Coast: Carnivorous Plant Hike

Carolina Beach State Park offers its Carnivorous Plant Hike frequently, but when are you going to find a better weekend to finally take it? Forecast: High of 60 under sunny skies, the perfect weather for stalking carnivorous plants. Join a park ranger Sunday morning and learn about the native species to the area. You’ll have an opportunity to see the plants that truly do bite back: pitcher plants, the Venus flytrap, butterworts, and a few more..

Sunday forecast: 60 degrees and sunny at the beginning of the hike.

Vital Stats: Carolina Beach State Park, Sunday April 17, 11am, Nature Trail Lane Parking area. Contact 910.458.7770 or carolina.beach@ncparks.gov. More info here.

Looking ahead: Paddle for the Border, 7.5-mile journey between Dismal Swamp State Park and North River park in Chesapeake, Va., where participants will cross the state line. Registration fills quickly! Dismal Swamp State Park, April 30. More information here.

Piedmont: Sustainability Salon: “Hope for Animals and Their World”

The Carolina Raptor Center tonight hosts Thane Maynard, who, among his other accomplishments, co-authored a book with Jane Goodall, to come discuss what we’ve done to support animal conservation. He will also talk about the small steps we can take each day, such as riding your bike to work, to save the earth’s resources. There will be a book signing at the end of the event, and a cash bar from 7:30-9 p.m.

Tonight’s forecast: Starting out at 63 degrees, and getting down to about 55 by the end of the event. Projected to be partly cloudy with light winds.

Vital Stats: Presented by Carolina Raptor Center, Sunday,, 7-9:30 p.m, Mint Museum, Charlotte. $15 for CRC members, $20 non-members, $10 students. More information here.

Bonus Piedmont event: Where there’s Smoke…

What Smoky the Bear doesn’t tell you, is that forest fires aren’t always a bad thing. Come to Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area in Hillsborough Sunday and take a 1-mile hike along a trail where there was a recent prescribed burn. You’ll learn about fire ecology and why fires are sometimes lit in North Carolina forests on purpose. (Good hiking shoes are a must.) More information here.

Sunday forecast: High of 61 degrees, low of 41 and mostly sunny.

Vital Stats: Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, Hillsborough, Sunday, 10:30 a.m, meet in the Occoneechee parking lot. Contact 919.383.1686 or eno.river@ncparks.gov for more information.

Looking ahead: Occoneechee Geology Hike, learn about the mountain’s geologic wonders with a real geologist. Limited to 25 participants, Saturday April 23, 2pm. More info here.

Mountains: Astronomy for Everyone

Lake James State Park co-hosts a night of star gazing Saturday with the Catawba Valley Astronomy Club. Join them for an educational night of star gazing, where you can learn astronomy tips and create your own star chart. Telescopes and binoculars provided, but feel free to bring your own, as well as a chair for relaxing. Meet in the upper parking lot of the Paddy’s Creek Area at 8 p.m.

Saturday evening forecast: 60 degrees at the start of the event, a low of 47 that night.

Vital Stats: Register by calling the park office at 828.584.7728, Lake James State Park, Nebo, Saturday, 8 p.m.

Looking ahead: 2016 Annual Wildflower Walks at Grandfather Mountain State Park. Join a ranger on a variety of different paths to enjoy the wildflower display, which changes from week to week. Next hike: Sunday, May 1, 9 a.m. More info here.

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The post Your Weekend: Stalk a plant, learn the burn, eye the sky appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Coast

Are we recommending this weekend’s back-to-back Carnivorous Plant Hikes just so we can use a picture of Seymour’s carnivorous creation?

Maybe.

But you’ve got to admit, there’s a good deal to recommend a search for the unusual sundews, bladderworts, butterworts, pitcher plants and Venus fly traps that make Carolina Beach State Park a curious destination, especially if you’re intrigued by the unusual in nature.  This free program is offered both Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m.

More info on the park here, more on the program by calling 910-458-8206. Meet at the Nature Trail parking lot.

Piedmont

Speaking of unusual plant life, how about the perfect tree. That’s what the first Europeans to invade this country called the American chestnut, a mammoth, ramrod straight tree that once flourished in the Appalachians and had numerous uses. Yet despite being “perfect,” the tree vanished from the landscape more than a century ago.

