We backpack — a lot. And while we love to explore new places, we’ve got our favorites we return to on a regular basis because they’re so dang awesome.

In “GetBackpacking! 10 Great Backpacking Destinations,” we highlight 10 of our favorites and quickly explain what we love about them. We also provide a link and additional resources that will help you plan a trip of your own.

Or, click on the GetGoingNC.com/shop link to see when our next scheduled trip is and join us!

The post GetBackpacking! 10 Great Backpacking Destinations appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

In our guide we include 7 hikes in the North Carolina Piedmont and at the Virginia coast that are intended to give folks not in the mountains an opportunity to pretend that they area. We also include 8 hikes for those times when you have a full day and really need to get some climbing in.

The guide includes descriptions of each hike, the elevation you can expect, the distance and where to go for trailhead information.

The post North Carolina: Top Training Hikes appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

The post Skills Guide: Night Hiking Tips appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Our guide includes 5 hikes especially well-suited to meet your needs:

1. Horton Grove Nature Preserve, Bahama (north of Durham). A classic for a first long hike of the season because, with 7 connecting trails comprising 8 miles of hiking, if you get out there and discover you aren’t ready for a 5-miler, you can cut it short. Likewise, if you’re feeling strong after 5, why not hike every trail? Rolling terrain with no heartbreaking climbs.
2. Bunter-Falls of Neuse Game Lands, Bahama. Flat, no crowds. That should be enough — but we’ll give you a smidge more. The hiking here is open, on gravel access roads that pass meadows and impoundment ponds designed to attract wildlife. Especially good on cool days (the exposure), especially good on Sundays (these are gamelands; currently, there is no hunting on Sundays — or from Memorial Day through Labor Day). And again, flat and no crowds. Our guide highlights a 4.5-mile hike.
3. Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake: Day-hike Section L, Durham. This 3.2-mile stretch of the MST (6.4 miles out and back) is among the lesser-traveled stretches of the MST along Falls Lake in the Triangle. Why? Maybe because of its brief encounters with the lake? That’s the only reason we can figure; this gently rolling trail through maturing hardwoods is perfect for losing yourself (spiritually, not physically) in the woods.
4. Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake: Day-hike Section P, Durham. Another great hike along Falls Lake that flies under the radar. From the Hickory Hill Boat Ramp head east through mostly hardwoods at first, mostly pine (in a pine savannah-type environment) after that. Flat, with foot-friendly trail tread throughout.
5. Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake: Day-hike Section S, Durham. Possibly our favorite stretch of the MST along Falls Lake, this 4.8-mile stretch starts and ends on Red Mill Road, making for a quick shuttle — or a vigorous 9.6-mile out-and-back. Lots of variety as the trail passes through wetlands, along meadows, through bottomland woods, along railroad tracks, past signs of the area’s pre-reservoir human past.

Each guide includes:

• Route description
• Custom map
• Pertinent details (how to get there, facilities at the trailhead)
• Hike overview
• Video introduction to the venue

The post Piedmont: 5 Long Hikes for Getting in Shape appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Daffodils are a perennial flower popular for their robust nature, their ability to come back year after year, their willingness to say, “Shoot, we can’t wait any longer — it may still be cold, but we’re coming out!” And out they come, still striving in the woods where they once graced early homesteads that have long since been absorbed back into nature.

Three entries for our GetHiking! Guide to 3 Daffodil Hikes each include passage by old homesteads where the odds of encountering daffodils, those first responders of spring, are pretty high, even as early as late January.

Each guide includes a detailed route description, map, key details (such as how to find the trail), a hike overview, a video tour and more. For additional information on how to maximize your chances of spotting early season daffodils, check out this blog post.

The post Piedmont: 3 Daffodil Hikes appeared first on GetGoing NC!.