That transition underscored how quickly fall color comes and goes. Meaning there’s no time to tarry: get out this weekend and enjoy the show. Incentive, too, is the fact that daytime temperatures throughout the Piedmont are forecast to offer something for everyone: Saturday, in the Triangle area, don your shorts and t-shirts and enjoy temperatures in the upper 70s under mostly sunny skies; Sunday, get out the fleece and hike in temperatures ranging from the 40s to upper 50s, also under mostly clear skies.

Where to hike? We offer 5 Piedmont favorites:

1. Triangle: Mountains-to-Sea Trail/Falls Lake Trail, 60 miles. Is there a better way to check out fall than on a 60-mile-long hiking trail that hugs a shoreline most of the way?  From the Penny’s Bend Nature Preserve in Durham County to the Falls Lake dam in Wake County it’s possible to hike non-stop on the Moutains-to-Sea Trail. If that’s more than you have time for this weekend, worry not: the trail is broken down into 24 day-hikeable sections ranging from less than a mile to nearly 7 miles in length. The Falls Lake MST ducks in and out of coves along the lake, briefly brushing backyards in spots, and escaping civilization entirely in others. Learn more about the trail here.

2. Charlotte/Triad: Sugarloaf and Morrow Mountain Trails, Morrow Mountain State Park, 5.4 miles. This 5.4-mile hike bags two peaks at Morrow Mountain State Park. And yes, I say “bags two peaks” without reservation. Both the climb up 843-foot Sugarloaf and 906-foot Morrow Mountain are legitimate climbs. The first climb gains more than 350 feet in a relatively short distance, the second even more. And while the views are minimal from Sugarloaf, you’ll have numerous Kodak moments from the top of Morrow Mountain. You’ll also have company: your summit celebration is tempered slightly by the fact the peak is covered by a very large parking lot. Details here.

3. Greensboro: watershed lakes, 42 miles (short hikes of as little as a mile). Triad residents have numerous good options around the three watershed lakes — Brandt, Townsend and Higgins — north of town. Forty-two miles of watershed hiking trails take you through a variety of environments. The 1.6-mile Palmetto Trail, for instance, features some interesting geology; the 3.6-mile Nat Greene Trail offers a smorgasbord of Piedmont ecology. Details here.

4. Roanoke Rapids/northeast: Medoc Mountain State Park, Discovery/Stream/Summit loops, 6 miles. You aren’t the only one in North Carolina with hiking on his/her mind come the cool, colorful days of October, which brings up the one downside to hitting the trail this month — with the exception of Medoc Mountain, which sits happily off the beaten track in Halifax County. Ten miles of trail meander through the park, which sits on the eastern fringe of the Piedmont; this recommended 6-mile trek takes you through a good portion of it, including a climb up Medoc’s 325-foot summit and a stroll through what was once the first wine operation in the country. More info here.

5. Triad: Sauratown Trail, linking Pilot Mountain with Hanging Rock north of the Triad, 35 miles. A total of 35 miles make up this trail network that was designed primarily with equestrians in mind, but the actual link between the Tories Den portion of Hanging Rock State Park and the Surry Line parking area of Pilot Mountain is 21.7 miles, making for a nice, long day hike, if you choose. The advantage to Sauratown is that it takes in some of the same scenery as Hanging Rock and Pilot Mountain (though, granted, without the aerie vistas), but with a fraction of the people. Plan your trip through the helpful Sauratown Trails Association website.

Great color, great weather — the yard work can wait. Get out and enjoy!

The post Find peak color on these Piedmont trails appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

No surprise, considering that, save for a tropical storm, the conditions have been ideal for the past month for great color: cool nights, warm days, and lots and lots of sun. 

Those conditions are paying off with brilliant bursts of lemon-yellow oaks, watermelon pastel sourwoods, and the occasional blaze-orange maples. And because the conditions started early, the color is peaking early — and will be over before you know it.

Today, we offer quick looks at 6 spots that should be at their peak this weekend, as well as eight of our favorite sources for keeping tabs on current color conditions.

