Every Friday, we give you a glimpse into our weekend past to give you a nudge to get out and explore the weekend future. Meaning this one.

Last weekend we spent Saturday exploring dang near all of Pilot Mountain, then Sunday we were at Little River Regional Park and Harris Lake County Park. For us this weekend we’ll be hiking a 7-mile stretch of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along Falls Lake in Raleigh on Saturday, and doing 8 miles Sunday along the Eno River.

Learn more about Saturday’s hike and sign up to join us by going here.

Here are three other adventures going on this weekend that you might be interested in:

Saturday, 1 p.m. Lake Norman State Park (north of Charlotte): I Can Canoe and So Can You. You’ve contemplated getting into canoeing, but didn’t know where to start. Now you do, at this free, ranger-led, hour long intro to canoeing on Lake Norman. More info here.

Saturday, 8 p.m. Medoc Mountain State Park (northeast of Raleigh): Full Moon Hike. Medoc Mountain, isolated from the state’s urban light centers, is an especially great area to see the night sky. Bring a flashlight or headlamp. More info here.

Sunday, 2:30 p.m. Fort Fisher State Recreation Area (Wilmington area): Saltwater Fishing 101. How do you cast against an incoming tide? How do you keep your bait from washing ashore? And what is it you’ll catch, anyway? These and other questions answered at this hands-on clinic. More info here.

Also, check out the offering of hikes this weekend and through June through Hike NC, the BlueCross BlueShied of North Carolina hiking program geared toward beginning hikers, at gohikenc.com

The post Get Out! (Your Nudge for Weekend Adventure) appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Today’s 90-Second Escape: Summer’s Paddlin’ Secrets

The Triangle might not seem like a paddler’s paradise at first. At least not wedged between the miles of black water and sound paddling at the coast and classic whitewater of the mountains. Dig around, though, and you’ll find all sorts of surprises.

Today, we highlight two. First, the waters of Falls Lake where the Eno and Flat rivers feed the reservoir. Second, Lake Raleigh, a small flood control lake on the N.C. State’s Centennial Campus that has a hidden paddling life behind its open waters.

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• 

  One, to expose the already adventurous to the multitude of opportunities east of I-95. For instance, the region includes more than 2,500 miles of mapped paddle trails. There are 10 National Wildlife Refuges protecting 365,000 acres and a national forest, the Croatan, covering 160,000 acres. Local land trusts lead by the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust have protected another 60,000 acres, much of which is open to exploration. You can take a long hike (the 20-mile Neusiok Trail), you can go backpacking (Merchants Millpond State Park), you can go mountain biking (The Bicycle Post trails northwest of town).

• We also want to provide a supportive and instructive environment for fledgling adventurers, those folks who are intrigued by the notion of outdoor adventure but haven’t taken those first footsteps into the wild. We’ll show you where to go, we’ll go there with you, and we’ll hang with you so you don’t feel abandoned.

You can learn more about the GetExploring! Greenville program in a post we wrote for the Great Outdoor Provision Co. blog. You can learn about our adventures, including a kick-off gathering Thursday evening at the Great Outdoor Provision Co. shop in Greenville, on the group’s Meetup page.
We’re looking forward to exploring more of Eastern North Carolina. We hope you’ll join us on the adventure.

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The post GetExploring! Greenville: discover down east appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Get out and take advantage: You never know how long it will last.

Coast

This may be hard to believe because of our ongoing cold, but the time is rapidly running out for an enjoyable hike in a coastal wetlands. Once temperatures start climbing into the mid to upper 60s, all kinds of critters begin to emerge that can take some of the fun out of exploring a forested wetlands.

Thus, with temperatures expected to stay in the 50s Sunday, we suggest you check out the Wonder Wetlands hike at Merchants Millpond State Park near Gatesville. On this two-mile hike on established trail into a wild forest, a ranger will talk about the park’s wetlands and how they affect plants, animals and people.  In addition, we recommend you get there two hours early, rent a canoe ($5 first hour, $3 every subsequent hour) and explore the millpond.

Logistics: Sunday, March 9, 3 p.m. Merchants Millpond State Park, Gatesville. Learn more about the park here, for more info on the hike, call 252.357.1191.

Saturday forecast: High of 59, partly sunny.

