Stokesdale. The bulk of the 3-plus-miles of trail is in a well-protected valley carved by Belews Creek. Coupled with a thick canopy, filtering the sun and dropping the temperature below a good 10 degrees, this is one cool hike.

• Raven Rock State Park, Avents Creek Access, Fuquay-Varina. Located on the lesser-used portion of the park north of the Cape Fear River, are a pair of 4-mile loops geared toward equestrians. Hike the West loop counterclockwise and around the 3-mile mark you’ll hit Jumping Fish Falls, with two surprising drops and a couple of refreshing pools.
• Eno River State Park, Buckquarter Creek/Holden Mill figure-8 loop. This hike spends half its time along ridges, catching breezes, the other half along the Eno, which offers several opportunities for wading (especially at Fews Ford). 

Hot this weekend, yes. But not too hot to hike.

The post 90 degrees? Our tips for hot weather hiking appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Tuesday afternoon I was driving back from a meeting in Oxford when I made a detour in Stem. Specifically, to the Tar River Land Conservancy’s Ledge Creek Forest Conservation Area. It was 98 degrees, with a Heat Index of 105, no one’s idea of ideal hiking conditions. Yet once I got under the canopy, the heat became less of an issue.

Why? I was reminded of being a kid.

Summer has long meant vacation, but never was the connection as clear as when we were kids. When it started to get hot, the school year ended. Nine months of being cooped up in an institutional building, then, freedom. Heat immediately became our friend. Good timing, especially since our schools weren’t air-conditioned. Besides, why waste such great weather indoors? So we spent the summer, the entire 12 weeks, outside. In the sun and the heat in the pursuit of happiness.

Typically, that happiness was found by heading to the nearest woods, hopefully finding a good water source. I’m not going to “back-in-my-day” you because that gets old fast. And frankly, I’m sure my recollections would be embellished with time. But I know it was great because every time I head out on a steamy summer’s day as an adult, I get that tingly feeling of being a kid with no worries in the world. Granted, I’ve had to make an adjustment or two over the years:

• Clothing. As a kid, I remember wearing shorts. That was pretty much it. As an adult, Long pants to ward off ticks, long sleeves to protect from the sun, and shoes. All of which are small concessions. 
• Sunscreen. Sunscreen as a kid was for the pool, not for adventures. Today, I seek out a high SPF (preferably with hydrating moisturizer) every time I head out the door.
• Hat. One of the goals of summer vacation was to return to school in the fall with hair sun-bleached blond. Today, a hat covers the bald spot to prevent painful dome burn. 
• Bug spray. A popular topic of conversation before a hike today is who has what kind of bug spray. You lose points if your active ingredient is DEET. As a kid, we used to run in the street behind the truck the neighborhood spraying for mosquitoes.
• When we’d venture out. Today, we avoid the heat of the day by hiking before 9 a.m. or after 7 p.m. Back then, we’d head out after waking up after 9, and we had to be home for dinner by 5.
• Having a plan. As a kid, the plan was simply to disappear. As an adult, I look for places near water (to cool off), with north-facing slopes (which are cooler), and with a lush canopy (blocking out the sun makes it feel 10 degrees cooler).
• Hydration. As an adult, I always, always, always head out with at least a liter bottle of cold water for a summer’s hike. As a kid, we’d head out with no water bottle (plastic hadn’t been invented yet), but guzzle a gallon of Kool-Aid when we got home.

Oddly, despite being bathed in sweat on a summer outing, there’s a certain weightlessness that accompanies such a venture. You were never more carefree than you were as a kid on summer vacation. And it wasn’t the fact that you were always in “go” mode. It was the one time you were free to do whatever you pleased. 

Recapture that summer vacation verve as an adult: Take a summer hike.

* * *

GetHiking! Guide to Summer Hiking

OK, so maybe it was a little easier to take the heat as a kid. But by following a few small suggestions, you can mitigate the heat. You can find those suggestions in our GetHiking! Guide to Summer Hiking, here.

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