Content from Old Salem

All that said, here’s a short slideshow from Old Salem and a list of five urban walks where you can get an eyeful of color in the next few days:

1. Old Salem, Winston-Salem. From north-to-south, Old Salem, the Moravian community dating back 250 years is a half mile long and three blocks wide. Toss in the graveyard and cemetery and you’ve got a good two-plus miles of streetwalking (so to speak). You’ve also got a lot of great color, with an emphasis on brilliant orange sugar maples.
Plan a visit by starting here. 

2. Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Greensboro. Guildford Courthouse is known for vicious Revolutionary War battle fought here on March 15, 1781. Two and a half miles of trail — some paved, some a foot-friendly natural surface — take you to key battlefield sites as well as through a mature hardwood forest bright with fall color.
Plan a visit by starting here.

3. Bollin Creek Greenway, Chapel Hill. Chapel Hill is ripe with fall color, making just about anywhere you walk a delight in fall. Bollin Creek is a little extra special, in part, because like many greenways it follows a floodplain/drainage where older, grander trees are more prevalent.
Plan a visit by starting here.

4. Neuse River Trail, Raleigh. At 27.5 miles, the Neuse River Trail offers lots of paved parking through a riparian corridor, where trees have been spared from the development that dominates nearby. Short walks, long walks are all easily accommodated here.
Plan a visit by starting here.

5. McAlpine Creek/Campbell Creek greenways, Charlotte. This 4.1-mile path, most of which is paved, is centrally located yet offers a quick escape into a colorful, floodplain forest. Part of the Carolina Thread Trail.
Plan a visit by starting here.

* * *

Like us on Facebook and get health, fitness and outdoors news throughout the day.

GetGoingNC.com

Promote Your Page Too

The post Bright leafs, short hikes appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

I’d just finished a gorgeous day on the groomed trails at the White Grass ski touring center in West Virginia and was returning my rental equipment.
“How was it?” asked the ski rental guy.
“Incredible!” I oozed. “I can’t wait to go again.”
“You know,” he said, “Our rental skis are for sale.” At a price, it turned out, that was more than I could afford but too good to refuse. I’ve used them a dozen times since; I’m hoping to make it a baker’s dozen tomorrow.
As Winter Storm Leon (sheesh) makes its way up the coast, the prospects are good for cross-country conditions, from the Triangle into the coastal plain. As of this morning, parts of the Triangle were expected to get up to six inches of snow — with points east forecast to get 10 inches or more.
On the right kind of trail, six inches is all it takes to make or decent cross-country conditions. Where might one find the right kind of trail?
Glad you asked.

Natural surface trails

Because of the rocks and roots found on most trails in the Triangle, you need a substantial amount of snow — 10 inches minimum — to ski. There are some exceptions, however:

Umstead State Park
Raleigh
The 13 miles of bike and bridle trail here offer the perfect base for six-inch conditions. A finely crushed gravel, the surface is devoid of the rocks and roots common on most trails hereabouts, thus, fewer imperfections to cover up. If you’re not comfortable with downhills, pick up the trail via the neighborhood entrance off Old Reedy Creek Road from Lake Crabtree. There, you’ll find more than two miles of flat trail before the rollers begin.
More info here.

Duke Forest
Durham, Orange and Alamance counties.
The fire roads here aren’t quite as surface-friendly as at Umstead, but they’re close. And there are lots of ‘em: the seven individual tracts making up the forest contain 7,020 acres and are accessed via 45 entrances. Learn more about the forest and where you can find helpful maps, by going here.

Al Buehler Cross Country Trail
Durham.
The 3.1-mile Al Buehler Trail has a foot-friendly natural surface similar to that at Umstead. It’s also got some rollers, making for some nice downhill action and some heart-pumping climbs.
More info here.

American Tobacco Trail
Wake, Chatham and Durham counties
At 22 miles, the ATT offers the prospect of long, contemplative escapes. It’s surface is finely crushed stone and because it follows an abandoned rail line, the trail is great for beginners or folks who haven’t been on skis in a while.
More info here.

