Astronomically, fall doesn’t start until Sept. 22 at 2:19 p.m. EST.  Culturally, most of us associate the handoff of summer to fall with Labor Day weekend (this weekend). This year, however, it feels like fall is already well underway: for the past week or so morning temperatures here on the North Carolina/Virginia line have been in the low 50s, daytime highs in the upper 70s. If that doesn’t scream call in sick and grab your pack, I don’t know what does.

One other thing that screams fall?

Crowded trails.

Fall weather brings out the fair weather hikers. That is, everyone who hikes once or twice a year will be hiking come fall.

What’s a solace-seeking hiker to do?

Avoid the trails most traveled in favor of the spots that are just as nice, but not as well known. Here are 5 of our favorites.

Doughton Park: Long Bottom Road Access

Laurel Springs

Grassy Gap/Basin Creek trails

Trail: 9.8 miles (round trip)

Talk about being loved to death! The Blue Ridge Parkway must be the Southeast’s most sought-after date come autumn and the fall color show. Fortunately, Doughton Park has 30 miles of trail, including a 4.8-mile stretch that runs from the base of the escarpment up Basin Creek to the Caudill Cabin. The Grassy Gap portion is relatively flat, making for a nice warmup; Basin Creek adds elevation, but along a rocky, tumbling creek, the beauty of which is more likely to take your breath away than the hike itself.

Learn more here.

Jones Lake State Park

Elizabethtown

Bay Trail

Trail: 4 miles

Keep this one tucked in your back pocket for that first fall day when the temperature isn’t likely to get out of the 50s and there isn’t a cloud in the sky. On such days, the popular state parks will have to close before they open; you, on the other hand, will be enjoying a brisk walk around Jones Lake on a trail that goes through pine savannah and dense coastal woods as it circles this rare Carolina bay. Total elevation gain? Maybe 2 feet.

Learn more here.

Medoc Mountain State Park

Hollister

Trail: 10 miles of hiking trail, another 20 miles of multi-use

Despite the fact it’s just an hour and a half drive from the Triangle, Medoc Mountain continues to fly under the local hiking radar. Why? Beats us. The 10 miles of hiking trail offer a mix of hiking along a Piedmont stream, summiting 300-foot Medoc Mountain, exploring the first vineyard in the country (or what’s left of it). Plus, if you don’t mind sharing, another 20 miles of equestrian and mountain biking trail will give you the long aerobic workout you seek on a 60-degree day. Scenery and solitude, rarely found in the same place but you’ll find it here.

Learn more here.

Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Falls Lake Day-hike Section T

Red Mill Road in northern Durham County

Trail: 4.2 miles (one way)

There’s something oddly enchanting about this stretch of the MST. Heading west from Red Mill Road, the trail makes its way for a couple miles through bottomland forest, influenced by the nearby Eno River but far enough way that you don’t know it’s there. Then, the trail climbs a bluff overlooking the Eno. It’s not particularly high — maybe 70 feet above the river — but it’s just enough that in the winter, the canopy bare, you have a long view to the north (you can see the Eno below). One of the more quiet stretches of the MST through the Triangle.

Learn more here.

Shallow Ford Natural Area

Elon

Trail: 5 miles in four loops

With four loop trails, you can go short or long at Shallow Ford Natural Area. Got some non-hikers in tow and need to keep it short? The 3/4-mile Basin Creek Trail gives you a nice introduction to the preserve’s bottomland forest. Tack on the 2.2-mile Hidden Hill Trail and you’ll explore meadows and upland hardwoods. Another 2.2-mile option: the Homestead Trail, which takes you along a particularly rocky and impressive stretch of the Haw River. Hike it following a good rain and you’ll develop a keen appreciation for this river that once supported a vast textile mill industry.

Learn more here.

The post 5 Hikes that avoid fall crowds appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

For the past few years, since turning 60, whenever I’ve finished a favorite challenging hike, I’ve wondered: Will I hike this trail again?

In part, that’s because there’s a limited amount of time in life and a growing number of trails. We like hiking our favorites, we like hiking new trails. And since the pandemic, more trails coming on line. Decisions, decisions.

But there’s another factor. I’ve come to the slow-dawning realization that I while I’ll mylikely be able to hike another 20 years, I may not always be able to hike 15 miles in a day. Or 10. Or 7 or 8. 

That’s why when I had a day off recently and a forecast favorable for a long day on the trail — high temperature of 50, cloudless skies — I knew what I had to do. And I knew where I wanted to do it.

