Our two favorite times to be in the trail in winter: sunrise and sunset. They’re great year-round, frankly, but much more accessible in winter: Sunrise today is at 7:21 a.m., sunset at 5:34 p.m.
If you have to ask what’s so special about these two golden hours of the day, then you’re probably not a hiker. Or possibly in possession of a pulse. Personally, we love the moment-to-moment change as the sky evolves from yellow to pink to orange to crimson to purple. If we sense the conditions for a good sunset, we’ll dash to the local summit in town, Occoneechee Mountain, which affords an open view to the west: sunset over the Eno River Valley is one of the best. We’re pretty crazy about certain other sunsets as well: from Shortoff Mountain at the south end of Linville Gorge, from atop Shining Rock in the Pisgah National Forest, from Little Long Mountain in the Uwharrie National Forest, from Hump Mountain on the Appalachian Trail. We’ve even seen the queen mother of sunset phenomena: the elusive green flash, a prismatic neon burst that lasts just a second or two, which we saw over the Pacific Ocean years ago in Hawaii.read more
Our spate of great fall weekend weather continues. Amid a full lineup of ways to enjoy it, here’s what we are especially drawn to.
Coast
Make of this what you will: I go for a 5-mile run, my step-counter-dealiebob gives me credit for maybe 8,000 steps. I spend the day working in the yard, I hit my daily goal of 15,000 steps by noon. Which is to say, good aerobic exercise can come from unexpected places.
Like attending this weekend’s 11th Annual Cape Fear Kite Festival at Fort Fisher State Recreation Area. Say you bring a kite: you’re spending the day running up and down the beach, trying to get the thing up, fetching it when your initial objective falls short. Say you don’t bring a kite: you’re running up and down the beach checking out all the really cool (and sometimes really big!) kites. Odds are you’ll hit your goal by noon as well. And extra credit for running in the sand.
Starts Saturday morning at 10, ends Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m.
Logistics: 11th Annual Cape Fear Kite Festival, Saturday and Sunday, Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, Kure Beach. Free. More info here.
Looking ahead: Bear Island Eco Hike, Hammocks Beach State Park, Sunday, Nov. 13, 10 a.m. More info here.
Piedmont
Hanging Rock, Moore’s Knob, Wolf Rock, Cook’s Wall and … dang! You can never remember the name of the last of the five peaks that make up the coveted Five Peak Challenge at Hanging Rock State Park.
Saturday is your chance to forever etch that elusive fifth peak, House Rock, into memory, when an environmental educator at Hanging Rock State Park leads a 3-mile hike (roundtrip) to House Rock and back. This hike promises a moderate pace, taking two hours to take in the views and scenic wonders along the way, while also exploring all of House Rock’s “rooms.”
Intrigued? Read on …
Logistics: Adventure Hike, Saturday, Nov. 5, 10 a.m., Hanging Rock State Park (meet at the bathhouse). For more info, go here.
Looking ahead: Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, Nov. 24) hikes at Raven Rock State Park (9 a.m.) and Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve (10 a.m.). More info here.
Mountains
Here’s a beguiling pitch: “No Pavement. No Traffic. Just Awesome.”
Go on …
That’s how race organizers describe the South of the Mountain Trail Run. This 5K is on the 260-acre South Mountain Christian Camp, course that, “takes runners on one continuous loop through a mix of gravel roads, grassy shorelines, and wide dirt trails on the south side of Cherry Mountain. Encompassing rolling hills, wooded paths, and scenic views along the lake, the South of the Mountain Trail Run offers a wide variety of challenges for runners and walkers of all skill levels in one of the most beautiful settings around.” Well, then … .
Logistics: South of the Mountain Trail Run, Saturday, 10 a.m., South Mountain Christian Camp, Bostic. $25. More info here.
Looking ahead: Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, Nov. 24) hikes at Grandfather Mountain State Park. More info here.
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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 coastal 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.