Greenways

They’re relatively flat, their surface is smooth and because they snake throughout the region, they are generally accessible without a lot of time spent on icy roads. Here are some of the larger greenway networks in the area, which a quick snapshot and where you can go for more information, including how to find the greenway nearest you. You can also find maps, directions and detailed information about local greenways on GetGoingNC’s Greenway Guide.

Cary. The Cary greenway system has more than 70 miles down, anchored by the Black Creek Greenway running from Bond Park to Lake Crabtree and the White Oak Greenway, running from Bond Park nearly to the American Tobacco Trail. More info here.

Chapel Hill. Seven greenways are sprinkled throughout town, perhaps the most popular is the 1.5-mile Bolin Creek Trail, which runs from the Chapel Hill Community Center west to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
More info here.

Durham. In addition to the northern end of the American Tobacco Trail, Durham has several other greenways suitable for skiing, including the Third Fork Greenway.
More info here.

Raleigh. The capital city’s Capital Area Greenway System now has more than 100 miles of greenway, the spine of which is the 28-mile Neuse River Greenway. Lots of good opportunity for Raleigh residents.
More info here.

Farther east

Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center, Four Oaks. Located just east of I-95, Howell Woods is in Leon’s sweetspot, with snowfall totals in the double digits possible. With 15 interconnected trails (the longest of which is just under a mile) navigating a variety of ecosystems, Howell Woods could be the nordic center of North Carolina in a few hours.
More info here.

Jones Lake State Park, Elizabethtown. Also in the storm’s sweetspot is Jones Lake State Park, which features a foot-and-ski-friendly 5-mile loop trail around its namesake lake. Gorgeous by foot, the trail should be especially fetching on skis.
More info here.

Smithfield. The 3.3-mile Buffalo Creek Greenway runs from downtown to the Smithfield Recreation & Aquatics Center. A good bet, with snowfall totals in Smithfield expected to eclipse the six-inch mark.
More info here.

Alas, if you’re intrigued but don’t have skis and wonder where you can rent them, the closest place — and only place in North Carolina — is the Pineloa Inn and Ski Shop in the mountains.

The post Leon willing, here’s where you can cross-country ski appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

• At GetGoingNC.com: Go to the left rail of the home page, look under “Where to Play in North Carolina” (highlighted in green). Run your cursor over “Camping”  and a drop-down menu gives you the option of “Winter Car Camping: 15 Year-Round Campgrounds” (which we recommend) and “Local Campgrounds.” Click on it and you’ll be given your five local options for the seven markets. Here, you’ll find the basic information for each campground, with the option for More info here to find additional details, which are on the Great Outdoor Provision Co. Web site.
• Your other option is to go directly to the Great Outdoor Provision site.

These are not the only options in each market. In fact, if you know of a campground that should be added, drop us a line and we’ll add it to the list.
Let the listings serve as a reminder that you don’t need to spend five hours behind the wheel to go camping. If you’ve got time to eat eat and sleep, you’ve got time to camp.

Find a campground:

• Chapel Hill
• Charlotte
• Greensboro
• Greenville
• Raleigh
• Wilmington
• Winston-Salem

Like us on Facebook and get health, fitness and outdoors news throughout the day.

GetGoingNC.com

Promote Your Page Too

The post Local campground, local escape appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Piedmont

Charlotte

1. Colonel Francis Beatty Park, 4330 Weddington Road. 5.75 miles. Relatively flat singletrack loop that’s mildly technical. Good beginner venue.  Details here or call (704) 643-5725.

2. Lake Norman State Park, 159 Inland Sea Lane, Troutman. 17.5 miles. Rare North Carolina State Park singletrack is known for good flow and opportunities for beginners and advanced riders alike.  Details here or call (704) 528-6350.

3. National Whitewater Center, 5000 Whitewater Center Parkway. 17 miles. Well-groomed, well-marked trail network with good mix of beginner, intermediate and advanced trail. Bike rental included with price of admission to NWC, though you only need to pay parking fee to ride the trails. Details here or call (704) 391-3900.