What happened? And will we ever see its kind again?

These questions and more answered Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Crowders Mountain State Park Visitor Center. Afterward, hike the land once abundant with chestnuts.

More on the park here, more on the American chestnut here.

Mountains

Who wants some fall color? The Carolina Mountain Club, apparently, which is why this Sunday’s hike will be its 11.6-mile Noland Divide hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which starts at the Deep Creek Campground outside Bryson City at about 1,750 feet of elevation and climbs to 5,900 feet. You’re bound to see the gamut of fall color on this day-long hike.

Hikers will shuttle from Asheville; because of the length of the drive and need to establish how many cars are needed, hikers are asked to register with hike leader Mike Knies ASAP, at either  828.628.6712 or knies06@att.net.

Check out the hike here.

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Those are GGNC’s thoughts for an active weekend. Find out other ways you can get out this weekend by browsing our super calendar, a collection of events calendars from throughout the state, 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.

The post It’s a good weekend to plan ahead appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Coast

1. Ever see “Little Shop of Horrors” (either the 1960 Roger Korman original or the 1986 Frank Oz remake)? A man-eating plant! How outlandish, you likely thought.

Not really, it turns out.

OK, so sundews, bladderworts, butterworts, pitcher plants, and the Venus fly trap may not cause you much of a threat. But be glad you aren’t a fly, because these carnivorous plants would gobble up your pesky six-leggedness in a heartbeat. You can find out more about these curious plants, which tend to reside within a 60-mile radius of Wilmington, on the ranger-led Carnivorous Plant Hike Saturday at Carolina Beach State Park. Starts at 10, lasts an hour or so. Meets at the Nature Trail parking lot.

More info: Call 910.458.8206 or go here.

2. I won’t tell you what happened the last time I paddled a Carolina Bay, but the odds of winds that strong kicking up this time a year are small. Tiny, even. Though I do see that to participate in Saturday’s Evening Paddle/Canoe Trip at Lake Waccamaw State Park you, “Must be able to swim.” Still, you’ll be wearing a pfd. Anyway, the best way to enjoy Down East this time of year is on the water, in this case from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in a canoe. No charge, but pre-registration is required, by calling 910.646.4748.

For more info on the park, go here.

Mountains

1. Paddling a flat water coastal lake, you do all the work. On a mountain river, the river does the heavy lifting. Once reason to sign up for Sunday’s ranger-led canoe trip down the New River. (The other reason being the stellar scenery, of course.) This 12:30 p.m. trip at New River State Park is free (save for a “minimal fee for shuttling,” but limited to 8 paddlers, so sign up now, by calling 336.982.2587.

More about the park located near Jefferson here.

2. Or maybe you just want to beat this blasted heat! No place better than atop the East Coast, at Mount Mitchell State Park. Several programs are on tap this weekend, the one likely to get you closest to Mitchell’s 6,684-foot summit: Small Wonders on a Mighty Mountain. A naturalist ranger leads a one-hour hike along the Balsam Nature Trail looking for what survives in this often-harsh environment. Commences at 11 a.m.

More info by calling 828.675.4611 or visiting here.

Piedmont

1. A personal favorite when it comes to state parks programs, Geology Hike at Occoneechee Mountain (pictured above; photo courtesy North Carolina State Parks). Occoneechee, near Hillsborough, tops 800 feet and is the highest point in the Triangle region. As the entry for this program proclaims, “Come to the mountain and see the geologic wonders and abandoned pyrophyllite quarry.” Sounds Barnumesque, but it is is pretty cool. Saturday at 10 a.m., only 15 hikers allowed, so pre-register before it’s booked, by calling 919.383.1686.

More on Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area here.

2. Another fave: The night hike. Walk on the wild side at night at Lumber River State Park. Look and listen for nocturnal critters by land, by sea by air. (The listening part is especially cool: What the heck was that!? Bring a flashlight (which you’ll probably use sparingly), starts at 8.

More info by calling 910-628-4564 or visiting here.

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Interested in what else is going on statewide? We’ve collected some calendars from around the state for your consideration.

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.

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.

The post Celebrate the weekend at an N.C. State Park appeared first on GetGoing NC!.