Coast

This sounds pretty awesome. Head out to Jockey’s Ridge on Saturday, hike, cavort in the sand, explore. Then, at 4 p.m. get out your kite, get out those extra Christmas lights and that super long extension cord, and participate in Kitty Hawk Kites’ Kites with Lights celebration. Watch folks experienced in doing this kind of thing — including someone with a 19-foot delta kite — light up the night in zig-zag fashion. Extra enticement: Free hot cider, free cookies.

Logistics: Saturday, Nov. 24, 4-6 p.m. Free. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Daytime high of 55 dropping to 34 overnight. No chance of rain.

Piedmont

The Sunday after Thanksgiving rolls around and you’re rolling around with it. Day four of a nutritional free-fall and what do you have to show for it? A lot, unfortunately. Mitigate the damage with a one-hour ranger-led hike at Lake Norman State Park. A ranger takes you on a waddle on the Alder Trail, getting your mind off the fact that you are waddling by telling you about the park, its history, its wildlife.

Logistics: Sunday, Nov. 25, 2 p.m. at Lake Norman State Park. Free, but space is limited and preregistration is required, by calling 704.528.6350.

Sunday forecast: High of 54, clear.

Mountains

“The Elusive Mink” earns a spot on our weekly highlight reel simply for its “No kidding?” factor. Mink? in North Carolina? Apparently. In this case at Elk Knob State Park, where they’ll be discussing the the critter known for its silken fur Sunday from 2-3 p.m. So, come for the program then hike around Elk Knob and look for signs of — cue theme to Mutual of Omaha’s “Wild Kingdom” — The Elusive Mink.

Logistics: Sunday, Nov. 25, 2-3 p.m., Elk Knob State Park, 5564 Meat Camp Road (another reason to endorse the event — what a great address). More info here.

Sunday forecast: High of 50, 0 percent chance of rain.

* * *

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 This weekend: Lit kites, loaded hikers, wily weasel appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Tuesday, I had one of the more exhausting times I’ve had in 20 years of covering outdoor adventure — and I was in an air-conditioned building. At a catered affair.
The affair was a media event sponsored by the North Carolina Division of Tourism, a gathering of tourism promotion types from around the state and the people they hoped would write about them. People such as myself.
Immediately upon walking in the door of the Contemporary Art Museum — CAM for short — in downtown Raleigh I was met by my old buddy, Suzanne Brown. Suzanne and I worked together for years in the Features Department of The News & Observer, Suz overseeing everything entertainment, me doing my outdoors thing. In 2008, we were both part of a massive newsroom exodus. I landed here, Suz  at Tourism, a job that suits her as she wasted little time getting my attention.
“Do you know about the Southeast Coast Saltwater Paddle Trail?” she asked.
I didn’t, but I didn’t feel too bad upon learning that the trail is a work in progress, a proposed — though some of it exists — paddle trail running from Virginia south through the Carolinas and Georgia, where it will meet with the existing 1,515-mile Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail. A kind of Appalachian Trail for paddlers.
“Cool!” I said.
“What about Jetpacks?” she wanted to know.
“And what about telephones with TV screens and flying cars?” I said.
No, she said, you can now rent a JetPak on the Outer Banks.
Then, in a Graduatesque nod to the Next Big Thing, she leaned in and whispered “Zip Lines.”

“Have you been to ZipQuest in Fayetteville? It’s a two-and-a-half-hour canopy tour that takes you over the largest waterfall in the eastern U.S.”
A zipline over the highest waterfall in the East — in Fayetteville? I started edging away.
“You can also fly a Wright Brothers glider!” she yelled, chasing me down the hall.
The madness continued inside the main hall.
At the Halifax County booth, Lori Medlin, president and CEO of the county’s convention and visitors bureau asked if I’d been to the Sylvan Heights Bird Park in Scotland Neck. Hike 5 miles at this 18-acre preserve, take pictures of more than 170 bird species from around the world. “There’s even a treehouse. And it’s handicap-accessible!”
“You like trails?” she continued. “The 7-mile-long Roanoke Canal Trail in Roanoke Rapids is pretty popular.”
Lori shared a table with Claire Phillips, director of marketing and public relations for the Pinehurst/Southern Pines/Aberdeen Area. I expected to hear something about golf. “We have an extensive greenway system,”  she said.