Other trails of note: North Meck, Huntersville; Beech Springs/Poplar Tent, Concord; Sherman Branch, Midland; Anne Close Springs Greenway, Fort Mill, S.C.

More info: Charlotte Mountain Bike, Tarheel TrailBlazers.

Triad

4. Hobby Park, 2301 West Clemmonsville Road, Winston-Salem.  7 miles. Long-standing Triad mountain biking tradition, Hobby Park is geared toward more advanced riders. Details here or call (336) 727-8000.

5. Northeast Park, 3421 Northeast Park Drive, Gibsonville (use 4010 High Rock Road for GPS purposes). 5 miles. New network is gaining a reputation for fast flow. Details here or call (336) 375-2322.

6. Owls Roost/Bur Mill Park, 5834 Bur-Mill Club Road,  Greensboro. 5 miles. An oldie and enduring goldie for good reasons: one, the flow has been compared to a good mountain ride and two, the trail connects with others in Greensboro’s vast Watershed Lakes trail network. Details here or cll (336) 373-3800

Other trails of note: Country Park, Bald Eagle, Wild Turkey, Reedy Fork, Lake Brandt, Hagen Stone, Greensboro; Salem Lake, Horizon Park, Tanglewood, Winston-Salem.

More info: Greensboro Fat Tire Society, Mountain Biking in the Triad, Singletracks.com, Triad mtb.

Triangle

7. Carolina North, 1089 Municipal Drive, Chapel Hill. 20 miles (approximate). Mileage includes official trail on 750-acre holding of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and adjoining unofficial trail behind Seawell Elementary School. Mix of double and single track. Details here or call (919) 883-8930.

8. Harris Lake County Park, 2112 County Park Dr., New Hill. 8 miles. Clearly marked trail distinguishes beginner, intermediate and advanced trail, though advanced trail includes ride-arounds making even toughest trail accessible to most riders. Details here or call 919-3874342.

9. Lake Crabtree County Park, 1400 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville. 8 miles. The most popular trail network in the Triangle, in park because of its central location, in part because it’s very beginner friendly. Adjoins more challenging bandit trail and 13-miles of bike and bridle trail at neighboring Umstead State Park. Details here or call 919-460-3390.

Other trails of note: Little River Regional Park, Durham; Briar Chapel, Chapel Hill; New Light and Beaverdam, Falls Lake State Recreation Area; Legend Park, Clayton; Garner Recreation Park, Garner.

More info: TriangleMTB.com, Triangle Off-Road Cyclists.

Elsewhere in the Piedmont

10. W Kerr Scott Reservoir Trails: Dark Mountain, Overmountain Victory Trail, Fish Dam Creek Trail, Warrior Creek trails, Wilkesboro. 35 miles combined. These are popular destination trails: Get in shape, then come ride for the weekend on these well-designed and maintained trails. Beginners should start with the Overmountain Victory Trail. Details here.

11. Uwharrie Mountains: Keyauwee, Supertree, Wood Run Road trails. 22 miles combined. 10 miles west of Troy on NC 24/27. Longtime trail network underwent a facelift in 2011, to rave reviews. Wood Run is 11 miles of easy, aerobic fire road, Supertree is 5 miles of easy to moderate singletrack, Keyauwee is 6 miles of more challenging singletrack. Details here and here.

Mountains

12. Bent Creek Experimental Forest, Asheville. 24 miles. A big trail network of singletrack and double track on its own, it connects with other trails in the region to create some true epic rides. Proximity to Asheville makes it especially popular. Details here or call 828-667-5261.

13. Davidson River area of Pisgah National Forest, Brevard. 100+ miles. Davidson River campground makes a great base camp for exploring this vast network of trail, the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education and Fish Hatchery is where several of the top trails depart. Some trails are only open to mountain biking from mid-October into spring. Details here.

14. DuPont Forest, between Hendersonville and Brevard. About 100 miles of all kinds of trail, from challenging double track to challenging singletrack to slickrock. Great scenery, with lots of waterfalls. Details here.