1. Tanawha Trail / Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Holloway Mountain Road

Blowing Rock

Yes, the Blue Ridge Parkway, which offers the main access to the Tanawha/MST, is notorious for fall color traffic jams, but you can avoid the caravan chaos altogether by picking up the trail as it crosses Holloway Mountain Road. Just west of Price Lake, you can pick up the gravel Holloway Mountain Road off US 221 just west of Price Lake. From the trailhead, hike west, through a mix of meadows rimmed by colorful edge forest and mature hardwoods.

More info here.

2. Mayo River State Park, Deshazo Mill Access

Stoneville, NC

This little-known access offers but a mile of trail (provided you continue hiking a short distance into Virginia), but man, what a mile, especially this time of year. An impressive waterfall (pictured above) at the start feeds a mountain-like creek, which empties into the Mayo River — all of which is currently lit in luminescent yellows by a mature oak-hickory forest.

More info here.

3. Cataloochee Valley, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Waynesville, NC

The Cataloochee Valley is home to a reintroduced elk population, the remnants of the once-thriving Cataloochee community, and a great network of trails, some of which re surprisingly accessible. One of the latter is the Cataloochee Horse Trail, which threads a gap and takes you to the Little Cataloochee and Pretty Hollow Gap trails. The reason the area isn’t overrun? The road to get there is mostly gravel and skirts a cliff or two.

More info here.

4. Deep Creek Area, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Bryson City

First, steer clear of Deep Creek itself, which is easy to get to and easy to hike. Rather, hop on Lakeview Drive, which will take you to both the Noland Creek and Lakeview trailheads. Noland Creek Trail spends its first few miles slowly gaining elevation along its namesake creek, offering a range of color options; Lakeview Trail follows the color along Fontana Lake and includes passage through the popular Tunnel-to-Nowhere.

More info here.

5. Occoneechee State Park

Clarksville, VA

Located on the John H. Kerr Reservoir (a k a Buggs Island Lake), this 2,700-acre lake provides access both to good lakeside color and the emerging show of piedmont hardwoods. Most of the traffic to this park is lake related (the 48,000-acre lake is popular with boaters), meaning the trails should be relatively peaceful.

More info here.

6. Twin Lakes State Park

Green Bay, VA

As is the case at Occoneechee State Park, Twin Lakes benefits from water colors, though in this case in a significantly more intimate serving. We especially like the 1.1-mile Goodwin Lake Trail, which traces its namesake providing non-step water’s edge fall color. 

More info here.

Fall color reports

Fall color is big business (ecotourism-wise), so it’s little wonder a lot of folks track fall color — and report their latest findings on these websites:

North Carolina 

• Asheville Fall Color Report & Forecast 
• Fall Color Guy
• Bryson City
• App State Department of Biology Fall Color Map 
• Blue Ridge Mountain Life
• Romantic Asheville

Virginia

• virginia.org
• Virginia State Parks
• Virginia Department of Forestry

The post For Fall Color, This is the Weekend appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Trouble is, it doesn’t happen immediately — in fact, Summer doesn’t officially pass the torch to Fall until Sept. 23. But there are a handful of places where you can get a feel for fall hiking early on. Today, we share some of our favorites. Most make the list because they’re along water, where Fall color tends to first become evident. Some make the list because they have plenty of edge forest, where color also tends to pop early. All but one is in the piedmont — and the one that isn’t is pretty darn close. 

We use a bulleted, quick-hit format to share our findings. The less time you spend sifting through words, the more time that’s left for hiking. 

Falls Lake State Recreation Area

Durham, Wake counties

• Mountains-to-Sea Trail
• 60 miles of trail tracing the coves ducking in and out of this man-made lake.
• 14 access points, which stretches ranging from just under a mile to not quite 7 miles. Shuttles are easy to set up.
• Recommended stretch: Red Mill Road to Red Mill Road, 4.9 miles. Spends a little time on the north end along Falls Lake, spends a lot of time throughout clinging to edge forest. Very few hikers, making it and ideal hiking spot during the popular fall hiking season.

