Coast

Within just 58 acres, Halyburton Memorial Park is representative of the wide-ranging ecology in the Wilmington area. It’s this biological diversity that makes it easy for park naturalists to have a different focus for each of the park’s bimonthly Discovery Hikes.

The next hike in this series is Saturday at 10 a.m. The hike is on the park’s 1.5 miles of path and is appropriate for ages 5 and up: an entertaining and informative start to the weekend.

Logistics: Saturday, Aug. 15, 10 a.m., Halyburton Memorial Park, 4099 S. 17th St., Wilmington. Free. For more info, call 910.341.0075 or visit the park website.

Saturday forecast: Sunny with a temperature of 78 at 10 a.m.

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Looking ahead: Summer Paddle, Dismal Swamp State Park, South Mills, Sunday, Aug. 29, 1 p.m. 252.771.6593.

Piedmont

How many times has this happened to you: You’ve made the climb to 2,579-foot Moore’s Knob at Hanging Rock State Park and stood atop the observation tower to enjoy the vast 360-degree view. It’s peaceful — until the know-it-all gets fired up: Look, up north — that’s Pennsylvania! You can see all the way to Pennsylvania from here! People think that’s Winston-Salem down to the south there, but actually it’s Atlanta! And if you squint real hard looking west you can see right past the Appalachians to the Rockies!

Now, you’re pretty sure that’s Virginia to the north, that Winston-Salem is indeed on the southern horizon, and not even Superman could see the Rockies from here. But you aren’t entirely sure, so you say nothing.

Well, hold your tonuge no longer. Make the 4.2-mile (roundtrip) hike to the top of Moore’s Knob Saturday at 2 p.m. and an environmental educator will be waiting to tell you with certainty what you’re looking at. And not just the seemingly obvious (Atlanta!? Seriously?): learn the peaks you’re observing in the Blue Ridge.

Logistics: Saturday, Aug. 15, 2 p.m., Moore’s Knob observation tower, Hanging Rock State Park, Danbury. Free. More info at 336.593.8480.

Saturday forecast: Sunny with an afternoon high in the mid-80s.

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Looking ahead: Edible / Medicinal Plant Hike, Elk Knob State Park, Todd, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2 p.m.. 828.297.7261.

Mountains

As the clock begins to tick on summer, are you suddenly fretting about opportunities lost? The 10K you’ve yet to race? The triathlon you’ve promised to do? The mountain road ride that remains unchecked off your list?

Make amends, big time, this weekend at the 11th annual Lake Lure Olympiad. Starting Friday and running through Sunday, three days of all that: a 10K, a tri, a 25-mile bike ride plus a 5K. All in the idyllic Hickory Nut Gorge. (Read more about the event in this Asheville Citizen-Times article.)

Logistics: Friday – Sunday, Aug. 14-16, Lake Lure/Hickory Nut Gorge. For all your details, go here.

Weekend forecast: Highs in the mid-80s, chance of a thunderstorm Saturday.

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Looking ahead: Guide Profile Trail Hikes at Grandfather Mountain State Park, various hikes lead by the Chargers & Rechargers Hiking Club starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22. 828.963.9522

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Those are our thoughts on the weekend. Find more options at the sources listed below.

The post This weekend: Tick, Tick, Tick appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Temperatures across the state this weekend are generally forecast to stay in the 40s under mostly sunny skies. Ideal weather, in our view, for getting out and learning a little about the world around us. Courtesy of North Carolina State Parks, we bring you three options for doing just that. (And you can find more at the State Parks website.)

Coast

Carvers Creek State Park is the newest addition to the North Carolina State Park system. Authorized by the General Assembly in 2005, the 4,000-acre park near Spring Lake in Cumberland County currently has few opportunities for public access. So when an opportunity does arise, we like to jump on it.

Sunday’s Rockefeller House Tour is one such opportunity. A park ranger will lead a hike to the old James Stillman Rockefeller winter estate, which includes structures dating back to the early 1800s. A good opportunity to learn about the natural and human history of the area, known for its longleaf pine stand and as home to several endangered and protected plants and animals.

Logistics: Sunday, Jan. 26, 1 p.m. Carvers Creek State Park, Spring Lake. More info and to register for this free event, call 910.436.4681.

Sunday forecast: Sunny, high of 49.

Piedmont

The Geology Hike at Occoneechee Mountain is a GGNC favorite. In large part, that’s because most nature programs focus on plants or animals: this one is about the rock that helps make Occoneechee Mountain unique. For one, at 820 feet, Occoneechee is the highest point in the Triangle. The pyrophyllite rock that is the mountain was once highly valued and, for years, quarried, creating an unusual (for this neck of the woods) cliff face. From near the top you get an unobstructed view north and west. And, the hike is led by a bonafide geologist.

There’s more to enjoy on a hike at Occoneechee, as you’ll discover on this hour-long program.

Logistics: Saturday, Jan. 25, 2 p.m. Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, Hillsborough. To register for this free event, call 919.383.1686.

Saturday forecast: Clouds, high of 44.