Piedmont

Running or biking on the American Tobacco Trail, we usually stop on the bridge section over White Oak Creek and contemplate the waterway’s path. Downstream, we know that the creek empties into Jordan Lake. But upstream, where exactly does the creek go? And how much farther can you paddle up it?

Find out the answer to these and other White Oak Creek questions Saturday, when Jordan Lake Ranger Steve McMurray leads a three-hour paddle up White Oak Creek. The trip commences from the Crosswinds Boat Ramp, paddles a stretch of open water on Jordan Lake, then probes White Oak Creek. Recommended for experienced paddlers only.

Logistics: Saturday, March 8, 1-4 p.m. Crosswinds Boat Ramp at Jordan Lake State Recreation Area. For more information on Jordan Lake, go here, for information on the paddle trip and to register, call 919.362.0586, ext. 219.

Saturday forecast: High of 65, partly sunny.

Mountains

DuPont State Forest between Hendersonville and Brevard has nearly 100 miles of trail, a sizable number for a tract of land just over 10,000 acres. With so many trails to choose from, picking a circuit can be a challenge, both from the standpoint of optimizing your scenic return and from the standpoint of suddenly realizing you have no idea where you are.

Good reasons to sign up for Sunday’s 12-mile hike sponsored by the Carolina Mountain Club. Attractions along the way: Lake Imaging, Grassy Falls, Thomas Cemetery, Wintergreen Falls, Stone Mountain and “the old firing range.” And because it’s the first day of Daylight Savings Time, you’ll have an extra hour of sunlight to savor the scenery.

Logistics: Sunday, March 9, 9 a.m. For more information and to register, contact hike leader Jan Onan, janonan@bellsouth.net, 828.698.3237. For more information on the route, go here.

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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

Great Outdoor Provision Co.
Calendar includes three weekly events for each of its seven markets: Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Greensboro, Greenville, Raleigh, Wilmington and Winston-Salem. Search by market.

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.

– See more at: https://getgoingnc.com/2014/02/this-weekend-spring-from-winter/#sthash.d9diK6Wt.dpuf

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The post This weekend: Sun, warmth and the return Daylight Saving Time appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

The first significant cool front in a while descends over much of the state, leaving weekend highs in the 60s and 70s over much of the state. Here are three ways to take advantage of our weather windfall.

Coast

We’re avid proponents of starting the weekend early, especially when the destination is a place called Keg Island. Thus, we endorse Friday’s Sunset Kayaking Adventure at River Road Park in Wilmington. The trip begins at the park, on the Cape Fear River between Wilmington and Carolina Beach, and paddles on the river out to Keg Island for a picnic. Then it’s back to the put in as the sun sets.

Logistics: Friday, Aug. 16, 4:30 p.m. $30-$45. More info at (910) 341-0075 or info@halyburtonpark.com

Friday forecast: High of 84, 50 percent chance of rain.

Piedmont

South Mountains State Park south of Morganton is a great place to explore. There’s a popular waterfall (80-foot High Shoals Falls) and more than 40 miles of trail to accommodate hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. One thing you don’t typically associate with the park is paddling, which is why Saturday’s Canoe Hike is a don’t miss. Yes, it’s a rare opportunity to paddle, under the guidance of a ranger, Clear Creek Reservoir on the park’s west side. Gear and guidance is provided.

Logistics: Sunday, Aug. 18, 9 .m. Free. More info at 828.433.4772, amanda.lasley@ncparks.gov

Sunday forecast: High of 82, chance of thunderstorms.

Mountains

If you’ve been longing for fall-like weather so you can get out on the trail, you have been longing for this weekend. Temperatures in the high country aren’t expected to get out of the 60s this weekend, making it ideal for a brisk hike. And brisk it’s likely to be on Saturday’s Carolina Mountain Club hike on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail from Pisgah Inn to the Stony Bald Overlook. Plus, it’s one of the club’s easier hikes: 6.9 miles, the majority of which is downhill.

Logistics: Saturday, August 17, 10 a.m. (carpool from Asheville). More info and to reserve a spot, contact hike leader Ashok Kudva at 828-674-1374, or ashok.kudva@att.net

Saturday forecast: High of 66, 70 percent chance of rain.

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

The post This weekend in North Carolina: Cool temps, hot times appeared first on GetGoing NC!.