Eno River Assocation Archives - GetGoing NC!

GetOut! Check out spring now (and a month ago)

JoeMiller — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 17:07:21 +0000

One of the reasons we like to do a GetBackpacking! trip to the Shining Rock area in April is because we get to revisit spring. Traditionally, we begin at the Shining Rock Creek/Big East Fork Trailhead off US 276, at an elevation of about 3,100 feet. Here, spring is well underway, with mid-spring wildflowers in bloom, the trees essentially leafed out. But as we climb, as we gain more than 2,400 vertical feet on a 4.3-mile climb up to Shining Rock Gap, time begins to reverse itself. Trees just beginning to sprout leaves, wildflowers of the early season sort. By the time we reach the top, the trees are winter-bare, first-responder bluets dominate the wildflower scene. A visit to Shining Rock is like going back in time.

Same thing the annual Profile Trail Wildflower hikes at Grandfather Mountain, which kick off this weekend. For us flatlanders it’s the spring wildflower season all over again. And while the 3-hour hike is listed as covering 3 miles, you needn’t hike that far before you start seeing some spring sensations beneath the barren canopy along the Watauga River. If you miss this Saturday’s hike, there will be more. Learn more here.

If you’ve been keeping up with spring and wonder what’s next, then check out Sunday afternoon’s weekly Spring Wildflower Hike along the Eno, with the Eno River Association. This week’s hike is at Eno River State Park’s Fews Ford Access, starting from the Piper Cox House and heading out the Buckquarter Creek Trail. This hike will cover about a mile and will check out the wildflowers displays in a variety of habitats, including field, forest and river floodplain. Learn more and sign up here.

Most of the hikes offered through N.C. State Parks have an educational focus, cover short distances, and go at a snail’s pace. But sometimes you just feel like pulling out the stops and giving those Vasques some vroom. If you’re of such a mind this Saturday, check out The Triangle Land Conservancy’s weekly Speed Hike, at Johnston Mill Nature Preserve. A 3-mile hike at a 20-minute-per-mile pace — allow 1 hour for this hike. Learn more and sign up here.

Weatherwise, we’re looking at a cool Saturday (highs in the 60s) and a warmer Sunday, with a high topping 80 and a chance of thunderstorms, mostly in the afternoon.

Spring won’t be here forever. Take that as added incentive this weekend to GetOut!

And enjoy!

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Five spring wildflower hikes

JoeMiller — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 15:44:06 +0000

In the last two weeks, the forest floor has, finally, come alive with splashes of color: carpets of delicate white spring beauties, patches of starburst white chickweed, bursts of purple periwinkle, flashes of yellow green-and-gold.
The spring show is in its prime, but it won’t last forever. Here are five spots where you’re likely to find the season in full flower for at least the next couple of weeks (longer in the high country).

Common aster (photo courtesy North Carolina State Parks)

1. Raven Rock State Park
Lillington
We’ll defer to the park’s website on this one: “One of the best reasons to visit Raven Rock is the exceptional beauty of its wildflowers. A variety of species reveal magnificent blossoms in early spring. Look over patches of Dutchman’s breeches, bloodroot, saxifrage and trailing arbutus. Gaze down paths lined with Solomon’s seal, bellwort and spring beauty, or let your eyes wander through a haze of greens and yellows as leaves break their winter dormancy and begin to color the forest.”
Best bets: Campbell Creek and Little Creek trails.
More info here.

Dutchman’s breeches

2. Eno River
Durham and Orange counties
So prolific are the wildflowers along the Eno River that the Eno River Association annually devotes a weekly series of hikes to them, each hike targeted to the area where blooms are most likely to be occurring. (This week’s destination: the Riverwalk area of downtown Hillsborough.) The hepatica and trout lily have passed, but you can still catch Dutchman’s breeches and yellow lady slippers this month, and rhododendron and mountain laurel in May, among others.
Best Bets: Consult the Eno River Association Spring Hike Series (below) for current blooms.
More info here.

