Yeah, it’s still hot. But over the past couple of weeks we’ve had delightful dalliances with low humidity. Low meaning less than 50 percent, but low enough to put a little bounce in your step. This weekend, we hope to help you get the most of that bounce with a suggestion or two on what you can do.

Night Hike Adventure, Saturday, 8:30 p.m. Mount Jefferson State Natural Area, West Jefferson. Hike at night: that’s something you typically can’t do (legally, at least) in a state park. Saturday is the exception, when a ranger takes you on a tour of the trails atop Mount Jefferson. Sans clouds you’ll see the day’s fading light on some of the Southeast’s most notable peaks. Bring a flashlight for the times you’ll be hiking and not gawking. More into and register here.

Canoe the Mayo, Saturday, 10 a.m. Mayo River State Park, Mayodan. Paddling a river can be a bit of a production even if you have a boat, costly if you don’t. Just one reason we like this periodic paddle trip at Mayo River State Park. The Mayo is a fairly intimate river that’ll you get to spend 4 to 5 hours on (depending upon water levels). Free, put you will need to make your own arrangements to get back to your car at the put-in. More info and register here.

Bike to the Burn, Sunday, 9:30 a.m. Dismal Swamp State Park, South Mills. Notice this this is called Bike to the Burn, not Bike ’til you Burn, the key distinction is this won’t be like that spin class you tried at the gym a couple years back. Rather, you’ll pedal with Ranger Joe out to the site of the swamp’s last wildfire (a wildfire in a swamp — that alone is incentive to attend). About 17 miles total, with no one screaming at you to climb out of the saddle and PUSH! No bike, no problem; you can borrow one. More info and register here.

You can also join our GetHiking! group on a pair of hikes this weekend:

Hike the MST Cheek to Creek, Saturday, 9 a.m., Mountains-to-Sea Trail along Falls Lake. 5 miles. We hike a section of the MST we haven’t hiked in a while, the 5-mile run from Cheek Road east to just past Little Lick Creek. Not as hilly as much of the MST along Falls Lake, and a tight-wire crossing of Little Lick Creek. An easy to moderate hike, depending upon how much you’ve been hiking. More info and register here.

A Mellow Meander at the Confluence Natural Area, Sunday, 10 a.m., Confluence Natural Area, Hillsborough. Earlier this year, the Eno River Association opened the Confluence Natural Area, a 200-acre preserve at the confluence of the East and West branches of the Eno River in Orange County. We’ll hike two mellow miles and get to know this new preserve. More info and register here.

You can find more opportunities this weekend here:

• North Carolina State Parks have a variety of adventures planned for the weekend. Check those options here.
• North Carolina Environmental Education Centers has an extensive calendar of what’s happening at its affiliates; check it out here.
• You can also find more adventures right here, at GetGoingNC.com.

And learn more about where we spent last weekend, featured in the video, by visiting the web sites for Little River Regional Park and Eno River State Park.

The post GetOut! Your Nudge to get out this weekend appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Coast

Sometimes, all it takes is the alignment of the right stars to kick-start an active lifestyle. Perfect weather — sunny skies, highs in the mid-60s. A challenging, but not overly so, adventure. A supportive environment. Beer.

All of those conditions will be in play Sunday when our GetExploring! Greenville affiliate hosts “Bike & Brew, Whoo!” Meet at Winslow’s Deli in Greenville, take a guided bike ride for an hour or so, return to Winslow’s for an amber libation. Could put you on the road to health and happiness. It’s part of the Great Outdoor Provision Co.-sponsored group’s Fall Into Adventure series.

Logistics: Sunday, 2 p.m., Winslow’s Deli, Washington & 5th streets, Greenville. More info and to sign up, go here.

Sunday forecast: Sunny, high of 67.

Piedmont

Technically, you should have signed up for this by yesterday (our apologies). But Sunday’s opportunity to hike new trail is just too good not to acknowledge. And even if you don’t hike this trail when it officially debuts Sunday, make a note to hit it this fall.

The trail: the final 4.9-mile link of Mountains-to-Sea Trail between Penny’s Bend and West Point on the Eno city park in Durham. The stretch creates 105 miles of continuous MST in the Triangle, from Orange County east to Clayton in Johnston County.

The trail gets its official baptism Sunday, with a 1 p.m. dedication followed by a hike. Details can be found below.

Logistics: Sunday, Oct. 19, 1 p.m., West Point on the Eno City Park, Durham. More information here.

Sunday forecast: Sunny, high of 67.

Mountains

Lots of places to go see fall color in the mountains this weekend. (For the latest on where the color is especially good, visit VistiNC.com’s Foliage Reports.)

If you’re looking for a little context for the fall show, head to Gorges State Park Saturday where a ranger will talk about why some leaves turn yellow, some red, some orange, some purple. Then, after the presentation, he’ll tip you off to where the color is especially good right now.

Logistics: Saturday, Oct. 18, 1:30 p.m., Gorges State Park. More info: 828.966.9099.