Highs in the low 80s, sunny skies. Sounds like a great weekend for a hike, no? And as luck would have it, this weekend is the kick off for Hike NC, a statewide hiking initiative by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, North Carolina State Parks, GetGoingNC and others. We’ll talk more about Hike NC in the coming days, but in a nutshell, it’s an effort to expose more North Carolinians to their state’s remarkable hiking resource, a resource they can frequently find right in their own backyard. We’ve got more than 60 hikes scheduled statewide over the next two months; today, we highlight the three that launch the program this weekend.
Coast | Coastal Plain
Saturday, 10 a.m., Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, Kure Beach. Basin Trail, 2.2 miles. A hike tailor made for kids (of the older variety as well). Learn the ecology of a barrier island on this easy, flat hike. Also learn the history of the Fort Fisher hermit, who for several years made his home in a World War II concrete bunker midway along the trail.
Saturday, 10 a.m., Jones Lake State Park, Elizabethtown. Roughly a half million Carolina bays dot the Southeastern United States; learn the story of this one on a hike of the mile-long Cedar Loop lead by Park Ranger Garrett German.
Saturday, 1 p.m., Haw River State Park, Iron Ore Belt Access, Great Blue Heron Trail. 3.8 miles. Easy/moderate. The terrain is rolling but the trail is not on this loop that manages to stay level-headed on its way around a wetland. There’s a great history to this new addition to the North Carolina State Parks system, one you’ll learn about from Hike Leader and Park Superintendent Kelley King.
Hike NC doesn’t have a hike scheduled in the mountains on this first weekend, but that’s OK because Buncombe County Recreation Services and the Blue Ridge Parkway do. It’s a good one: a 1.4-mile hike out of the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center where you’re very likely to see the first legit signs of fall. “The hike along the Craggy Pinnacle Trail begins with a moderate uphill climb to the summit at Craggy Gardens to an elevation of 5,892 feet,” say the sponsors, “so bring a jacket and dress in layers. The hike is for all ages.”
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 coastal 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.
Hike the coast, hike one of the most rugged areas along the East Coast. Or go for a run — for as long or as short as you want.
Options? You got ‘em this weekend.
Coast
Sunday, it’s one of our favorite guided hikes at Fort Fisher State Recreation Area. At less than a mile in length, the Basin Trail offers about as much bang for the hiking boot as any trail around. The park’s website says it best: “Fort Fisher provides a glimpse of the dynamic ecosystem known as a barrier spit where the only constant is change. Sixteen threatened and endangered species can be found at Fort Fisher depending on the time of year.”
From beach to maritime forest to Spartina salt marsh, there’s so much nature to appreciate. The trail is also rich in human history, passing a bunker built as park of Camp Davis in World War II and later adopted as home by the Fort Fisher Hermit. A worthy hike on several levels, a hike best enjoyed when lead by a knowledgeable ranger, which will be the case this Saturday. The hike is sponsored by the Cape Fear Sierra Club.
Logistics: Sunday, Nov. 22, 1 p.m., Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, Kure Beach. More info by calling 910.769.1145
Looking ahead: Turkey Trot 4-Mile Trail Run, Carolina Beach State Park, Sunday, Nov. 29. More info here.
Piedmont
Here’s a race concept we can get behind: run as much, or as little, as you like.
That’s the game plan for Sunday morning’s Cozy Toes Fun Run at Cary Towne Center. Bring “gently used clean running shoes, and new hats and gloves for the homeless,” then run, jog, walk, kibbitz for 90 minutes. Prizes for Most Miles, Fastest Mile, Greatest Negative Split, Youngest Miler, and Oldest Miler.
Great way to recycle those running shoes that may have outlived their running life, but still have plenty of shoe life ahead.
Logistics: Sunday, Nov. 22, 9 a.m., Cary Towne Center, Cary. $15-$20, plus those gently used shoes and new hats and gloves. More info here.
Looking ahead: Winter Bird Walk, Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve, Southern Pines, Saturday, Dec. 19. More info here.
