Description

Weekends on the trail — who can wait for Saturday? With our GetHiking! Winter Friday Morning Hike Series you don’t have to. Our 8-hike series takes advantage of the early light, hitting the trail at 7:30 and finishing up around 9. Our hikes are on trails throughout the Triangle, a different trail each week!

What: 8 Friday morning hikes on trails in the Triangle.

The hikes: Our hikes are typically 3-4 miles and generally last an hour and a half.

When: Friday mornings beginning Nov. 12 and ending Jan. 7 (we won’t hike Nov. 26, the day  after Thanksgiving). Our hikes start at 7:30 a.m. and end around 9 a.m..

Includes: Weekly eguide for each hike, including a map, route description, overview of the hike and key details (such as how to get to the trailhead!). All the information you’ll need to hike the trail on your own later.

Cost: $95. 

Where we hike

Nov. 12 — Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, Hillsborough. 3 miles. We take the Mountains-to-Sea Trail to Occoneechee, where our loop hike will include a stop at the overlook.

Nov. 19 — Brumley Family Nature Preserve (North), Chapel Hill. 3.1 miles. We pass through open meadows, past farm ponds, and atop a bluff overlooking Stony Creek on this hike.

Dec. 3 —  Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Chapel Hill. 3 miles. This hike has a little of everything: passage along the mountain-like New Hope Creek, through high meadows, atop a beech bluff and through mature woods.

Dec. 10 — Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake, Hickory Hill Boat Ramp, Durham. 3.6 miles. Morning sun on Falls Lake makes this an especially popular evening hike.

Dec. 17  — Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake, Barton Creek Boat Ramp, Raleigh. 4 miles. Lots of ducking in and out of coves on this hike, which touches a secluded Falls Lake beach.

Dec. 24 — Duke Forest: Korstian Division, Gate 25, Durham. 3.2 miles. Includes a stretch along New Hope Creek with a pair of overlooks above rare Piedmont cascades.

Dec. 31 — Mountains-to-Sea Trail, Red Mill Road, Durham. 3.8 miles. We pass through a floodplain forest on our way to a bluff overlooking the Eno River, and winter views north.

Jan. 7— Cox Mountain Trail, Eno River State Park, Durham. 3.75 miles. We catch the morning light off both the rocky Eno River and from the summit of 697-foot Cox Mountain.