Sunday forecast: Mostly sunny, high of 62.

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

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GetGoingNC.com

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The post This weekend: A forecast for cool, colorful adventure appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Coast

We’re always on the lookout for a good, economical paddle adventure; this weekend our looking out has landed us at Cliffs of the Neuse State Park south of Goldsboro, where a ranger will lead an Introduction to Canoeing class on Sunday. The course includes boat, lifejacket, paddles and instruction, and will be conducted on the friendly waters of the park’s 11-acre, spring-fed lake. An especially great opportunity if you’ve never been in a canoe, but have given it some thought.

Logistics: Sunday, April 21, 2 p.m. Free and all equipment is provided, but space is limited and preregistration required, by calling 919.778.6234.

Saturday forecast: Sunny with a high of 68.

Piedmont

This Saturday you can walk for Umstead, you can run for Umstead and you can bike for Umstead. Yes, all three modes of transportation are supported at the 2013 Walk/Run/Bike for Umstead, an annual fundraiser for the popular state park sponsored by the Umstead Coalition. The Triangle Off Road Cyclists will lead a guided bike tour of the park, the Carolina Godiva Track Club sponsors a race and there’s a guided walk, all to benefit Umstead.

Logistics: Saturday, April 20, 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m., 6000 Reedy Creek Road. $40 for adults, $20 for kids 12 and under, $35 for the 65-and-up crowd. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Cloudy with rain possible early, partly cloudy in the afternoon. High of 63.

Mountains

When we think of cycling in the mountains we think of the plethora of road and mountain bike rides that test the very best, which makes us think everyone in the high country is an accomplished cyclist capable of climbing the steepest hills and jamming down the steepest descents. But does everyone in the mountains ride at that level?

No, says the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club. In fact, some folks haven’t ridden in quite a while. They’re the ones who are the focus of the club’s Saturday, beginner biker series. Each week the series tackles a new aspect of cycling. This Saturday, for instance, “…you’ll practice your shifting, braking, and signaling skills. Then comes 15 to 20 mile ride along the greenways and quiet country roads of Brevard.” Sounds like something even a more experienced cyclists might want to tap into.

Logistics: Saturday, April 20, 10 a.m. Meet at Oskar Blues Brewery. More about the program here.

Saturday forecast: Partly cloudy, high of 64.

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

Coast

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

Crystal Cost Tourism Authority
Comprehensive calendar focusing on the Crystal Coast. Good source for programs offered by N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Lookout National Park, N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve and other costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

Blue Ridge Outdoors
Searchable calendar lets you extend your reach to events throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast (or you can just limit it to North Carolina). Also lets you search a boatload of categories, ranging from Hiking, Mountain Biking and Climbing to Trail Running, Triathlon and Road Walking.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Todd’s Calendar

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triad

GoTriad.com
Comprehensive calendar includes a Sports & Recreation category.

Piedmont Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triangle

Triangle.com
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including: Birding, Boating, Cycling, Nature, Rec & Wellness, Recreation, Running, Swimming, Tennis, Yoga.

Carolina Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Statewide

Office of Environmental Education
One calendar for the numerous Environmental Education Centers statewide.

North Carolina State Parks
Lets you search for programs at the state’s parks, recreation areas and natural areas by location, by month, by topic. To reach the calendar from the home page, click on “Education,” then “Fun & Free Programs at Parks.”

National Forests in North Carolina
From the home page, click on Carolina Connections for news updates on the state’s four national forests as well as hints on recreational opportunities and a detailed rundown of recreation areas and the amenities at each.

U.S. National Wildlife Refuges
Rundown, by month, of regular activities at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service refuges in North Carolina.

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The post This weekend: A smorgasbord of outdoor fun appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Monday — never an easy time for the outdoors enthusiast, especially come summer. After a weekend of adventure, returning to the humdrum work-a-day world can make one melancholy. 
To help ease this trying transition, we’re running a new feature every Monday, at least during the summer, called 90 Second Escape. Essentially, it’s a 90-second video of a place you’d probably rather be: a trail, a park, a greenway, a lake … anywhere as long as it’s in the sun.

I like to bike, but not necessarily in traffic. That’s one reason I’m closely watching greenway developments in the Triangle — Raleigh’s House Creek and Neuse River greenways, Cary’s Black Creek Greenway, the American Tobacco Trail bridge over I-40 in Durham — that will make it easier to bike around town on paths closed to motorized vehicles. It’s also what drove me to take a trip to my native Denver last week to explore that city’s extensive bike path network. I’ll be writing more about that next week. In the meantime, go with me on a 90 Second Escape on Denver’s bike highways.

The post 90 Second Escape: Cycling Denver’s Bike Highways appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

I’m using my experience over the next three days as a yardstick for the Triangle: to see how far we’ve come — and how far we have to go. I’ll be writing more about this next week. But for the next three days, you can follow my travels on Twitter, @JoeAGoGo.

The post Greetings from Denver … appeared first on GetGoing NC!.