15. Kitsuma, Old Fort. 10 miles. The climb up 14 switchbacks is a grind, but the payoff is four miles of fast, rolling mostly downhill that make Kitsuma a Pisgah classic. Details here.

16. Mills River area of the Pisgah National Forest, Mills River. 82 miles. Adjoining the Davidson River area, this is another classic Pisgah collection. Most notable are the Fletcher Creek and Laurel Mountain trails. Details here.

17. Tsali Recreation Area, NC 28 at FS 1286, Bryson City area. 40 miles. Fee. Long noted for its great flow and mileage,  Tsali consists of four big loops. Mountain bikers, hikers and equestrians share the trails, with useage split up by day of the week. Details here.

More info: MTB WNC, Pisgah Area SORBA, Singletracks.com.

Coast

18. Bicycle Post, Short Bridge Road near Kings Crossing Road, Greenville. 10 miles. ($2 fee for non EC Velo Club members). Lots of trail on a small parcel of private land (hence the fee) and a remarkable — this is the coastal plain, after all — 500 feet of vertical climbing throughout. Details here or call (252) 756-3301.

19. Blue Cay,  3950 Juvenile Center Road, Castle Hayne (Wilmington area). 7 miles. Great example of a great bandit trail network evolving into a great legal network. More technical challenge than you might expect at the coast. Details here.

Other trails of note: Stoney Creek Trail, Jacksonville; Brunswick Nature Park, Wilmington area.

More info: Singletracks, com, Sir Bikes-a-lot, Cape Fear SORBA (Southeastern Off Road Bicycle Association), Down East Cyclists.

The post Top places to mountain bike in North Carolina appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Summer is in its waning days, the temperature is having trouble getting much past 80 during the day and is slipping below 60 at night. The air is dry, the sky clear, the bugs are being kept at bay.

It’s fall hiking season. But where to hike?

If you live in one of seven major North Carolina cities, GetGoingNC has solved your dilemma. Actually, GetGoingNC and Great Outdoor Provision Co. have joined forces to solve your dilemma.

Today, we launch a joint effort intended to help you find places to get out and play in all sorts of ways. Because it is the start of the fall hiking season, we’re starting with hiking. GetGoingNC has identified five great hikes in or near each of Great Outdoor Provision Co.’s seven markets: Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Greensboro, Greenville, Raleigh, Wilmington and Winston-Salem. We’ve written up descriptions of each location and provided all the information you need — location, directions, route details and more — to plan and execute your hike.

You can find the hikes in one of two ways. One, since you’re already here at GetGoingNC.com, go to the bar on the left side of the home page and click “Hiking.” A drop-down menu will appear showing you the seven markets. Click on the market of your choice and you’ll be given quick descriptions of each hike. Click on a hike you’re interested in and you’ll be whisked over to the Great Outdoor Provision Co. Web site where the

descriptions will live. Your other option: go directly to the GOPC site. (Our collaboration is part of a larger group effort involving the new Roots Rated Web site, which I wrote about last week.)

We’re starting with hiking. By the end of this month we’ll be adding five flat water paddling destinations for each market. In October, we’ll add trail running and climbing, and in November whitewater paddling and fishing. More may follow.

The locations selected reflect a joint effort by GetGoingNC and Great Outdoor Provision. I come up with a preliminary list of locations, I then send that list to GOPC, which submits the recommendations to the appropriate market. There, it’s gone over by the local GOPC staff. Something to know about the people who work at Great Outdoor Provision: they aren’t exactly in it for the money. Rather, they have a passion for the outdoors and a resulting knowledge that they are only too glad to share. They get out a lot and they

know their terrain better than anyone. You’re getting recommendations from the people who know the most about their locale and the best places to be outside.

So, check out our list, pencil one of our hikes in for the weekend.

Fall is in the air. Take advantage with a hike.

* * *

Like us on Facebook and get health, fitness and outdoors news throughout the day.

GetGoingNC.com

Promote Your Page Too

The post A new guide to where to hike in and near 7 North Carolina cities appeared first on GetGoing NC!.