Mountains

The Hickory Nut Gorge area of western North Carolina is quickly opening up as an adventure destination, with addition of more public lands. One of the biggest recent additions: Chimney Rock State Park, a 5,700-acre former private park brought into the State Park system in 2005. With more public lands come more opportunities to explore one of the most ecologically unique areas in the state.

With those opportunities come questions about just what it is you’re hiking or climbing past. Sunday is your chance to answer some of those questions at Extraordinary Cliff Dwellers, a program focusing on the endangered and threatened species in the park.

Logistics: Sunday, Jan. 26, 9-11 a.m. Chimney Rock State Park, Chimney Rock.

Sunday forecast: Sunny, high of 43.

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Those are our thoughts on the weekend. Find more options at the sources listed below.

The post This weekend: Bundle up and learn something appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Explore Cherry Point via a triathlon, participate in the VIII Lake Lure Olympiad or try your hand (and feet and sense of balance) with yoga on a paddleboard. Just another summer weekend in North Carolina.

Coast

I’m partial to events on military bases, in part because it gives civilians such as myself access to the otherwise inaccessible, to a world we otherwise don’t get a chance to see. That exposure is compounded when the event is a triathlon, which lets you run and ride through these forbidden lands.

Saturday is your chance to explore the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point near Havelock as part of the MCAS Cherry Point Spring Triathlon (and relay triathlon). You may not see much unusual (or at all) on the 400-meter swim, but the 10-mile bike ride and 3.1-mile run should be revealing. Awards to the top three finishers in each age category and everyone who survives gets a medal. $45 to race, $120 for teams.

Logistics: Race starts at 7:30 a.m. More info here.

Saturday forecast: High of 84, 60 percent chance of rain.

Piedmont

Yoga Paddleboarding: Now that’s something I’d pay to see. And, perhaps, participate in if the water temperature is above 80.

Yup, it’s exactly what it sounds like: Paddle out on a Stand Up Paddleboard and downward dog you go. An interesting mix, guaranteed to keep you in line, balancewise.

Logistics: Saturday at Lake Norman, 4-6 p.m. Sponsored by Gotta Yoga and Stride Stand Up Paddleboards. $89 (includes board). 540.315.4441 to sign up, here for more information.

Saturday forecast: High of 84, 40 percent chance of rain.

Mountains

Hickory Nut Gorge is the place to be this weekend if you’re into any of the following: running a 10K (the 10K Dam Run), doing a triathlon (the Lake Lure Triathlon), a one-mile open water swim, running a 5K (the Race to the Rock 5K) or doing a 25-mile bike race. They’re all part of the 8th Annual Lake Lure Olympiad, sponsored by the Rumbling Bald Resort and Rutherford Regional Health System.

Logistics: Events begin Friday and run through Sunday. Go here for more information.

Weekend forecast: Highs in the low 80s, partly cloudy Saturday and Sunday, 20 percent chance of precip Friday.

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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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The post This weekend: Tri, or try yoga paddleboarding appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Since it’s never too early to start making weekend plans, we give you our weekend planner a day early.

Coast

Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock —

Scratch that — been spending too much time on all-Christmas-all-the-time radio. Make that Jingle Bell Run, as in the third annual 5K sponsored by the Wrightsville Beach Museum of History this Saturday in Wrightsville Beach. Speed is good, holiday costumes are better in this race that takes in historic WB cottages, “beautiful winter marshes,” and popular Wrightsville Beach hot spots. Registration is from 7:30-8:45 a.m., the race commences at 9 a.m. $30 for adults, $20 for runners 12 and younger.

Register here,  more info here.

Piedmont

Lately, I’ve been touting the virtues of winter paddling. Saturday, you can tap a little of this virtuousness at Lake Crabtree County Park in Morrisville on a ranger-led Winter Canoe Hike. Learn about park history, local wildlife, the fact that even if your boat does flip this is a really shallow lake … . All gear is provided, but it is almost winter so make sure you have appropriate clothing.

$5 per adult, $10 per boat (you can squeeze three in). Pre-registration required: 919.460.2723

Mountains

The Hickory Nut Gorge area near Lake Lure is one of the more happening spots in North Carolina in terms of growing opportunities for public lands. Chimney Rock, the long-time privately held tourist attraction, recently became part of the State Parks system, and more additions are in the offing. That’s thanks in part to the work of groups such as the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, which is working to protect this unique area.

So, you may be wondering, what makes it unique? Learn for yourself on Saturday at 9 a.m. when the CMLC leads an off-trail hike to Pool Creek Falls at World’s Edge in the gorge. The hike is only 2.25 miles, but it is off trail, there are some challenging stream crossings as well as downed trees. Experienced hikers only. It’s a CMLC Members-only hike, but considering the future of hiking in Hickory Nut Gorge depends on groups such as the Carolina Mountain Lands Conservancy, that shouldn’t be a problem, right? Find out about memberships here,  more about the hike here.

* * *

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.

The post A run, a paddle, a hike — this weekend, whatever it takes to survive the holidays appeared first on GetGoing NC!.