Consider the coming weekend as preparation for the winter ahead: high temperatures throughout much of the region won’t get out of the 40s. That makes it an opportune time to dig out your cold weather gear, see what works, see what needs replacing. Make good use of this test-run weekend and you’ll be ready for the winter months ahead!

Our thoughts on where and how you can explore this weekend follow.

Bean Shoals Canal Hike, Saturday, 10 a.m., Pilot Mountain State Park, Pinnacle. The thought of visiting Pilot Mountain on a fall weekend — even a cold one — can send chills up a hiker’s spine. The top — the park’s best known area because of its great views — can get uber crowded on fall weekend’s, depriving visitors of the peaceful experience we seek. But the park has several lesser-appreciated access points, including the North River Section, home to the Bean Shoals Canal Trail, the focus of Saturday’s hike. Learn a little history as you travel the north bank of the Yadkin River on this 1-mile hike. One mile not enough for you? Then tack on the adjoining 2.5-mile Horne Creek Trail afterwards, which continues along the Yadkin before heading inland through hilly terrain. Learn more and get directions here. 

Huggins Island History Hike, Sunday, 11 a.m., Hammocks Beach State Park, Swansboro. The North Carolina coast is peppered with hundreds of small islands, many with good stories to tell. Among them is 225-acre Huggins Island, which is nearly split between higher drylands and marsh (a foot or two of elevation difference separates the two). The island was a Native American fishing and hunting ground early on, a Confederate battlement in the Civil War. You can find remnants of both, in addition to a maritime swamp forest that has been recognized as a Globally Rare and Significant Area. Come explore the island with a ranger. Boat ride over is provided, but space is limited: call 910.326.4881 to reserve a spot. Learn more about the hike and Hammocks Beach here. 

Boyd Tract Hike, Sunday, 3 p.m., Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, Southern Pines. Much is made of the longleaf pine, and rightfully so: at one point, before the European invasion, the stately pine dominated the regional landscape. But the invading masses quickly came to value the longleaf for its resin and straight, sturdy trunks, and today the longleaf is only truly appreciated in a few spots that evaded harvest. One of those spots is the Boyd Track at Weymouth Woods, the focus of this 1-mile hike. Not only will you see one of the few remaining stands of old-growth longleaf pine, you’ll also have an audience with the world’s oldest known longleaf. This hike begins not at the state park Visitor Center, but at the nearby Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Ave. Learn more here.

GetHiking! this weekend

What are our GetHiking! groups in North Carolina and Virginia up to this weekend? Plenty, thanks for asking … .

Live the video

This week’s video covers a pair of scouting trips this past weekend, first to Eno River State Park in Durham for an upcoming Winter Wild trek, then on to Jordan Lake State Recreation Area for a future hike. Click the appropriate links for details on exploring these Triangle area venues.

More weekend options

Looking for more options for weekend adventure? Check out our GetOut! Find An Adventure resource page here.

The post GetOut! Your Friday Nudge for Weekend Adventure appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

The raindrops falling on many of our Tarheel heads (speaking of which, “Go Heels!”) as the work week draws to a close should dry up by the weekend. This week’s weekend recommendations come from the comprehensive events calendar kept by our friends at the N.C. Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs. See the calendar section below for more info on the NCOEEPA.

Coast

One of our favorite hikes in the N.C. State Park system — and there’s stiff competition — is the Huggins Island History Hike at Hammocks Beach State Park. Hammocks Beach S.P. is a curious park: while the Visitor Center is on the mainland, its recreational anchors are islands accessed via the Intercostal Waterway. There’s Bear Island, for instance, served by ferry much of the year and easily the park’s most popular asset. Then there are lesser-known bodies, such as Huggins Island.

On this hike, the next edition of which is Sunday, you’ll boat out to the island and explore both the island’s natural attributes and its human history, from the folks who have tried to tame the island to its role during the Civil War.

Logistics: Huggins Island History Hike, Sunday, April 2, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Hammocks Beach State Park, Swansboro. Free, but space is limited and registration is required, by calling the park office at 910.326.4881.

Sunday forecast: Sunny and 71.

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Looking ahead: Wilmington Earth Day Festival, Saturday, April 22, Hugh MacRae Park, Wilmington. More info here.

Piedmont

Our state is filled with little gems of nature, gems embedded in some of the most unlikely places, yet right under our noses. Gems we often have no idea exist, even if they exist right down the road.

One such gem is the Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserve, which sits in a 146-acre tear of land created by an oxbow in the Neuse River, in Wake Forest. Part of Raleigh Parks & Rec, it’s a wonderful nature nook just off US 401. It’s a nice spot for a quiet escape, or to learn about nature, the latter being the case this Sunday. “Meadow Story and a Nature Walk” is just that: start with a story about a meadow, then walk about the meadow that dominates the preserve. Help propagate the local wildflower community along the way.

