The Great Dismal is one of the few spots in the country so wild it has refused development. It flummoxed George Washington’s earliest surveying efforts, it was so wild and impenetrable that it provided safe haven for enslaved African-Americans escaping the south and Native Americans driven from their homeland by invading Europeans. In fact, evidence suggests that humans have been seeking shelter in the Great Dismal for 13,000 years. Thought to once cover a million acres, about half that is now protected.

And it’s the focus of the fifth Year of the Trail Weekend Trail Days Festivals being sponsored by the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and its Hometown Strong initiative. The festival begins with a ranger-led hike at Great Dismal State Park at 2:30 the afternoon of Friday, June 2 and concludes with a paddle on the blackwater Sawyer’s Creek the morning of Sunday, June 4. In between you’ll find bike rides into the Great Dismal, paddling in a cypress swamp and a hike during the magical gloaming.

Here’s a look at what all is planned, along with links for additional information and to sign up.

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Wednesday, we talked about “back door” hikes, hikes that are off the beaten path, hikes at some of our favorite places, but without the crowds. He brought up these hikes because escaping the masses will be even more of a challenge as the fall hiking season approaches,

a fall hiking season likely to see more hikers than ever before as the pandemic plods along. That’s where our focus will be for the next little while: helping you get out on the trail and finding the solitude you seek.

Until then?

It’s probably another month until fall’s crowd-drawing weather kicks in. So take advantage of this cover of heat by hiking some of trails you love that will soon be loved to death. Five of our favorites:

1. Buckquarter Creek/Holden Mill figure-8 Loop, Eno River State Park, Durham. 4.2 miles. A mix of ridgeline hiking and passage along the Eno River make for a best-of-both worlds hike. Learn more here.  
2. Company Mill Trail, Umstead State Park, Raleigh. 5.8 miles. The first mile of this lollipop loop (the stick) down to Crabtree Creek is the most popular stretch of trail in a very popular park. Make it to the loop, and — well, any more, you’ll still see people. Hike it now. Learn more here.
3. Pinnacle Trail, Crowders Mountain State Park, Kings Mountain. 2 miles. Any trail that starts from a visitor center and reaches a peak will be popular, even a challenging trail such as Pinnacle Trail at Crowders Mountain. Hike it now, too, because there’s little room at the tip for lingering when you arrive to plant your flat. Learn more here.
4. Ledge Spring Trail, Pilot Mountain State Park, Pinnacle. 1 mile (one way). Another path with a view that gets exceptionally popular in fall. Hike it now while you can enjoy the climbers scaling the one-pitch climb just off the trail and the views of the Blue Ridge to the west. Learn more here.
5. Cox Mountain Trail, Eno River State Park, Durham. 3.75 miles. You can find solitude on this hike which includes a bagged peak and a walk along the Eno, but you won’t find it much longer. The main problem? While this linear park has numerous access points, when you Google it, the resulting address brings you to Cox Mountain (the subject of today’s video, btw). Learn more here.

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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, especially well-suited for summer.

Resources

Check out our Gethiking! Guide to Knight Brown Nature Preserve here. Enter code E8FEC8ED and get the guide free through Wednesday, June 17.

Learn to love hiking in the summer heat with our GetHiking! Guide to Summer Hiking here.

The post Monday, Monday: Father’s Day along Belews Creek appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

It’s gonna be one summery weekend, with temperatures in the 90s throughout most of our adventuring region. Our recommendations for this weekend are with the heat in mind.

Stream Safari, Saturday, 2 p.m., Stone Mountain State Park, Roaring Gap. Water — clear, cool water — is a key component of this event, in which water bugs, water quality and staying cool are the focus. If you’re one of those folks who’ve always meant to visit Stone Mountain (but haven’t), here’s a good opportunity. And since Stone Mountain is likely a drive for many of you, we suggest also paying a visit to the park’s namesake, a 600-foot granite dome, via the 4.5-mile Stone Mountain Loop Trail (which also visits a 200-foot waterfall).   Learn more about the hike here, the park here.