Mountains
Linville Gorge is one of those places that sound like a great place to explore … then when you start heading down Babel Tower, Pinch In, Sandy Flats or the other trails leading into the gorge, you begin having second thoughts
Linville Gorge is, after all, a designated wilderness area and one of the wildest places on the East Coast. The good news: you needn’t drop into the gorge to appreciate its rugged beauty. That’s the beauty of Saturday’s Linville Falls Hike sponsored by the Woodfin YMCA in Asheville. The group will hike in from the civilized Linville Falls entrance to the gorge and take the day to hike 3.8 miles and savor the gorge’s beauty.
Logistics: Saturday, Nov. 21, 8:45 a.m. – 4 p.m., Linville Falls (meeting place is the Y, at 40 N. Merrimon Ave. in Asheville). Free, but chip in $5 if carpooling. More info: Blanca Miller 828.658.0047, bmoi735@gmail.com, or go here.
Looking ahead: Fox Den Loop Trail hike, at Lake James State Park, Nebo, Dec. 26, 2 p.m. More info here or call 828-652-5047.
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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 coastal 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).
Basin Trail (photo courtesy Fort Fisher State Recreation Area)
You don’t always have to hike for half the day to score a great view. Options at the coast and in the mountains this week underscore that point — and offer great incentive for beginning hikers! Speaking of great views, you’ll find them Saturday when the sun sets at three state parks.
Coast
Sunday morning, Fort Fisher State Recreation Area in Kure Beach will conduct its periodic Basin Trail Hike. We’ve promoted this hike before, and for good reason.
The hike isn’t long, about a mile and a half, and it isn’t particularly challenging — there’s maybe a foot of elevation gain. Yet the esthetic reward is vast, starting along the Atlantic Ocean then ducking behind a dune and exploring a coastal marsh where the views are sweeping. There’s a small encounter with a maritime forest and a very unique bit of human history: about midway the trail passes the World War II bunker that later became the home of the Fort Fisher Hermit.
In short, it’s the perfect introductory hike for the person leery, but intrigued, by the notion of hiking. And you can follow it up with a day at the beach
Logistics: Sunday, July 19, 8:30 a.m., Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, 1000 Loggerhead Road, Kure Beach. More info: 910.458.5798 or go here.
Looking ahead: We’re back to Fort Fisher, where on Friday, July 24, a ranger will help you make sense of the shells you hike miles to score, with Beachcombing 101. 9 a.m., 910.458.5798, or go here for more information.
Piedmont
Pumped about Pluto? Who isn’t, with NASA’s New Horizons close encounter of the dwarf planet this week and the new information we’re learning about the little guy — like the fact he’s not as little as we previously thought. (Might planet reinstatement be in the offing?)
What better time to gaze into the heavens — which apparently is what our North Carolina State Parks are thinking: this weekend, stargazing programs are planned at Jordan Lake State Recreation Area, Lake James State Park and Mayo River State Park. Come early and explore the great recreational attributes of these three facilities.
Logistics: The events are all on Saturday evening; go here for specifics for each viewing session.
Saturday evening forecast: Highs around 80, chance of thunderstorms into the evening.
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Looking ahead: Lost your way? Find it at the Intro to Orienteering clinic at Umstead State Park on Wednesday, July 22 at 2 p.m. More info by calling 919.571.4170.
Mountains
We love opportunities where it’s possible to learn a little something, then explore on our own.
Sunday, a ranger at Elk Knob State Park leads the mile-long Woodland Walk on the Beech Tree Trail, where it’s promised you’ll “see the forest in various new ways.” Afterward, plan to hike to the top of Elk Knob on the 1.9-mile Summit Trail, which switchbacks its way through a northern hardwood forest of sugar maple, yellow birch, American beech and yellow buckeye to the 5,520-foot summit. There, you’ll be treated with great 360-degree views.
Logistics: Sunday, July 19, 2 p.m., Elk Knob State Park, Todd. More information by calling 828.297.7261 or visit the park website here.
Looking ahead: This one usually sneaks up on us; not this year. It’s the Maggie Valley Moonlight Run & Fun Run on Aug. 22 from 8:30-11 p.m. at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. 8K road race and Kid’s Sunset Fun Run. $30 until July 31; $40 Aug. 1-race day. More info here.
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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 coastal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.