Logistics: “Meadow Story and a Nature Walk,” Sunday, April 2, 2-3 p.m., Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserve, 2900 Horse Shoe Farm Road, Wake Forest. Free, but registration is required, by going here. More info by dialing 919.870.2871.

Sunday forecast: Mostly sunny, high around 73.

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Looking ahead: Durant Family Campout, Saturday, April 22, Durant Nature Park, Raleigh. More info here.

Mountains

We’re all about active lifestyles here at GetGoingNC. We advocate movement of all sorts, from hiking and backpacking to mountain biking and paddling. Every once in a while, though, we realize we are only skimming the surface of what an active life is about. An hour or two or three a day? Ha! Try 18. As in farming.

Perhaps during the recent Farm-to-Table-fueled resurgence of the local farm, you’ve wondered if you have the right stuff to go all “Green Acres.” More so, you’ve likely wondered how on earth one gets into farming, and what it entails. Spend Saturday in Asheville and find out.

From 10 a.m. To 4 p.m., Lenoir Rhyne University sponsors “Farm Dreams? An Exploratory Workshop for Farm Dreamers.” Say the sponsors:

Discover and assess your resources, skills and farming intentions. Begin to develop an educational plan toward farming. Connect with regional training opportunities and support networks. Prioritize your next steps toward your farming goals. Hear from experienced farmers running successful farms in WNC.” 

Logistics: “Farm Dreams: An Exploratory Workshop for Farm Dreamers,” Saturday, April 1, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Lenoir Rhyne University, 36 Montford Ave., Asheville. $55. More info and register here

Sunday forecast: Mostly sunny and 63.

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Looking ahead: “Spring Wildflower Hike,” Saturday, April 22, Hendersonville. More info here.

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

Coast

The post This weekend: Sunshine returns appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

More seasonal temps descend this weekend. It will still be nice for a hike at the coast, and you’ll be able to hit the slopes in the mountains. Meanwhile, in the Piedmont, you can take it inside for a chance to try a cool sport associated with the cold.

Coast

You stand on shore, you look out to any number of islands and think, “I wonder what’s out there?”

Saturday is your chance to find out, when a park ranger from Hammocks Beach State Park takes a boatload of folks from the mainland over to Huggins Island for a couple hours of exploring. “You will get a chance to see and explore one of the Atlantic coast’s better-preserved earthwork fortifications and how it played a role in the American Civil War. We will look at the different groups of people that have utilized the island over the years- including the Native Americans and early European colonists- and talk about their role in shaping the island.”

Sounds like a hike worth driving a spell for.

Logistics: Huggins Island History Hike, Saturday, Jan. 28, 10 a.m., Hammocks Beach State Park, Swansboro. Free, but space is limited and reservations are required, by calling 910.326.4881. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Sunny, high of 54.

* * *

Looking ahead: Polar Plunge, 5K and 1-mile Fun Run, Kure Beach Pier, Kure Beach, Feb. 11. More info here.

Piedmont

Directions on how to dress for an event sometimes seem bizarre and silly. Sadly, they are typically based on experience. With that in mind, here’s how the folks at Triangle Curling suggest you dress for their two-hour Try Curling session:

• “No raised heels or flip flops.
• “Pants that offer easy movement are important as you will be required to stretch and get into positions that tight pants and jeans are not necessarily appropriate for.”

All of which will help you enjoy the sport of really cold places that much more when you give it a try Saturday morning at their Durham Curling Center.

Logistics: Try Curling, Saturday, Jan. 28, 10 a.m., Triangle Curling Center, 2310 So Hi Dr., Durham. $25. More info here.

Saturday forecast: It’s inside.

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Looking ahead: Astronomy Program at Pilot Mountain State Park, Pinnacle, Feb. 18, 6-10 p.m. More info here.

Mountains

According to he Asheville Citizen-Times Outdoors section, “WNC ski areas that closed for an extended time due to some of the highest average January temperatures on record are set to reopen Jan. 27.”

That’s Friday, btw.

Figure out which lift line you’ll be in when the ropes drop by checking out the latest Southeast ski conditions at SkiSoutheast.com.

Weekend forecast: Overnight lows in the low 20s (perfect for snowmaking), daytime highs in the mid-30s (perfect for skiing), with snow moving in Sunday afternoon.

* * *

Looking ahead: Underground Railroad Hike, Feb. 5, Mount Jefferson State Natural Area, West Jefferson. More info here.

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

Coast

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