I found myself at the Fayetteville table, expecting to hear more about the zipline to outer space. And I did, but I also learned that Fayetteville is also home to the biggest indoor climbing gym in the state, The Climbing Place, with 18,000 square feet of climbing surface, 40,000 holds and 60 top ropes.
I learned that Chowan County has more than 300 miles of mapped paddle trails, that Washington has a Sunrise Yoga Paddle service as well as a Wine and Cheese Paddle, and that Edenton rents canoes and kayaks out of its harbor.
I learned from Craig Distl that since the Hawksnest Resort near Boone abandoned skiing and snowboarding a few years back it’s gone tubing and zipline crazy. And I learned that while they still ski and ride at Ski Beech, the highest ski area in the East, they’ve also opened the Emerald Outback, an 8-mile mountain bike trail network.
I learned that the Biltmore in Asheville is getting its own marathon and that a mountaintop-to-mountaintop zipline is being planned at Navitat north of Asheville.

Farther west, I learned from Charles Conner with the Nantahala Outdoor Center that the NOC is about more than just really fast moving water. Survival, for instance.
“We’ve got a Survival School that shows you how to survive 72 hours in the wild,” he said, adding, “Seventy-two hours — that’s about how long most people stay lost.” The ones who end up getting found, that is.
By the time I’d worked my way to the westernmost part of the state, I was pooped. But not too pooped to visit the craft beer booth, where Win Bassett was more than happy to fill my sampler cup with the handiwork of North Carolina’s 65 craft breweries (or at least the 65 that belong to NC Brewing). Fullsteam Brewery’s Summer Basil was particularly tasty.
A handful of booths remained, but — holy cow! — I’d just been across North Carolina on everything from a zipline to a JetPak to the Wright Brothers glider.
I needed a nap.

The post Man, is there ever a lot to do in North Carolina appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

A good looking weekend is on tap across North Carolina. Our thoughts on how to make the most of it include a trip to the coast, where some of the best hang gliders around will be circling Jockey’s Ridge; an excursion into the Piedmont, where they’ll be celebrating another milestone for the Mountains-to-Sea Trail; and a visit to the high country where they’re doing what you do when the spring wildflowers start to pop: you go for a hike.

Coast

If man were meant to fly he’d have swept-wing craft made of durable lightweight fabric attached to an aluminum or composite frame that he could harness himself into and take flight from an elevated location.

Like a sand dune.

Specifically, like the sand dunes at Jockey’s Ridge, home to this weekend’s Hang Gliding Spectacular and Air Games. The event kicks off Thursday night with a Pre Spectacular Party and runs through Monday morning. In between, there’s lots of competition and a film festival. More than 60 top hang gliders from all over are expected to participate. If you’ve ever toyed with the idea of flying, make plans to be at Jockey’s Ridge this weekend to see what it’s about.

Logistics: A full schedule of events and other pertinent info can be found at the Web site for sponsor Kitty Hawk Kites.

Weekend forecast: Looks like it will be overcast and warm, for the most part, with highs around 80.

Piedmont

If you’re a fan of long hikes, make plans to be at Falls Lake Saturday morning when the 100-foot bridge over Little Lick Creek is officially opened, officially establishing 60 miles of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along the lake’s south shore. (“Officially,” because the bridge has actually been open for a couple months; apparently they just found the ribbon-cutting scissors). Words will be spoken at the Rollingview Recreation Area of Falls Lake, followed by a hike to, and over, the bridge-of-honor. It’s a nice stretch of trail, through tight forest at the beginning and, at the bridge, over an open wetland.

You can now hike the MST nonstop from Penny’s Bend at Old Oxford Highway near Durham downstream to the Falls Lake Dam. When the 1,000-mile MST is completely done (it’s a little over halfway now), you’ll be able to hike from Clingman’s Dome on the Tennessee border to Jockey’s Ridge on the Atlantic.

Logistics: The dedication is at 10 a.m., the hike follows. More info at the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

Saturday forecast: Partly cloudy, high of 73.

