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• Elk Knob State Park, for instance, located between Boone and West Jefferson, has one of the best mountaintop views in the state (see photo at top) from its 5,520-foot summit, a sweeping look east, north and west into Virginia and Tennessee. (And the 2-mile climb to get there is swell as well.)
• Mount Jefferson State Natural Area towers above the town of Jefferson, and if you’re not up for the 1,000-foot vertical climb to the top, you can drive to the top and hike around this 4,465-foot mountaintop.
• Pond Mountain. Love Mount Rogers in Virginia but aren’t crazy about the crowds? Pond Mountain, a joint venture by the Blue Ridge Conservancy and N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, is a similarly open and exposed mountain that also has that wide-lonesome feel of the West.
• New River. One of the oldest rivers in the world and one of the most relaxing to paddle (you can even hike along its banks).

That’s just a taste of the adventure to be had at the Year of the Trail Weekend Festival in West Jefferson Aug. 4-6. The event is sponsored by the towns of West Jefferson, Lansing and Jefferson; Ashe County; the Blue Ridge Conservancy; the New River Conservancy; and, the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources’ Hometown Strong initiative. 

A quick rundown of events follows. Go here for details on each event and to sign up. And did we mention there’s also a festival — Friday night in West Jefferson, Saturday night in Lansing. And snorkeling in a mountain stream? Read on.

Friday August 4

1-3 p.m. — Snorkel the Roaring River., part of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s new Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail.

3 p.m. — Paddy Mountain/Northern Peaks State Trail celebration for North Carolina’s 40-mile Northern Peaks State Trail eventually linking West Jefferson, Mount Jefferson State Natural Area, Elk Knob State Park and Boone.

4-8 p.m. – Live music downtown West Jefferson.

5 p.m. – Guided hike on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along the Blue Ridge Parkway at Jumping Off Rocks, Glendale Springs. 2 miles.

Saturday August 5

8-5 p.m. — Registration and information table at Farmer’s Market.

8-4 p.m. – Vendors featuring outdoors gear and crafts behind Farmer’s Market. Hourly outdoor skill and equipment demos.

9 a.m. – Elk Knob State Park, Todd. Summit Trail Hike, 4 miles. Moderate/strenuous.

9 a.m. – New River State Park 5-mile paddle.

10 a.m. – Mount Jefferson State Natural Area, Jefferson. Summit and Rhododendron trails, 1.5 miles. Easy/moderate.

1 p.m. – New River State Park, Wagoner Access, 3- and 7-mile hikes on Riverbend Trail. Easy/moderate.

2 p.m. – Pond Mountain, Creston, 1-4 mile hike, Easy/moderate..

3:30 p.m. – Lansing Creeper Trail Park, Lansing. Guided mountain-bike ride, 3-4 miles.

4 p.m. – Jennifer McGaha, author of “Bushwhacked,” reads from her book at the Old Orchard Creek General Store in Lansing.

Sunday August 6

Self-guided hikes suggested for Sunday:

• Pond Mountain, easy/moderate: 4 miles.
• Three Top Mountain, strenuous: 4.2 miles.
• Elk Knob State Park, moderate/strenuous: Summit Trail, 4 miles.
• Mount Jefferson State Natural Area: Summit, Rhododendron, Lost Province trails, easy/moderate, 2.5 miles.

Information on each hike will be available at the registration/information table in West Jefferson.

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The Great Dismal is one of the few spots in the country so wild it has refused development. It flummoxed George Washington’s earliest surveying efforts, it was so wild and impenetrable that it provided safe haven for enslaved African-Americans escaping the south and Native Americans driven from their homeland by invading Europeans. In fact, evidence suggests that humans have been seeking shelter in the Great Dismal for 13,000 years. Thought to once cover a million acres, about half that is now protected.

And it’s the focus of the fifth Year of the Trail Weekend Trail Days Festivals being sponsored by the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and its Hometown Strong initiative. The festival begins with a ranger-led hike at Great Dismal State Park at 2:30 the afternoon of Friday, June 2 and concludes with a paddle on the blackwater Sawyer’s Creek the morning of Sunday, June 4. In between you’ll find bike rides into the Great Dismal, paddling in a cypress swamp and a hike during the magical gloaming.

Here’s a look at what all is planned, along with links for additional information and to sign up.

The post A Weekend Trail Festival for the Great Dismal and Elizabeth City appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Coast

Despite its name, George Washington once referred to the Dismal Swamp as a “glorious paradise.” If you’ve only driven past, the rationale behind President Washington’s praise may escape you. But plunge into its lush depths on a kayak and the father of our country’s reasoning will be perfectly clear.

You’ll have a chance to do just that Saturday at 10 a.m. on a ranger-led kayak trip of the Dismal Swamp Canal. The trip samples a small portion of this massive quagmire, which is 37 miles long and reaches a width of 12 miles, in the Dismal Swamp State Park. But at two hours, it’s adequate time to get a feel for this wild area in northeastern North Carolina and southeast Virginia.

The trip is free, and kayak, PFDs and paddles are provided, but you need to reserve a spot in advance, by calling 252.771.6593. It’s from 10 a.m. to around noon. For more information on the park, go here.

Piedmont

I lived in Dallas for five long years, and in the month of August I found relief from the heat only once: on a nighttime sailboat trip across Lake Ray Hubbard. It may have still been 104 degrees at 9 p.m., but on the lake it felt like a brisk 85. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.

My sail down memory lane was stirred by our current heat wave, our first of the season, and word that the Lake Townsend Yacht Club is hosting a sail-along Saturday at its namesake lake north of Greensboro.  Take a ride, watch expert sailors put a boat through its paces — and refreshments!

It’s free and goes from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. out of the Lake Townsend Marina. Go here for more information on the event, here for more info on the Lake Townsend Yacht Club.

Mountains

If you live for the outdoors you should be living in Asheville this Memorial Day weekend, specifically at Carrier Park, home base for the three-day Mountain Sports Festival. Among the activities scheduled: Friday’s Rock2Rock 10K Trail Run at Camp Rockmont, Saturday morning 100-mile Wheel Ride for Food, the three-day Disc Golf Challenge, second-annual French Broad Challenge Triathlon, cyclocross, a longboarding/skateboarding competition and clinics on everything from chi running to fly fishing to ultimate Frisbee.

Live music, food, vendors and more — too much more to mention here so I’ll turn you over to the Mountain Sports Festival Web site for more info.

* * *

Those are GGNC’s thoughts for an active weekend. Find out other ways you can get out this weekend by browsing our super calendar, a collection of events calendars from throughout the state, 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

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.

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