Details here

Greensboro Watershed Lakes

Greensboro

• Mountains-to-Sea Trail
• 42 miles of trail
  • Some multi-use, mostly the trail along the south shores of the lakes
• 14 access points
• Recommended: Piedmont Trail, 3 miles (one way), from near Strawberry Road, along north shore of Lake Brandt. Another generally quiet stretch of trail in fall, with constant exposure to Lake Bryant.

Details here

Lake James State Park

Nebo (Morganton)

Fonta Flora State Trail

• 30+ miles of trail
  • Some multi-use
• 3 access points
• Recommended: Fonta Flora State Trail leading east toward Morganton (it’s eventual destination to the east; to the west, it will extend to Asheville). Highlight: Right outside the park, the trail passes through the Fonta Flora Brewery!

Details here

Smith Mountain Lake State Park

Huddleston, Va

• 15 miles of trail
  • Some multi-use
• 8 access points
• 500 miles of shoreline (much of it, however, is private)
• Recommended: Striper Cove Trail, 3.1 miles, nearly all along the lake.

Details here

Lake Norman State Park

Troutman (Charlotte area)

• 38 miles of trail
  • Some multi-use
• 3 access points
• Cove hiking
• Recommended: Lake Shore Trail, 5 miles, most along coves

Details here

Moses Cone Memorial Park

Blue Ridge Parkway, Milepost 294 (near Blowing Rock)

• 25 miles of trail
• Access from the Manor House up top and Bass Lake at the base, in Blowing Rock
• Wide, smooth carriage trail paths
• Recommended: Bass Lake (bottom), Flat Top (top)

Details here

The post 6 Hikes for Early Fall Color appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

But where to go first? A tough decision: You want to hit all your favorites first. 

Alas, because you can’t be in two or more places at once, you need to plan your hikes accordingly by taking into account the best time to take each hike. You still may not be able to hit all your favorites this fall, but with smart scheduling you can hit a goodly number of them.

Here’s how we approach the fall hiking season.

September

We associate the start of fall with the Labor Day weekend, the start of school, the start of football. In fact, according to the calendar fall doesn’t officially start until Sept. 22 — even then, we can still experience temperatures topping 80 for another month. The point: take advantage of this continuing warm weather by taking two factors into consideration:

• Elevation. It will start cooling — but not yet be cold — at higher elevations in September. Take advantage of this early pleasantness by hitting the high country trails you missed in summer. Come mid-October, you’ll begin dealing with true cold above 4,000 to 5,000 feet, and by November, limited access due to snow, ice and seasonal road closings on Forest Service land. Examples: North Carolina’s Black Mountains and the Shining Rock Wilderness; the Mount Rogers area of Virginia.
• Water. If you didn’t get a chance to hike this summer on a trail with multiple stream crossings, waterfalls and pools for lollygagging, you did not have a complete summer. Air and water temps at lower mountain elevations — 3,000 feet and below — will remain warm enough through the month for a summer-like experience. Examples: Wilson Creek in North Carolina; St. Mary’s Wilderness in Virginia.

October

Four factors to keep in mind for your October hikes:

• 

  Fall color. Here’s another misconception: The start of October means immediate fall color. In fact, the fall color change typically doesn’t begin until mid to late October in the Piedmont. Even at the highest elevations, it doesn’t begin until late September. If you’ve got a hankerin’ for early fall color, put the high country on your early October list, and keep an eye on the fall color tracking websites (ExploreAsheville.com, VirginiaisforLovers.org) which track where the color is currently best (depending on temperature, cloud cover and rainfall, the emergence of color can vary wildly). Examples of early fall color: Elk Knob State Park, Mount Jefferson State Natural Area in North Carolina; Mount Pleasant National Scenic Area in Virginia.