When I started GetHiking! more than a decade ago, the first long mountain hike we did was at Doughton Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Doughton offers the best hiking along Parkway: 30 miles of trail consisting of the most challenge hiking near Charlotte, the Triad, the Triangle. Four trails — Cedar Ridge, Bluff Ridge, Grassy Gap Fire Road and Flat Rock Ridge — climb the Blue Ridge escarpment, where they all connect with the 7.5-mile Bluff Mountain Trail (also the Mountains-to-Sea Trail). You can put together three long loops, ranging up to 17 miles. That first year we did the longest (up Cedar Ridge, across Bluff Mountain, down Flat Rock); a couple weeks back, because of time and available sunlight (not an area you want to hike after dark), I chose the Cedar Ridge/Bluff Mountain/Bluff Ridge route, about 15 miles. 

This hike is best done starting from the little-used Longbottom Road Access at the base of the escarpment. The reason: you get 80 percent of the climbing out of the way on the hike up. This is good for the obvious reason: who doesn’t like finishing a long day hiking downhill? It’s good, too, because if you overestimate your fitness and the climb is winning, you simply reverse course and head back down. I’d know within an hour if I had a 15-mile mountain hike in me.

Why?

Because the first mile and a quarter of Cedar Ridge is the worst; it’s not until the 2.2-mile mark that you encounter level ground, even a short descent. You still trend uphill for another two miles, but it’s not nearly as taxing. By the time you hit the Bluff Mountain Trail at mile 4.3, the bulk of your climb is over. For the day.

As I walked, I recalled my previous hikes on the trail. On that first GetHiking! hike, when I would have been 55, I don’t recall being overly tired after our 17-mile day. That’s in large part because when you’re leading a group you can’t feel overly tired: your charges get wind that you’re flagging and suddenly they’re really tired, too. I remember being especially invigorated on the long, mellow downhill on Flat Rock Ridge back to the trailhead. Same with a corporate group I took that returned down Grassy Gap Trail (we encountered a dusting of snow on that winter hike). I remember the first time taking the shorter, steeper Ridge Mountain Primitive Trail and seeing a momma bear and her two cubs, I remember scouting the trail for book projects  twice. The last time, in 2021, we base camped at the Basin Cove primitive camp, then spent a very cold and windy November Saturday on the trail, returning at dusk. Brief flashes of previous adventures suggested at least three other times doing a Doughton loop.

They were all good memories, and I’m sure that contributed to the fact it wasn’t until mile 13.5, coming off the Bluff Ridge Trail, that it occurred to me I was on the verge of being tired. Before hiking the last mile and a half on gently trending downhill, I took off my hiking shoes and stuck my feet in a very nippy Basin Creek. 

As my feet slowly went numb I realized I was as happy on the trail as I’ve been in a while. I recounted particularly memorable parts of the hike — drawing water from the Brinegar spring, the views from the open meadows near Bluff Mountain, the sun, the fact I only saw one other hiker — and smiled. 

I can’t wait to do this hike again, I thought.

And I’m pretty sure I will.

* * *

Forever hikes

Here’s the skinny on my top 5 Forever Hikes.

Doughton Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, Sparta

30 miles of trail, 3 long loops

The trail in today’s tale. 

Learn more here.

Standing Indian Recreation Area, Nantahala National Forest, Franklin

40 miles of trail, various loops involving the Appalachian Trail

As the AT enters Standing Indian, it traces a horseshoe-shaped ridge; about a dozen trails snaking up from the Standing Indian Recreation Area over a variety of loop options. Note: Three weeks after doing Doughton Park, I lead a two-day, one-night backpack trip on a favorite loop, starting from the backcountry trailhead: Long Branch Trail to the AT to Lower Trail Ridge Way, for 24 miles. 

Learn more here.

Appalachian Trail: Carver’s Gap to US 19E, Roan Mountain, Tenn.

13.7 miles

I’ve only done this as a day hike twice — largely because it’s such a stunningly gorgeous hike that you don’t want to rush it. We usually do it as a two-nighter, staying Night 1 at the Overmountain Victory Trail crossing and Night 2 at Doll Flats.

Learn more here.

Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake, Durham/Raleigh

16.4 miles: Penny’s Bend to Cheek Road (Day-Hike sections P,Q,R,S,T)

The MST spends 60 of its 1,175 miles along Falls Lake’s south shore, and all it makes for good hiking. We like this leg-stretcher because it’s among the more remote stretches of MST through the Triangle — and it’s probably the latest stretch!

Learn more here.

