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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

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When it comes to winter, too many of us simply hang up our camping gear and hibernate until spring. Too often, that’s a move made based on a lack of information on how to deal with the cold. Our 8-page guide aims to bridge that information gap with tips on:

• Staying warm at night
• Dealing with food and water
• Dressing
• Assorted other tips on making the best of a cold situation

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What makes for a good beginner hike?

• It’s a bit subjective, starting with the question of how “beginner” the beginner is. In general, though, a good beginner hike:
• Is less than 3 miles long
• Has flat to gently rolling terrain, with no steep climbs or descents
• Has foot-friendly tread, with few rocks and tree roots to derail the hiker
• Is relatively easy to find

That’s the criteria we used to evaluate hikes for our GetHiking! 5 Great Hikes for Beginning Hikers. In this packet you’ll find:

• Brumley North Family Nature Preserve, Hillsborough
• Confluence Natural Area, Hillsborough
• Seven Mile Creek Natural Area, Orange County
• Knight Brown Nature Preserve, Stokesdale (north of Greensboro)
• Sal’s Branch Trail, Umstead State Park, Raleigh

Our guides give you all the information you need to hike each trail, including a map, detailed hike description, logistics (including directions to the trailhead), a video tour, and an overview of the hike.

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For starters, it’s easy to get to, located about a mile down the park entrance road off Glenwood Avenue. There’s plenty of parking (especially if you know about the gravel lot behind the Visitor Center). And the trail, blazed Orange, is easy to follow. And then there’s the trail itself, meandering over rolling terrain, no climb too steep, no descent too taxing on the knees. The forest here is young, with good sightlines, especially in winter. There’s a visit to Big Lake about three-quarters of the way through, and before you know it, you’re back at the Visitor Center.

At 2.8 miles, it’s a good length for the experienced hiker with time constraints as well as the beginner looking to test herself on a nearly 3-mile trail.

Our guide gives you all the information you need to hike this trail, including a map, detailed hike description, logistics (including directions to the trailhead), a video tour, and an overview of the hike.

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