It’s little surprise that there’s lots going on in the great outdoors this Earth Day weekend. Saturday alone (the actual Earth Day), the N.C. Office of Environmental Education lists more than 50 events on its calendar. Lots to choose from; here are some we especially like.

Coast

One way to approach Earth Day is to use it as an opportunity to visit a place you’ve yet to explore. Lake Waccamaw State Park, for instance. Lake Waccamaw is one of the few remaining water-filled Carolina Bays, the focal point of a 2,176-acre state park that sits off the beaten path in the southeastern coastal plain.

Saturday, the Lake Waccamaw Friends celebrates this gem with a day of fun, including a 5K and a cornhole tournament. There’s live music, kids events, food and more. And the chance to learn more about the lake.

Logistics: Lake Waccamaw State Park Friends’ Earth Day 5K and Cornhole Tournament, Saturday, April 22, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m., Lake Waccamaw State Park, Lake Waccamaw. $10 5K fee, $20 for the family. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Hi of 86, chance of thunderstorms.

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Looking ahead: Millpond Day 5K Family Fun Run/Walk, Saturday, April 29, Merchants Millpond State Park, Gatesville. More info here.

Piedmont

What better way to celebrate Earth Day than with a celebration of some new earth. OK, the earth itself isn’t new — it’s been around a while. But Brumley Forest is new earth in the sense that it’s a new slice of earth for us to explore, courtesy the Triangle Land Conservancy.

Brumley Forest brings to seven the number of TLC preserves open to the public in the Triangle region. Perched on 613 rolling, forested acres in Orange County (between Durham and Hillsborough), the preserve has 5.5 miles of hiking-only trail and nearly 9 miles of multi-use trail, the first trail in the TLC system open to mountain biking. Saturday’s festivities will include guided hikes and mountain bike rides, nature activities, yoga, food trucks, local beer — plenty to keep you busy during the 8-hour celebration, which kicks off at 9 a.m.

Logistics: Brumley Nature Preserve Grand Opening, Saturday, April 22, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Brumley Preserve, 3055 New Hope Church Road, Chapel Hill. More info here.

Saturday forecast: High of 75, chance of rain.

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Looking ahead: Nocturnal Hike, Saturday, May 20, 8-9 p.m., Pilot Mountain State Park, Pinnacle. More info here.

Mountains

If you’re in the mountains and already have Earth Day plans, how about squeezing in an Earth Day Night activity? Mount Jefferson State Natural Area plans to celebrate the Day with with an Earth Day Night Hike, a one-mile hike on the ridge out to Luther Rock (and back). Check out the lights of town below, listen for owls and other creatures of the evening. Starts at 8 p.m.

Logistics: Earth Day Night Hike, Saturday, April 22, 8 p.m., Mountain Jefferson State Natural Area, West Jefferson. More info here.

Saturday evening forecast: Highs in the low 60s with the chance of thunderstorms tapering.

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Looking ahead: Grandfather Mountain Wildflower Walks, Grandfather Mountain State Park, Banner Elk, hikes are ongoing, go here for a list of dates.

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Those are our thoughts on the weekend. Find more options at the sources listed below. 

Coast

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Weird weather (Friday snow in the mountains?) precedes a mellow, springlike weekend. A weekend good for so many adventures, from heeding the advice of Edgar Winter and taking a free ride to gazing into the night sky.

Coast

A satellite view of the eastern seaboard at night is startling not so much for the artificial light that illuminates the region, but for the one spot that remains dark: far eastern North Carolina. A blink here and there, but mostly darkness. One night around 11, lying on a gravel road just outside Columbia, we saw the Milky Way with nearly the clarity I’d seen it years earlier camping at 9,000 feet in the Rockies.

Which is why Saturday evening’s Night Skies at Pettigrew State Park program is so appealing. Members of the Tar River Astronomy Club, with telescopes in tow, will be on hand to help decipher the brilliant night sky (with only a quarter moon’s worth of light to contend with).

Logistics: Night Skies at Pettigrew State Park, Saturday, April 8, 7-10 p.m. Columbia. Free, but preregistration is requested, by calling 252.797.4475.

Saturday forecast: Clear skies, event-time temperature around 50, so don a wrap.

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Looking ahead: Flight of the American Woodcock, Saturday, April 29, New River State Park, Laurel Springs. More info here.

Piedmont

We once heard someone refer to a bike demo as “cheap fun.”

Ha!

To the uninitiated, a bike demo occurs when a local bike shop teams with one of its bike suppliers to bring in a fleet of demo bikes for folks to take a free ride. “Free” my saddle sores! You take one lap on a bike so superior to yours that you can no longer call what you’ve been doing as “riding” and you wind up the day $3,000 poorer. But with a new bike!

Think it can’t happen to you? Then we invite you to check out Galactic Bikes of Greensboro’s Pivot Cycles Bike Demo Saturday at Country Park. Bring your kit, helmet and shoes (and pedals) — and your checkbook, if you dare!

