On the first weekend in November we will gather in Hot Springs for two days of hiking and enjoying the ambience of downtown Hot Springs (through which the Appalachian Trail passes).

This year’s event is particularly special: Last September, Hurricane Helene swept through Western North Carolina wrecking havoc throughout the region. Hot Springs, on the French Broad River, was especially hard hit — but the town has bounced back and is again a vibrant hiking hub.

Our plan for the weekend

Friday: Arrive after 4 p.m. From 4 p.m. until 8 p.m.  we will have a campfire welcome with cheese, crackers, little round meats and beer.

Saturday: Pancake breakfast at 7:30 a.m. We will catch the shuttle to Garenflo Gap on the AT at 9:30 a.m., arriving by 10 a.m. for our 7.4-mile hike on the AT that will bring us back into town that afternoon. We will provide lunch; dinner is in town, on your own.

Sunday: Continental breakfast at 7:30 a.m. At 9, we will drive a short distance to Tanyard Gap for the 5.5-mile, mostly downhill hike on the AT back into town.

This trip includes

• 2 breakfasts (Saturday and Sunday mornings)
• 2 lunches (build-your-own lunch buffet)
• Trail snacks
• 2 hikes
• Saturday shuttle to Tanyard Gap
• eguide for both hikes and for the weekend in general (including information on restaurants in Hot Springs)

The hikes

Saturday: Garenflo Gap into Hot Springs on the AT is 7.4 miles. There’s some climbing in the first 3 miles, the last 4 are downhill. The trail is in good shape and easy to follow. We will stop for lunch at the Deer Park Mountain Shelter, where there is water to filter (I will bring a filter). Moderate difficulty.

Sunday: This 5.5-mile hike starts high at Tanyard Gap, ends low back in Hot Springs, and offers a long downhill passage through a hardwood forest that should have good color. Moderate difficulty.

Lodging

Lodging is not provided on this trip. Our base camp will be at the Hot Springs Resort and Spa, which offers a range of accommodations, including camping, small cabins, bigger cabins, two houses and rooms in the lodge. Campsites start at $45 a night, cabins start at $125 a night. Provided meals will be served at a campsite to be identified upon registration. The resort is just across the railroad tracks from downtown Hot Springs, a 5-minute walk, tops.

You can make reservations  by either visiting the website or calling 828-622-7676. You may find other lodging options in Hot Springs here.

Fee

Fee for the trip, excluding lodging: $295. Though Hot Springs has made considerable progress and is again a viable trail town, recovery from Helene continues. Of your fee, 20 percent will go to ReBuild Hot Springs, a local non-profit created to aid in the recovery. Check it out here.

Refund policy

Full refund for cancelations made up to 7 days in advance of the trip’s start; credit give for cancelations made 1 to 6 days before the trip; no refund for cancelations made less than 24 hours in advance.

Questions?

Contact Joe at joe@getgoingnc.com

The post GetHiking! Fall 2025 Weekend Escape: the Appalachian Trail at Hot Springs appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

On the first weekend in November we will gather in Hot Springs for two days of hiking and enjoying the ambience of downtown Hot Springs (through which the Appalachian Trail passes). Our agenda for the weekend:

Friday: Arrive after 4 p.m. From 4 p.m. until 8 p.m.  we will have a campfire welcome with cheese, crackers, little round meats and beer.

Saturday: Pancake breakfast at 7:30 a.m. We will catch the shuttle to Garenflo Gap on the AT at 9:30 a.m., arriving by 10 p.m. for our 7.2-mile hike on the AT and on a U.S. Forest Service Trail that will bring us back into town that afternoon. We will provide lunch; dinner is in town, on your own.

Sunday: Continental breakfast at 7:30 a.m. At 9, we will drive a short distance to Tanyard Gap for the 5-mile hike on the AT back into town.

This trip includes

• 2 breakfasts (Saturday and Sunday mornings)
• 2 lunches (build-your-own lunch buffet)
• Trail snacks
• 2 hikes
• Saturday shuttle to Tanyard Gap
• eguide for both hikes and for the weekend in general (including information on restaurants in Hot Springs)

The hikes

Saturday: Garenflo Gap into Hot Springs on the AT is 7.4 miles. There’s some climbing in the first 3 miles, the last 4 are downhill. The trail is in good shape and easy to follow. We will stop for lunch at the Deer Park Mountain Shelter, where there is water to filter; I will bring a filter.

Sunday: This 5.5-mile hike starts high at Tanyard Gap, ends low back in Hot Springs, and offers a long downhill passage through a hardwood forest that should have good color. Moderate difficulty.

Lodging

Lodging is not provided on this trip. Our base camp will be at the Hot Springs Resort and Spa, which offers a range of accommodations, including camping, small cabins, bigger cabins, two houses and rooms in the lodge. Campsites start at $45 a night, cabins start at $75 a night, rooms in the lodge start at $165 a night. Meals will be served at a campsite to be identified upon registration. The resort is just across the railroad tracks from downtown Hot Springs, a 5-minute walk, tops.