Weetock Trail, Croatan National Forest, Cape Carteret

11 miles

I love off-trail hiking, which is why I love this trail. The first 7 or so miles are fairly easy, over mostly flat coastal forest terrain with the occasional gully dip. The last 5 miles or so is an exercise in wayfinding, thanks to a hurricane a few years back that turned the trail into an obstacle course, an especially fun one.

Learn more here. 

The post Racing the clock on Forever Hikes appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

The essay that tipped my decision was the Introduction, in which writer Ross Gay recounted some of his favorite trees, from “the chokecherry tree in Verndale, Minnesota, where my grandpa parked his hospital-green ’68 Chevy pickup,” to “the beech tree in Vermont I met on a night hike two summers back.” That night hike tree reminded me of the imposing white oak that once appeared out of nowhere on a favorite night hike of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. And that got me to thinking about some of my other favorite trees.

Cottonwood along Cherry Creek on the outskirts of Denver. Although I was just 7 or 8, this sprawling giant struck me first for its grandeur, then for its escape. Cottonwoods typically grow along water in the arid West; this one was along Cherry Creek as, at the time, it made its way northwest into Denver (the tree was later annexed and is now in Denver). It was no more than a half-mile from our house, yet it was an eternity away. It’s grandeur was heightened by the treehouse 10 feet up in its lowest branches: forbidden fruit for a chubby and fearful prepubescent. Eventually, though, I overcame the fear, if not the weight, to become a regular visitor. Initially, I was lured by the sweeping views from 10 feet up; soon, though, I discovered the real reason the treehouse was so popular: the stash of Playboys purloined by one Curt Bowen from his father’s collection.

White Oak atop Medoc Mountain. Typically, we associated summits with views. In the case of Medoc Mountain State Park, topping out on the 300-foot peak where the rolling Piedmont meets the flat coastal plain means an audience with a stately white oak. Part of its impressiveness is the surprise that a grand oak stands amid slowly maturing hardwoods. Age — losing a limb here and there — has diminished the oak’s presence. But to us old-timers in particular its sight still signifies the accomplishment of bagging the highest peak in Halifax County. 

The long-gone loblolly at Umsteadl. I must have hiked the Company Mill Trail at Umstead State Park 50 times between 1992 and 1996, yet every time the appearance of an abnormally large loblolly in a ravine about 5 miles in took me by surprise. Loblollies are revered by timber-types for their sprint to maturity, typically going from sampling to sawmill in about 40 years. I have no idea how old this one was, but its girth and height (I couldn’t even see where it topped out) were roughly twice that of its contemporaries. The last time I saw it was on September 3, 1996, two days before Hurricane Fran hit. I wanted to witness the before-and-after effect of a hurricane; it was substantial. It would be 9 months before that part of the park would reopen. When it did, I discovered that mighty loblolly, and most of its neighbors, were kindling.

The pin oak out back. A tree needn’t be a looker to hold a special place. I’m reminded of this every time I walk out the back door and see the giant pin oak standing guard over our backyard. A lone branch hangs too low, the next one up is dead and needs to come down. Smaller dead offshoots are scattered throughout. This tree has likely been here since the house was built nearly a century ago, and I can’t help but think it’s played a role in the structure’s survival. It blocks a brutal late day sun in the summer, serves as a windbreak from storms blowing in from the west, and likely protects us in ways unseen. And it does so without complaint, about the ivy growing up its trunk or the mass of brush crowding its base. The tree deserves more than just admiration; it deserves an arborist.

Doughton Park’s lone tree. The first time I saw Doughton Park’s lone tree I wasn’t sure what I was seeing. It was a good half mile off, lonesome atop the crest of a mountain meadow. A hiker — albeit a really big one? A camel (ditto)? A tree simply didn’t register. What kind of tree grows on its own in an otherwise well-forested part of the country? And why? I still don’t know, for the allure of this tree is from a distance. And even though you eventually pass this tree — the Mountains-to-Sea Trail runs within 20 feet — by the time you get there you’re distracted by another of Doughton’s beauties: more meadows, the endless sky, the isolated rock outcrops. Maybe next time I’ll remember to slow down and take the time to get to know this loaner. Or at least get its name.

The post These are a few of my favorite trees appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Some of us don’t mind hiking in the heat. Switch to cotton, freeze your water bottle overnight, use your trekking poles as spider web vanquishers … . Sure, you work up a nice glow. But you’re on the trail, and really, it’s not unbearable.

We recognize, though, that not everyone is inclined to keep on hikin’ between Memorial Day and Labor Day. We also recognize that along about the Fourth of July weekend, the aforementioned cool-weather hikers are starting to undergo withdrawal. They get out their phone and stare longingly at those photos from the beginning of the year, when you were bundled in fleece. Ah, the good cold days.