Guided Commissary Trail Hike, Sunday, 4 p.m., Mount Mitchell State Park. Burnsville. Hanging in water is one way to beat the heat, getting high is another. And you can’t get any higher along the East Coast than 6,684-foot Mount Mitchell, the venue for Sunday’s hike on the Commissary Trail. Learn some history, learn about the flora and fauna in this boreal forest above 6,000 feet. Learn more here.  

Morning Stand-up Paddle Board Tour, Saturday, 8 a.m., Lake Johnson Park, Raleigh. First, getting up on, and paddling, a SUP is a lot easier than you think, especially the stable beginner-friendly boards used at Lake Johnson. Once you get up and paddle a spell, you’ll paddle to different parts of the lake to learn about its wildlife, natural features and history (for starters, it’s one of Raleigh’s 13 flood control lakes). A two-hour tour, a two-hour tour … . $20 for Raleigh residents, $35 for outsiders. Learn more and find out how to register (spaces are limited) here.

GetHiking! this weekend

What are our GetHiking! groups in North Carolina and Virginia up to this weekend? Plenty, thanks for asking …

GetHiking! Charlotte: South Mountain Loop, Friday, June 28, 9:30 a.m. South Mountains State Park, Connelly Springs. Strenuous. 8-mile loop through South Mountains State Park. Learn more here.

GetHiking! Charlottesville: Riprap Hollow Circuit, Saturday, June 29, 8:15 a.m. Fontaine Research Park, Charlottesville. Strenuous. 9.5-miles. High highlights: Appalachian Trail, Riprap Trail, Chimney Rock. Learn more here.

GetHiking! Charlottesville: Bike Ride on High Bridge Trail, Saturday, June 29, 10 a.m. Sticks Kebob. Charlottesville. Easy. 10-mile bike ride along the High Bridge Trail. Learn more here.

Live the video

This week’s video comes from a scouting trip last Sunday to Rock Castle Gorge along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. We’ll be paying a visit in the fall, as part of our new quick weekend escapes series. More on that in the next couple of weeks. Meanwhile, learn more about Rock Castle Gorge here.

More options

Looking for more options for weekend adventure? Check out our GetOut! Find An Adventure resource page here.

The post GetOut! Your Friday Nudge for Weekend Adventure appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

• Aquatic Ecosystem Hike, Saturday, 2 p.m., Haw River State Park, Browns Summit. If you live in the central Piedmont, you’ve likely crossed the Haw River a time or two. And perhaps you’ve wondered: Where does this thing begin? It begins north of Greensboro, pretty much where you’ll find Haw River State Park, site of Saturday’s 1.5-mile walk checking out the river’s headwaters and the plants and critters that call it home. Learn more here.
• Sunday Saunter, Sunday, 10:30 a.m., Eno River State Park, Durham. Eno River State Park has been hosting a series of Sunday morning hikes that are a little longer (in this case, 3 to 4 miles) and a little more laid back. This Sunday: a mellow meander along the Cole Mill and Bobbit Hole trails. Learn more here.
• Jomeokee Hike, Sunday, 10 a.m., Pilot Mountain State Park, Pinnacle. You love the idea of exploring Pilot Mountain on the weekend, but you don’t love the idea of the crowds. Beat the wait for a parking spot up top by coming early for this hike exploring the base of the pinnacle. Distance: a little less than a mile.

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

GetHiking! this weekend

New Trail Hike: Pilot Creek Trail, Saturday, 9 a.m., Pilot Mountain State Park, Pinnacle. Our GetHiking! Triad and Triangle groups are getting together to explore the recent handiwork of the Friends of Sauratown Mountains — the 3.3-mile Pilot Creek Trail, which explores the north flank of the mountain. Learn more and sign up to join us, here.

Live the video

Today’s video was shot during a scouting trip this week in the Birkhead Mountain Wilderness Area of the Uwharrie National Forest. It’s the location of our next Winter Wild off-trail hike, on Saturday, Feb. 23. Learn more and sign up to join us, here.

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