You can make reservations  by either visiting the website or calling 828-622-7676.

Fee for the trip, excluding lodging: $295

Refund policy: Full refund for cancelations made 7 to 14 days in advance of the trip’s start; credit give for cancelations made 1 to 6 days before the trip; no refund for cancelations made less than 24 hours in advance.

Questions? Contact Joe at joe@getgoingnc.com

The post GetHiking! Fall Weekend Escape: the Appalachian Trail at Hot Springs appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

A favorite, too, because of the diversity found along the way. There’s a little pine savannah, a upland coastal forest. There are dense coastal woods and places where the trail deftly avoids blackwater swamp. There are intimate stretches as well as stretches where the forest parts into open meadows.

If you’re especially intrigued by a hike that requires navigational skills, you will love this hike. We will provide a map of the known trail, along with a compass for those who need one. Basic navigational skills are recommended, but not required, for this hike.

• When: Saturday, March 16, 2024, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Where: We’ll meet in nearby Cape Carteret, at a location tba, and drive a short distance to the trailhead.
• Distance: 11 miles
• Difficulty: The trail is flat, with a gentle rise here and there. On the second half of the trail there will be some downfall to negotiate.

Upon payment, you’ll receive:

• 7-page eguide for this trip including: map, route description, nearby camping and lodging (recommended, due to the early start), tips and recommendations on appropriate clothing and gear, additional information pertinent to the trip. NOTE: This is not an automatic download; it will be emailed separately.
• GetHiking! Finding Your Way 2-page tips guide on navigating off trail.

This trip also includes:

• Zoom planning session on Tuesday, March 12, at 6 p.m.
• For those of you who come down Friday afternoon/evening, we will have a sunset hike at 6 p.m. on the Cedar Point Tideland Trail near Cape Carteret. This 1.4-mile trail is a mix of boardwalk and crushed gravel navigating a tidal marsh. An awesome sunset hike.
• Lunch and trail snacks. This will be a medley of trail foods, ideal for on-the-go adventure.

Refund policy: Full refunds given for cancelations made 14 days or more in advance of the start of the trip; credit toward a future GetHiking! event is offered for cancelations made 2 days to 13 days in advance; no refund is offered for cancelations made within 2 days of the start of the trip.

The post GetHiking! Exploring the coastal Croatan National Forest’s Weetock Trail appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Veteran’s Day  weekend — Nov.  10-12  — we will gather in Hot Springs for two days of hiking and enjoying the ambience of downtown Hot Springs (through which the Appalachian Trail passes). Our agenda for the weekend:

Friday: Arrive after 4 p.m. From 5 p.m. until 7 p.m.  We will assemble in town for a welcome libation.

Saturday: Continental breakfast at 7:30 a.m.. We will catch the shuttle to Tanyard Gap on the AT at 9:30, arriving by 9:45 for our 7.2-mile hike on the AT and on a U.S. Forest Service Trail that will bring us back into town that afternoon. We will provide lunch; dinner is in town, on your own.

Sunday: Continental breakfast at 7:30 a.m. At 9, we will drive a short distance to Tanyard Gap for the 5-mile hike on the AT back into town.

This trip includes

• 2 breakfasts (Saturday and Sunday mornings)
• 2 lunches (build-your-own lunch buffet)
• Trail snacks
• 2 hikes
• Saturday shuttle to Tanyard Gap
• eguide for both hikes and for the weekend in general (including information on restaurants in Hot Springs)

The hikes

Saturday: the 7.2-mile hike from Tanyard Gap to Rich Mountain, then back to Hot Springs trends downhill after reaching the Rich Mountain fire tower.. Should be some good lingering fall color. Moderate difficulty.

Sunday: This 5.5-mile hike starts high, ends low, and offers a long downhill passage through a hardwood forest that should have good color. Moderate difficulty.

Lodging

Lodging is not provided on this trip. Our base camp will be at the Hot Springs Resort and Spa, which offers a range of accommodations, including camping, small cabins, bigger cabins, two houses and rooms in the lodge. Campsites start at $45 a night, cabins start at $110 a night, rooms in the lodge start at $145 a night. Meals will be served at a campsite to be identified upon registration. The resort is just across the railroad tracks from downtown Hot Springs, a 5-minute walk, tops.

You can make reservations  by either visiting the website or calling 828-622-7676.

Fee: $275

Questions? Contact Joe at joe@getgoingnc.com

The post GetHiking! Fall Weekend Escape: the Appalachian Trail at Hot Springs appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

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.

The post Piedmont: 5 Great Hikes for Beginning Hikers appeared first on GetGoing NC!.