We can’t magically make it cold. But we can direct you to some hikes where it feels less like summer. In some cases, a lot less. As a rough rule of thumb, the temperature drops about 3.5 degrees for every 1,000 feet of elevation. So if it’s 90 in Raleigh (elevation 315 feet), it’s in the upper 60s atop Mount Mitchell (elevation 6,684 feet).

Lesson one: hike higher, hike cooler.

Lesson two: you needn’t go as high, provided you’re hiking near cool waters. Waterfalls, pools on mountain creeks, that sort of thing.

With those two guiding points in mind, we offer 5 high country spots where fair weather hikers can stretch their legs without working up a drenching sweat. You might even want to take along a fleece.

Learn more about those hikes, here. Or, consult the entries listed in either our “Backpacking North Carolina” or “100 Classsic Hikes in North Carolina.”

1. Shuckstack/Lost Cove/Lakeshore Loop

11.6 miles

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Fontana Village

Part of what makes this hike feel cool is that you start at the Fontana dam and climb immediately, gaining 2,280 feet in 3.5 miles. Yes, as you might suspect, you work up a good glow. But once you top out at Sassafras Gap, that glow becomes your cooling agent as you descend Lost Cove Trail through dense woods, then return via the Lakeshore Trail along the cooling waters of Fontana Lake. Unrelated note: I’ve seen both black bear (not uncommon in the Smokies) and wild boar (less common) on this hike.

For details: Trip No. 21 “Backpacking North Carolina”.

2. Hunt-Fish Falls/Gragg Prong Loop

7.3 miles

Wilson Creek area, Pisgah National Forest, Mortimer

Wilson Creek proper gets more crowded than a water park on a summer weekend due to the proximity of parking (if you can find it) to the water. But venture deeper into the Wilderness Study Area and you’ll find better water and fewer people. You’ll just need to invest a little sweat equity. Here’s what you do: hike the Hunt-Fish Falls Trail down to the Lost Cove Trail and go right. You’ll cross the creek, then keep an eye out for the Timber Ridge Trail on your left. Take it uphill (you’re investing in that sweat equity at this point), then go right on the Lost Cove Trail (it loops back around). Take it to Gragg Prong, hike downstream for less than a mile and you’ll have your choice of choice mountain pools to swim in. Related note: If you see a snake in the water, it is likely a harmless northern banded water snake; it is not a cottonmouth, which doesn’t live within a couple hundred miles. 

For details: Trip No. 8, Backpacking North Carolina.”

3. Basin Creek Trail

12 miles

Doughton Park, Longbottom Road access, Roaring Gap

The mile-and-a-half approach from Longbottom Road to Grassy Gap along Grassy Gap Creek is flat, a good opportunity to warm up the legs. There, pick up the Basin Creek Trail, which climbs in bursts along its frisky namesake creek (a creek that flooded in 1918wiping out the entire Basin Cove Community). Multiple crossings help you keep your cool; several pools along the way allow for a more immersive cooling event. Your carrot: the trail terminates at the Caudill Cabin, which survived the 1918 flood and was home to a family of 13. Stunning note: The Caudill Cabin is one room.

For details: Trip No. 11, “Backpacking North Carolina.”

4. Black Mountain Crest Trail

2-12 miles

Mount Mitchell State Park, Burnsville

This is cool hiking, guaranteed. With much of this hike above 6,000 feet (reaching 6,684 feet), you’re looking at temperatures in the 60s on a 90-degree Piedmont day. From the main parking area, make the short-but-obligatory summit, via pavement, to Mount Mitchell, then head north across the main parking lot on the Crest Trail to Mount Craig. Craig is only a mile out, but it’s a challenging mile and there’s no shame in topping out and proclaiming, “I’m good, heading back.” Big Tom, though, is just a short distance beyond, and that would give you your third 6,000-foot peak for the day. Balsam Cone, Cattail Peak and Potato Hill lie beyond, before the drop into Deep Gap at just over 6 miles. Warning note: Remember, this is an out-and-back; making it to Deep Gap with zero energy for the return is does not constitute a successful hike.

For details: Hike No. 65, “100 Classic Hikes in North Carolina.”

