Here are our 5 recommendations for the weekend.

Tanawha/Nuwati Wildflower Hike with a Park Ranger, Saturday, 2 p.m., Grandfather Mountain State Park, Banner Elk. This hike allots plenty of time (3 hours) to cover about 3 miles in search of spring wildflowers. You’ll want that time, too, to learn about the diverse terrain this hike covers along the southeastern flank of Grandfather Mountain. The hike begins at the Boone Fork Parking Area off the Blue Ridge Parkway (MP 299.9) and is limited to 15 hikers. Learn more here (including how to register).

Canoe Hike, Saturday, 2 p.m., Jones Lake State Park, Elizabethtown. Jones Lake is one of a half million Carolina bays in the Southeast, curious oval depressions whose existence has yet to be explained. Most of those bays have long since filled in, most of the remaining water-filled lakes are small, often less than 500 feet long. Jones Lake, however, is about 8,000 feet long and covers 224 acres, providing lots of room for exploring on this ranger-led paddle. All equipment is provided, participation is limited to 11 people, the first 11 people to register by calling 910.588.4550. Learn more here.

Naturalist Day Hike 2022, Saturday, Low Water Bridge Preserve, Montgomery County. The Low Water Bridge Preserve is in the Uwharrie Mountains, on the Uwharrie River just west of Ophir. On this hike, you’ll walk about 3 miles, with the main attraction the various neotropical migrating birds — warblers, vireos, tanagers, waterthrush and more — you’ll see along the way.  Your odds of seeing, or at least hearing, them? Darn good, since the hike will be lead by folks who know how to call a bird. Learn more here.

Lake Johnson Park Nature Explorers, Sunday, 1:30 p.m., Lake Johnson Nature Park, Raleigh. You know what most guided hikes lack? The chance to be a kid again, to flip logs and see what’s under them, to dig into the leaves and soil and see what’s going on, to see what’s living in creeks and streams. That’s the beauty of the Lake Johnson Nature Explorers events, because you can do all that and more with naturalists who can tell you what’s what. Learn more and sign up here.

Blood Moon Night Hike, Sunday, 8 p.m., Hammocks Beach State Park, Swansboro. We love night hikes for several reasons. For starters, there’s the light: this hike starts about 5 minutes before official sunset, then continues into the gloaming, with diminishing light for the next 25 minutes or so. Walking through dusk lets you participate in the natural world’s shift change, as daytime critters make way for their nocturnal cousins. You’ll also enjoy cooling temperatures, which becomes increasingly important as we head into summer.  And, of course, there’s the night sky on a night hike; on this particular night you’ll get to hike under the Blood Moon, a full moon that earns its distinction by occurring during a total lunar eclipse, which causes the moon to take on “a copper or reddish appearance.” This hike covers a half mile. Learn more here.

Again, a good weekend to GetOut! And explore.

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Night hike, anyone?

If Sunday evening’s Blood Moon hike tweaks your interest in evening hiking, then check out our upcoming GetHiking! Wednesday Night Hikes series, which begins Wednesday, May 18, and runs for 10 weeks. The hikes start at 6:30 p.m. and cover about 3 miles, wrapping up by 8. Apres hike frozen concoctions follow. Learn more and sign up to join us here.

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Well savor it while you can, people, because it won’t be summer forever! The fall equinox is just 40 days off, and Labor Day, the emotional start of fall, is just 24 days away. So take advantage of the heat while you can. This weekend, for instance:

Relaxation Paddle, Sunday, 9:30 a.m., Morrow Mountain State Park, Albemarle. “Relaxation paddle” — in our book that’s a bit of an oxymoron: Isn’t paddling all about relaxing? If not, then you can rest assured it will be on this 1-hour leisure paddle on Lake Tillery. Free, but registration is required, by emailing Alden.Early@ncparks.gov. PFDs (personal flotation devices) are required). Learn more here.

Spider Insider, Sunday, 10 a.m., Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area (pictured at top), Hillsborough. I like this line in the class description: “We will take a moderate hike to see if we can find any [spiders].” “Moderate,” in our experience, would be stepping out of the car and — AHHH! Come and learn about the spiders that live among us and how they benefit the environment. More info here.

Owls Among Us, Sunday, 9 p.m., Lake James State Park, Nebo. Says the event description: “Once you recognize the myriad sounds owls make, a whole new world of appreciation opens. Ranger Jamie Cameron will lead a group of curious owl-seekers on a short hike along the Lake Channel Overlook trail at the Catawba River Area side of the park. We’ll start from the campground parking lot at 9 p.m. Bring a headlamp or flashlight, binoculars if you have them and a pair of comfortable hiking shoes for this 45-minute program.” Learn more here.