Logistics: Pivot Cycles Demo Day, Saturday, April 8, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Country Park, Greensboro. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Sunny with a high of 67.

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Looking ahead: Moonshine Still Hike, Sunday, April 23, Stone Mountain State Park, Roaring Gap. More info here.

Mountains

Another good excuse to visit Black Mountain: Saturday’s Black Mountain Greenway Challenge. The Challenge comes in two sizes — 5K and 10K — and celebrates the town’s greenway system with a run to and around Lake Tomahawk.

The Black Mountain News tells us the race is in its 10^th year, and that the town’s greenway ”is now part of a much larger system, known as the Fonta Flora State Trail. That trail will one day connect Morganton to Asheville.” Cool!

In the meantime, we can think of few places we’d rather run than in Black Mountain (especially in a race in which the Pisgah Brewing Company is an active participant).

Logistics: Black Mountain Greenway Challenge, Saturday, April 8, 2 p.m., Black Mountain. $35 for the 5K, $40 for the 10K. More info and register here.

Saturday’s forecast: Mostly sunny with a race-time temperature of 57.

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Looking ahead: 3^rd Annual Gateway to the Smokies Half Marathon, Saturday, May 6, Paynesville. More info here.

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Those are our thoughts on the weekend. Find more options at the sources listed below. 

Coast

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Sunny skies, temperatures in the 50s! By gum, that’s the way winter is supposed to be! And that’s how it will be this weekend, perfect weather for a 5K, a family nature hike and more.

Coast

It’s early in the season, you want to start logging races, but PRs aren’t a concern. Sure, you want a decent time — as a baseline for 2017, if nothing else — but really, you want to get back into the groove of the 5K. The camaraderie, the pageantry, the fun. And if you happen to score a podium in your age group … .

Saturday’s 8th Annual Cardinal Strut sounds like just your race. Sponsored by Holly Tree Elementary School in Wilmington, the Strut features a flat course through the surrounding neighborhood followed by breakfast from the Waffle House. If you’ve ever felt the need to justify a hash brown bowl, the Strut’s 10K option could be it. Best of all, proceeds from the race benefit Strut for Kids, a non-profit providing funds to families of children in New Hanover County who have been diagnosed with cancer.

Logistics: 8th Annual Cardinal Strut, Saturday, March 4, 8 a.m., Holly Tree Elementary School, Wilmington. $35/$40. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Sunny, race time high of 34.

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Looking ahead: 3rd Annual SUP Surfing Pro-Am, April 15, Wrightsville Beach. More info here.

Piedmont

Mecklenburg County is peppered with nature preserves — 16 run by the county alone. These oases amid the urban chaos make for great introductions to the natural world, especially for kids.

Saturday, you can make such an introduction at the McDowell Nature Preserve. In the morning, a staff naturalist leads a 2- to 3-mile Family Nature Hike, stopping to examine the flora and fauna found along the way. Wear “sturdy, closed-toed shoes,” bring water.

Logistics: Family Nature Hike, Saturday, March 4, 10:30 a.m., McDowell Nature Preserve, Charlotte. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Sunny, hike-time temperature of 41.

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Looking ahead: View From Little Pinnacle, Saturday, March 18, Pilot Mountain State Park, Pinnacle. More info here.

Mountains

Perhaps you’re already in midseason form (see Cardinal Strut, above) and need a race to make things … interesting. If so, check out Saturday’s Oskar Blues 4-Mile Run in Brevard. Top three male and females runners get a gift card from Foot-Rx Running ($100, $75, $50), plus, in an interesting twist, the first male and female runners to reach the 1-mile mark get $100 — provided they wind up finishing in the top 10 overall.

Added incentives: Registration includes a post-race brewski and pastries from Bracken Mountain Bakery.

Logistics: Oskar Blues 4-Mile Run, Saturday, March 4, 11 a.m., Brevard. $35. More info here.

Sunday forecast: Sunny, high of 46.

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Looking ahead: Bike of the Irish Community Ridge, Saturday, March 18, Asheville. More info here.

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Those are our thoughts on the weekend. Find more options at the sources listed below.

Coast

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Coast | Coastal Plain

Any event of athletic endurance should end with a flourish. Few end with the flourish of the Go Jump in the Lake 5K, 10K and 15 K in Boiling Springs.

The course is mostly around Spring Lake, site of a summer triathlon known for its heat. It’s not likely to be much cooler for Saturday’s GJITL 5/10/15K. However, in the spirit of flourishing finishes, this race ends with contestants eagerly fulfilling the race’s intent, and jumping into the lake. Talk about incentive!

Logistics: Saturday, Sept. 3, 8:30 a.m., Boiling Springs. $15-$35. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Sunny with a race-time high near 70.

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Looking ahead: Wilmington YMCA Sprint Triathlon, Sept. 17, Blockade Runner, Wrightsville Beach. More info by calling 910.256.2251.

Piedmont

Sometimes, what we need to motivate us to move is motivation that’s not about moving.