Mountains

This past weekend the weather was … challenging in the Craggy Mountains. Which means this weekend should bode well for the Carolina Mountain Club’s Bee Tree Gap to Tanbark Tunnel hike Saturday on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. The 6.2-mile hike features passage over Lane Pinnacle and through Rattlesnake Lodge. Expect good views and lots of wildflowers.

Logistics: Shuttle to the trailhead departs from the Folk Art Center in Asheville at 9 a.m. For details and to register for the hike contact hike leader Kathleen Hannigan at 828-230-4883 or kathleen.hannigan@pgnmail.com. For more on the route, go here.

Saturday forecast: Partly cloudy, high of 74.

* * *

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: Take a flying leap, celebrate a bridge, take a long hike appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Coast

This weekend, Saturday and Sunday, it’s the Kitty Hawk Kites Annual Outer Banks Stunt Kite Competition. This is competitive kite flying at its best, on the Eastern League Circuit (were you aware there was an Eastern League Circuit for sport kite flying?) and sanctioned by the American Kiting Association (ditto?). While the spectating promises to be swell, amateur kite flyers can get in on workshops, demonstrations and kite making for kids. Stuff to watch for: kite ballet competitions set to music and fast-paced team flying that blend a both kite control and speed.

More info at Kitty Hawk Kites.

Piedmont

This one’s a little pricey — $80 per person — but worth it. Saturday, join the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences on a daylong paddle on the Black River. This black water river meanders through Sampson, Bladen and Pender counties and boasts some of the cleanest water in the state. The Three Sisters section of the river aslo boasts some of the oldest trees on the East Coast — bald cypress believed to be nearly 2000 years old (to put that in perspective, Jesus would have been in his Wonder years when these trees were saplings). Fee includes equipment and a shuttle ride from the museum in downtown Raleigh. 919.733.7450, ext. 555 or or debbie.huston@ncdenr.gov to reserve a spot.

Mountains

Sunday, the Carolina Mountain Club goes high on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a 5.5-mile hike just outside the Shining Rock Wilderness. This afternoon hike — it starts at 12:30 p.m. from the Cold Mountain Overlook at Milepost 419.4 — takes in the Boundary Trail and Mountains-to-Sea Trail to Skinny Dip Falls, returning along the MST and through Graveyard Fields. Gorgeous area.

More info on the route here, more info on the hike by contacting hike leader Ashok Kudva at 828.674.1374 or ashok.kudva@att.net

* * *

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.

The post Weekend plans: By land, water, air appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Coast
Flying like a bird: it should be on your life’s to-do list, and since it’s there, why not knock it off this weekend? Kitty Hawk Kites has taught more than 300,000 people to hang glide off the dunes at Jockey’s Ridge State Park, and as far as we know they’ve all landed (though we know of at least one — ahem — who didn’t necessarily land on his feet). It’s surprisingly easy and even more fun than the birds make it look. An hour of classroom instruction, then two on the dunes soaring up to 100 yards and getting as high as 15 feet (it doesn’t sound high until you’re up there). The laws of aerodynamics dictate that you must weigh no less than 75 pounds, no more than 225. $99

More info here.

Piedmont

Did you know there are alligators at Lake Waccamaw State Park? I didn’t know that when I hiked the Lakeshore Trail a couple years ago. But there are alligators at Lake Waccamaw, along the lakeshore as it turns out. And you can take a hike Sunday at let a ranger show you the best places to find an alligator like this frisky fellow to the right. Starts at 2 p.m. and meets at the picnic area.

More info: 910.646.4748, or the park Web site.

Mountains

Man, do we love optimism! Which is why we’re recommending Sunday’s Mt. Jefferson Rocks! program at Mount Jefferson State Natural Area. The program itself sounds cool: a mile-long hike during which the geologic mysteries of 4,683-foot Mount Jefferson is revealed. Mysteries such as whether Mount Jefferson once towered more than three times its current height. But what really sells us on this program is this advisory: “Bring a jacket … .” The thought of going somewhere where a jacket is required sends shivers down my otherwise sweaty spine.

Meets at 9 a.m. at the picnic area. More info by calling 336.246.9653 or visiting the Mount Jefferson Web site.

* * *

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 Yes, Virginia, there is a cool weekend ahead appeared first on GetGoing NC!.