Turk’s cap

3. Grandfather Mountain State Park
Linville
It’s no surprise that one of the most diverse biopspheres in the world would have a wide array of wildflowers. Massive Grandfather Mountain is conducting multiple spring wildflower hikes each week, at different locations on the mountain. A good opportunity to see wildflowers common to higher elevations and lower in one spot. Check the site listed below for an idea of where you’ll find the most flowering action.
Best Bets: Profile Trail on the mountain’s northwest flank.
More info here.

Wood anemone

4. South Mountains State Park
Connelly Springs
South Mountains is both surprisingly close to the Triad and Charlotte and, of equal surprise, a quiet place to visit. Considering the park has more than 18,400 acres (making it North Carolina’s biggest state park), that’s lots of room to roam unobstructed. Not that you need to hike into the park’s interior for spring color: the wood anemone pictured were within a mile of the main parking area. But it’s great to know you have that option.
Best Bet: Jacobs Fork Trail
More info here.

Fire-wheel blanket-flower (photo courtesy of North Carolina State Parks)

5. Jockey’s Ridge State Park
Nags Head
Think of Jockey’s Ridge and you think of sand dunes — big sand dunes, the biggest along the East Coast! But still, big mounds of sand — not festive flowers. But Jockey’s Ridge isn’t entirely about sand; in fact, the barrier island preserve is ideal for spotting a range of coastal wildflowers, from the yellows of dune camphorweed and smooth bur-marigold to the fire-wheel blanket-flower and trumpet honeysuckle.
Best Bet: Soundside Nature Trail
More info here.

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This weekend: Cold stroke of fun

JoeMiller — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 16:01:21 +0000

Photo courtesy whatsonwilmington.com

We’ve got hikes in the Piedmont (along the Eno River) and in the mountains (up Little Pisgah Mountain), and a hike, of sorts (walking on water counts, right?) at the coast.

Coast

The Cold Stroke Classic is on our “Pushing-The-Limits-But-Certainly-Doable” lifetime achievement list. Now in its sixth year, Cold Stroke lets amateurs and more competitive types compete in standup paddleboard racing, on protected waterways, at the coast, in winter. There’s a 3.5-mile course for more recreational types, a 7-mile course for the “elite.”

I’ve only been on a SUP once, but it struck me as a beginner-friendly pursuit, and one that a newcomer could conceivably enter a race for (provided, of course, you have a wetsuit, and per race regulations, a U.S. Coast Guard approved PFD). If you are of a similar belief, then check out the Logistics of participating.

Logistics: Saturday, Jan. 18, Blockade Runner Beach Resort, Wrightsville Beach. $55 for the rec category, $75 for the elite if registering online, an extra $15 and cash only if signing up on race day. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Sunny, high of 43.

Eno Quarry

Piedmont

We’re hard-pressed to think of a better way to spend a winter weekend than by taking a hike. Unless, that is, the hike includes a guide who can enlighten you about the world you’re exploring.

That’s the case with the Eno River Association’s Sunday Winter Hike Series. Every Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m., the ERA explores a different stretch of the Eno River with a hike leader who is intimately familiar with both the natural and human history of the terrain. This Sunday’s hike is at the Cabelands Access, an area rich in human and natural history.

Logistics: Sunday, Jan. 19, 2 p.m., Cabelands Access, Eno River State Park. For more info and to sign up, go here.

Saturday forecast: Sunny skies in the afternoon, high of 49.

Little Pisgah Mountain (photo courtesy Carolina Mountain Club)

Mountains

Who doesn’t want to be on this mountain top (see photo), on a similarly sunny day, on a winter weekend? Sunday is your opportunity to do just that, as the Carolina Mountain Club leads a hike up Little Pisgah Mountain (see photo), which is part of the Florence Preserve in the Hickory Nut Gorge area.

The hike is 10.5 miles and gains about 1,500 feet. The trail to the top passes through an open meadow, with the summit payoff — well, just look at the picture (see photo). And picture yourself on those rocks on Sunday, basking in the winter sun and eating a peanut-butter-and-banana sandwich.

Logistics: Sunday, Jan. 19, 9 a.m. Florence Preserve. For more information and to sign up, contact hike leaders Michael and Kathy Cornn, at 828.458.1281 or mcornn@aol.com.

Sunday forecast: Partly cloudy, high of 45.

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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.

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