Lake Johnson Park Nature Explorers, Sunday, 1:30 p.m., Lake Johnson Park, Raleigh. If you’re looking for something to do outdoors with the kids, here’s a good bet, because they’ll spend about an hour and a half getting to “Flip over logs, dig a hole, or sift through leaves .… “ The best $2 you’ll spend all week. Learn more and find out how to register here.

You’ll notice that our recommendations are all for Sunday. Despite our apparent love for the heat as expressed by our intro waxing over the waning days of summer, we recognize that it’s better to be out Sunday, when temperatures throughout the Piedmont will be in the low 80s, as opposed to Saturday, when they’re still expected to top 90. So if you have chores for the weekend, do ‘em Saturday and save your adventure time for Sunday.

GetOut! And enjoy!

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It’s gonna be one summery weekend, with temperatures in the 90s throughout most of our adventuring region. Our recommendations for this weekend are with the heat in mind.

Stream Safari, Saturday, 2 p.m., Stone Mountain State Park, Roaring Gap. Water — clear, cool water — is a key component of this event, in which water bugs, water quality and staying cool are the focus. If you’re one of those folks who’ve always meant to visit Stone Mountain (but haven’t), here’s a good opportunity. And since Stone Mountain is likely a drive for many of you, we suggest also paying a visit to the park’s namesake, a 600-foot granite dome, via the 4.5-mile Stone Mountain Loop Trail (which also visits a 200-foot waterfall).   Learn more about the hike here, the park here.

Guided Commissary Trail Hike, Sunday, 4 p.m., Mount Mitchell State Park. Burnsville. Hanging in water is one way to beat the heat, getting high is another. And you can’t get any higher along the East Coast than 6,684-foot Mount Mitchell, the venue for Sunday’s hike on the Commissary Trail. Learn some history, learn about the flora and fauna in this boreal forest above 6,000 feet. Learn more here.  

Morning Stand-up Paddle Board Tour, Saturday, 8 a.m., Lake Johnson Park, Raleigh. First, getting up on, and paddling, a SUP is a lot easier than you think, especially the stable beginner-friendly boards used at Lake Johnson. Once you get up and paddle a spell, you’ll paddle to different parts of the lake to learn about its wildlife, natural features and history (for starters, it’s one of Raleigh’s 13 flood control lakes). A two-hour tour, a two-hour tour … . $20 for Raleigh residents, $35 for outsiders. Learn more and find out how to register (spaces are limited) here.

GetHiking! this weekend

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

GetHiking! Charlotte: South Mountain Loop, Friday, June 28, 9:30 a.m. South Mountains State Park, Connelly Springs. Strenuous. 8-mile loop through South Mountains State Park. Learn more here.

GetHiking! Charlottesville: Riprap Hollow Circuit, Saturday, June 29, 8:15 a.m. Fontaine Research Park, Charlottesville. Strenuous. 9.5-miles. High highlights: Appalachian Trail, Riprap Trail, Chimney Rock. Learn more here.

GetHiking! Charlottesville: Bike Ride on High Bridge Trail, Saturday, June 29, 10 a.m. Sticks Kebob. Charlottesville. Easy. 10-mile bike ride along the High Bridge Trail. Learn more here.

Live the video

This week’s video comes from a scouting trip last Sunday to Rock Castle Gorge along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. We’ll be paying a visit in the fall, as part of our new quick weekend escapes series. More on that in the next couple of weeks. Meanwhile, learn more about Rock Castle Gorge here.

More options

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

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Today’s 90-Second Escape: Southern Snowy Trail’s

For a lot of us, the weather outside is never too frightful to discourage a delightful romp. Such was the case with last week’s snow storm, which wreaked havoc during its debut, but laid the groundwork for several days of rare snowy adventure in the Piedmont of North Carolina.

Today’s 90 Second Escape begins with a trail run at Lake Johnson during the storm’s opening moments on Wednesday, to its last hurrah on Sunday, on a GetHiking! Triangle hike at Umstead State Park, before temperatures in the 60s erase the last traces of white.

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Today’s 90-Second Escape: Late Spring at Lake Johnson

If you live in North Carolina, you likely experienced one of the most memorable Memorial Days, weatherwise, you can recall. Temperatures in the 70s, low humidity, cloudless skies. For all three days. Better weather you won’t find in these parts outside of mid-fall. Hopefully, you were able to take advantage.

Today, back-to-work day for many of us, was a little more seasonal. High in the mid-80s, higher humidity. Sunny skies, but with a late afternoon threat of rain. Summer weather has begun. If you’d forgotten what that’s like, we spent a few minutes with a video camera at Raleigh’s Lake Johnson. The good news? It may not be Memorial Day weekend weather, but not too bad all the same.

Enjoy this preview to summer.

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