• Crowds. Fall, especially October, is the most popular time of year to hike. Folks who otherwise balk at having to park in the outer lot at the mall suddenly channel their inner John Muir and hit the trail. The good news: they generally gravitate to trailheads that have: 1) a Visitor Center, 2) Restrooms, 3) paved parking, 4) an address to plug into their GPS device. Avoid these four traps, especially on idyllic fall weekends, and you should be fine.  Examples of off-the-beaten-path trailheads: Pilot Creek and Pinnacle Hotel Road accesses to Pilot Mountain State Park in North Carolina; Osprey Point Access, Smith Mountain Lake State Park in Virginia.
• Temperature. From the beginning of October to the end, you’ll notice significant drops in temperature. Remember to layer.
• Sunset. Likewise, the amount of afternoon sunlight you’ll have diminishes significantly during October. For example, on Oct. 1, sunset in Raleigh is at 6:59:49; on Oct. 31, the sun will set at 6:21:37. Be aware when planning late day hikes.

November

November, especially the first half, is the sweet spot of your fall hiking season. In reality, in the Piedmont fall color is near peak at this time, and the cooler temperatures — too cool for the occasional hiker — make for ideal hiking conditions. There’s a quiet that dominates the woods, and there’s just the slightest hint of the coming transition to winter. Great color, fewer people, perfect weather — now is the time to hit the more popular trails, even on weekends.

Fall is prime hiking season in the Southeast. Make the most of it by planning accordingly.

The post Fall hiking: A month-by-month approach appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Fall Wonder Hike, Saturday, 10 a.m., Morrow Mountain State Park, Albemarle. Fall color is the focus of this 1-hour hike on the 0.8-mile Mountain Loop Trail at the Scenic Vista, Morrow’s window to the Uwharrie Mountains and Piedmont below. Catch the beginning of the fall Piedmont leaf-peep show. Learn more here.

Occoneechee Mountain Geology Hike, Saturday, 2 p.m., Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, Hillsborough. The color change has commenced atop 867-foot Occoneechee, and while the focus of this hike is quartz and pyrophyllite, you can bet the sourwoods and sweet gums will be vying for attention. Learn more here.

Fall Foliage, Sunday, 3 p.m., Stone Mountain State Park, Roaring Gap. Stone Mountain, at the base of the Blue Ridge escarpment, is the vanguard of Piedmont fall color, the Paul Revere of Piedmont State Parks, shouting, “The colors are coming! The colors are coming!” Be the first to heed the call on this hike, Sunday at 3. Learn more here.

Personally,  to us it feels like a great HIY (hike it yourself) weekend. And one of the best options for catching fall color is along water — Falls Lake in the Triangle, for instance, where you can get a front seat to the action on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, which follows the lake’s south shoreline for 60 miles. Below are 5 of our favorite sections of the MST along Falls Lake, with a quick description of why. We have hiking guides for each; click the link for more information.

• Day-hike Section B, Raven Ridge Road to Possum Track Road, Raleigh, 2.5 miles (one way). A nearly unblemished run through mature hardwood forest with little understory, affording good views into the surrounding woods. Find our GetHiking! guide here.
• Day-hike Section L, Rollingview Recreation Area, Durham, 3.2 miles (one way). Another stretch flush with mature hardwoods and great nightlines — and rarely any other hikers. Find our GetHiking! guide here.
• Day-hike Section P, Hickory Hill Boat Ramp, Durham, 2.9-miles (one way). This stretch is about as flat as the trail gets along Falls Lake, with several spots where the trail sidles up to the lake for some nice views. Find our GetHiking! guide here.
• Day-hike Section S, Red Mill Road, Durham, 4.8 miles (one way). Surprisingly flat, surprisingly diverse; you’ll encounter bottomland woods, farm ponds, meadows, bluffs an old farm and more on this hike. Find our GetHiking! guide here.
• Day-hike Section T, Red Mill Road, Durham, 4.1 miles (one way). A floodplain forest near the start, a bluff 80 feet above the Eno midway, more typical Piedmont forest near the west end — there’s a lot to enjoy about this stretch of trail. Find our GetHiking! guide here.

Fall won’t last forever. This weekend, GetOut! And enjoy.

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Those GetHiking! Guides for the MST along Falls Lake mentioned above? Download them this weekend, enter the coupon code fabfall at checkout and get 50 percent off.

The post GetOut! Fall continues to be fabulous this weekend appeared first on GetGoing NC!.