Where you can’t hike

Initially, visitor centers, restrooms, camping and cabins were closed. Now, many trails are being closed as well.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The entire park, with two small exceptions, closed March 24, and will remain closed at least through April 6.

Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, which oversees the 2,193-mile trail, asks that hikers, whether they’re planning a day hike or a thru hike, avoid the AT. They explain why here. Further, the Cherokee, Nantahala, Pisgah, George Washington and Jefferson national forests have shut down AT access points in their jurisdictions.

Shenandoah National Park. The park is yielding to locally imposed restrictions; in general, it appears most of the access points are closed. Learn the latest on what is and isn’t open here.

North Carolina State Parks. Twenty-seven state parks/recreation areas/natural areas are completely closed, trails included, as of Tuesday. Find an updated list here.

Where you can hike but maybe shouldn’t

Just because a trail is open doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to hike there, especially right now. That’s because the trails most likely to be open are more remote. Trails that maybe aren’t as traveled, as well maintained, as easy to follow. In short, trails where you may be more likely to get in trouble and need help. And the last thing you want, especially right now, is to distract medical personnel from more pressing medical emergencies. That said … .

Blue Ridge Parkway. Visitor centers and restrooms are all closed, trails remain open. This could change, however, if it becomes apparent that visitors aren’t observing the 6-foot zone of comfort and/or are gathering in groups of 10 or more. Avoid trailheads that are close to more populated areas (and thus, are more likely to be crowded). If you arrive at a trailhead and it is packed with cars, move on to the next trailhead. Find a directory to the parkway’s 369 miles of trail here.

Virginia State Parks. All 38 parks remain open for day-use activities, including hiking. All other activities are closed through June 10. For the latest on Virginia State Parks, go here.

National Forests. Trails remain open, though trailhead facilities are closed, making access in many spots tricky. One of the reasons we love hiking our national forests is that the trails are generally less developed and present more of a challenge. Exactly the reason you might want to avoid them now (see “distract medical personnel,” above). Keep tabs on the status of our North Carolina national forests here, Virginia’s national forests here.

Where you should hike

Getting out and hiking is good for you in oh-so-many ways, from lowering your blood pressure to keeping you sane (both especially important right now). So while the COVID-19 pandemic may be shrinking your options, you do still have a viable option: your own neighborhood. North Carolina’s statewide Shelter in Place rule, as is the case with many such rules nationwide, allows for getting out to exercise. A few quick thoughts on that front:

Stay close to home. As the Outdoor Alliance notes, the most responsible way to do so is by staying close to home. The farther you travel, the more potential you have to spread illness, by having to stop for gas, to eat, to use the restroom. 

Observe the basics of social distancing. Keep a safe distance from others: the general rule of thumb is 6 feet, we suggest 10.

Focus on local parks and trails. If you’re not familiar with your neighborhood, we recommend calling up Google Maps and drilling down to your neighborhood. Use the measuring tool (the ruler) to help determine your walking comfort zone: that is, how far you feel comfortable walking. Establish your zone, then see what lies within it. Look for green splotches (possibly parks), green dotted lines (natural surface hiking trails) and solid green lines (paved multi-use trails, such as greenways). 

We’ll be back Friday with more thoughts on exploring your neighborhood.

The post Where you can’t, can but shouldn’t, and should hike appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

This weekend we enter the age of outdoor empowerment. It’s either that, or continuing to stay on your couch and watch movies that once may have been classic but now … . Suffice it to say that tastes change.

You need to empower yourself because if you’ve been relying on programs organized by others — guided hikes, nature programs, camping trips — to get out, those programs are all but suspended (more on the “all but” in a moment). So today, instead of providing a rundown of such events, we provide you with some resources to help you plan your own adventures this weekend;

Finding a trail. You’ve gone to Grandma’s house a hundred times, but someone else always drives: you don’t pay attention along the way and have no idea where Granny actually lives. Same with  group hikes: You plug the trailhead into your GPS device, arrive, then blindly follow the hike leader. What you need is a curated guide to hiking in your area. A guide that may not include every hike, but does include the ones especially worthy of your time. We’ve compiled such a guide, of more than 100 hikes, for our friends at Great Outdoor Provision Co. It’s divided by geographic region, making it easier to find a hike near you. Find the guide here.

Becoming a hiker. You look around, everything’s closed — except trails. You’ve never been a hiker, but suddenly it seems like a great idea. Over the past decade, we’ve helped a whole lot of people take their first step down the trail. That experience, of learning what new hikers need, helped us to create our fifth book, the just-released “Let’s GetHiking! A Quick and Comprehensive Guide for the Aspiring Hiker.” Learn more and order a copy here.

Finding more advanced trails. We’re working on a guide to some of our favorite hiking venues — places with multiple trail options and base camp opportunities. We hope to have it available the middle of next week. Until then, some options:

• HikingUpward.com. Covers North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland. Includes a map, overview and mileages.
• HikingProject.com. REI’s crowd-sourced site includes trail maps, an overview and reviews.
• AllTrails,com.  The free version includes a map, trail description, elevation profile and reviews; pony up for the pay version and you get such extras ad gps tracks and maps downloaded able to your phone with gps tracking.

Confirming trails are open. As of this post, the morning of Friday, March 20, trails are open. But that could change. Before heading out, check ahead to make sure your trail of interest is open. Some sources to turn to find out the status of your favorite hiking destinations:

• Blue Ridge Parkway
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• North Carolina State Parks (Croatan, Uwharrie, Pisgah, Nantahala)
• Shenandoah National Park
• Virginia National Forests (George Washington and Jefferson)
• Virginia State Parks

Small Batch Hiking

We mentioned above that guided hikes have “all but” been canceled. Our GetHiking! program is experimenting with Small Batch Hiking, or 10-10s: 10 hikers max hiking no closer than 10 feet apart. We held our first Small Batch Hike Thursday at Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area (see the video) and our hikers did an awesome job of keeping their distance and complying. And we still had a great time. Our next Small Batch Hike is Saturday morning. That hike is currently full, but as long as our hikers comply with the 10-10 rule, we will continue to hike. 

Keep an eye out for more GetHiking! Small Batch Hikes here.

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