That logic is for the birds, you say?

It is in the case of Saturday’s Birding with Vernon at Lake Crabtree County Park in Morrisville. “Join our bird enthusiast, Vernon,” states a description of the event, “for an easy walk while looking and listening for our feathered friends. Discover different types of birds and their habitats.​“ (And get a healthy walk in, to boot.)

Logistics: Saturday, Sept. 3, 8:30 a.m., Lake Crabtree County Park, Morrisville. Free. More info here

Saturday forecast: High in the upper 60s, chance of rain.

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Looking ahead: Nature at Night, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 7-8:30 p.m., Lake Crabtree County Park, Morrisville. More info here.

Mountains

Nothing like an organized bike ride that recognizes all levels of preparedness. Been riding all season and in top form? Then the 100-mile and 100k (62 miles) options of Labor Day’s Tour d’Apple out of Hendersonville is for you. Likewise, if you’re in pretty good shape, but not that good of shape, you could try TdA’s 45-mile route. Haven’t dusted off your bike yet this summer? Perhaps you’d best be advised to do the 25-mile version.

All good options with plenty of rest stops and great scenery on this ride(s) that begin and end from Blue Ridge Community College. Sugarloaf Mountain, Bearwallow Mountain, Terry’s Gap, Pinnacle Mountain, Jump Off Rock — all some of the features you may (or may not) encounter, depending upon your route. Proceeds benefit the various charitable efforts of the Henderson Four Seasons Rotary Club.

Logistics: Monday, Sept. 5, 8 a.m. Blue Ridge Community College, Hendersonville. $55. More info here.

Monday forecast: Sunny with highs in the 70s.

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Looking ahead: Elk Knob Headwaters Community Day, Elk Knob State Park, Saturday, Sept. 10, 11 a.m.. More info here.

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Those are our thoughts on the weekend. Find more options at the sources listed below.

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Coast / Coastal Plain

If you’ve vowed to do at least one race this summer and have procrastinated, you have no excuse not to do Sunday’s Summer Sizzler at Wilmington’s Greenfield Lake.
A 10K? you whine. That’s too far in this summer heat.
There’s also a 5K.
My hip flexor has been acting up. I don’t think I can hold back my competitive nature — I’ll re-injure myself.
There’s a 1-mile fun run.
Oh … .
Another reason you can’t refuse? It’s the first in a three-race series that includes the First Bank Octoberfest 15K at Brunswick Forest on Sept. 25 and the Battleship Half Marathon Nov. 6. Start building your endurance on Sunday.

Vital stats: Simmer Sizzler 10K, 5K & 1-miler, Sunday, 7:30 a.m., Greenfield Lake, Wilmington. Fee: $25 – $40; register by Aug. 5, here.

Sunday forecast: Racetime temperature of 79, chance of thunderstorms.

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Looking ahead: Pier-2-Pier Open Water Swim Race, Sept. 10, Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, Wrightsville Beach. More info here.

Piedmont

Sometimes, we’re not sure what to make of an event, which makes it all the more intriguing. Witness our Piedmont recommendation … .

Sunday afternoon, Charlotte’s Reedy Creek Nature Center & Preserve sponsors the Reedy Creek Olympians. “In honor of the Summer 2016 Olympics this year,” explains the center, “Reedy Creek will be hosting its very own games. What animals are the best of the best? Who can jump the highest, run the fastest, or hide the best? Come find out and test your own skills and reflexes against your friends.”

So … standing long jump vs. a frog? Fifty-meter freestyle against a fish? 800 meter relay against raccoons?

Come and find out.

Vital stats: Reedy Creek Olympians, Sunday, 2-3 p.m., Reedy Creek Nature Center & Preserve. Free, but preregistration required, by calling 980.314.1119.

Sunday forecast: High of 89, chance of showers.

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Looking ahead: Family Hike & Stream Stomp, Aug. 17, 9:30 a.m., McDowell Nature Center & Preserve. More info here.

Mountains

Most trail races are on single-track or double-wide trail with little to look at but the trail itself. Not the Richard’s Run 5K Fun Run for Brain Cancer at Cataloochee. Say race organizers: “The race will begin at the gate above the Chestnut Orchard at Cataloochee Ranch. From there, the route will lead into The Bowl, an expansive bowl-shaped open meadow with dramatic long-range mountain views. The trail will lead runners around the perimeter, following the shape of the bowl, before plunging into a thick rhododendron tunnel that opens back into The Bowl.”

It continues, but you get the notion — the notion of one scenic 5K, not to mention the opportunity to benefit the Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University.

Vital stats: Richard’s Run 5K, Saturday, 10 a.m., Cataloochee Ranch, Maggie Valley. $10 online, $15 day of race. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Race time temperature of 74, mostly sunny skies.

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Looking ahead: Blue Ridge Breakaway, 100-, 75- and 30-mile rides on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Aug. 20, Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center. More info here.

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Those are our thoughts on the weekend. Find more options at the sources listed below.

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