5. Pink Beds

5 miles

Pisgah National Forest near Brevard 

Look at a topo map of the Blue Ridge Escarpment north of Brevard and you’ll wonder, “What happened there?” Amidst a sea of tight, brown topographic lines is a sea of nearly unblemished green, a flat ledge on the escarpment known as Pink Beds. It’s a rare Appalachian bog through which the South Fork of Mills River runs, occasionally stopping to collect itself in a series of small ponds. A 5-mile trail circumnavigates Pink Beds, the wetter spots navigated via boardwalk. There’s the occasional meadow, some dense woods, precious little climbing. At just below 4,000 feet there may be cooler mountain climbs, but none as flat. Geographic note: Pink Beds got its name after early settlers cleared the land for farming, exposing an abundance of pink wildflowers. 

For details: Hike No. 80, “100 Classic Hikes in North Carolina.”

The post DEFEAT THE HEAT WITH THESE 5 N.C. MOUNTAIN HIKES appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Thing is, not all mountain hikes require driving high into the mountains to reach. Below are five of our favorite winter mountain hikes that offer the thrill of a winter in the mountains minus the angst of driving there.

Doughton Park

Roaring Gap

Think of Doughton Park and its 30 miles of hiking trail and you think of the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is often closed by ice for long stretches in winter. Not if you enter from the Longbottom Road access, which sits more than 1,800 feet below the summit. From the trailhead you can pickup three trails to the park’s mountaintop meadow: Cedar Ridge (our pick), Grassy Gap Road and Flat Rock Ridge. Using those trails plus the Mountains-to-Sea Trail/Bluff Mountain Trail at the top, you can create loop hikes of up to 18 miles. And because you’re hiking up the Blue Ridge escarpment’s steep northern and eastern exposure, snow tends to stick around a bit.

More info here

Mount Mitchell Trail

Burnsville

Not even the highest peak east of the Black Hills is immune to a winter assault. Although Mount Mitchell State Park, named for 6,684-foot Mount Mitchell, is frequently closed because it’s accessible via the Blue Ridge Parkway, the 5.5-mile Mount Mitchell Trail remains open to the hardiest — and best prepared — of explorers. The trailhead off the Toe River is below 3,000 feet, meaning it can be dry and pleasant at the base, as wintry as it gets 3,700 feet up on the summit. The first 3 miles or so of this trail are surprisingly mellow, a climb to be sure but eased by switchbacks. Then, it hits some troughs that are not only steep but can fill with ice. Be exceptionally cautious and well prepared for this hike.

More info here

Linville Gorge, Shortoff Mountain

Nebo/Lake James

From the well-known gorge’s West Rim, the trails all descend into the gorge, offering little in the way of views (not to mention that access via the “Kistler Memorial Highway,” a gravel pothole-fest is sketchy in the best of weather). The main access on the East Rim is Tablerock Mountain, which closes in winter. That leaves the 2-mile hike up to Shortoff Mountain on the East Rim’s south side as your best option. Note: this is not a 2-mile cakewalk: it’s steep in spots and gets rutted. But it’s southern exposure keeps it mostly clear of snow and ice, and the reward — another couple miles of hiking along Shortoff’s rocky, pine-pocked plateau is well worth the effort.

Learn more here

Rich Mountain Loop

Hot Springs

What could be better than beginning and ending a hike in Hot Springs, elevation 1,500 feet? The first 8 miles, on the Appalachian Trail, is a steady climb, and includes an awesome view of the French Broad River and the town of Hot Springs (see photo). Continue climbing through a mature hardwood forest and mountain clearings. Pass Tanyard Gap and continue to the spur to the fire tower atop 3,700-foot Rich Mountain for more great views on a clear day. There’s a slight retreat on the AT before picking up Roundtrip Ridge Trail for the mellow hike back to town. Twice on this hike we’ve encountered a well-defined snow line at about 2,500 feet. 12.3 miles roundtrip.

Learn more here.

Art Loeb Trail: North End to Shining Rock Ledge

Canton

Consider this a backdoor entrance into the Shining Rock Wilderness in winter. Most of us are used to entering Shining Rock via the Black Balsam access off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Alas, this is the highest run of the parkway, generally above 5,000 feet in elevation, and it’s closed by snow and ice much of the winter. Enter via the north entrance, at the Daniel Boone Boy Scout Camp and the low elevation road is generally clear. You begin to make up elevation quickly once on the trail, gaining nearly 2,000 vertical feet in the first 3.5 miles up to Deep Gap — and nearly 1,000 more vertical feet if you continue the mile or so to the summit of 5,968-foot Cold Mountain. At Deep Gap, you also have the option of hiking south of the Art Loeb Trail along the Shining Rock Ledge (it’s 2.5 miles along the Ledge to Shining Rock).

Learn more here.

The post 5 Mountain Hikes Accessible in Winter appeared first on GetGoing NC!.