Haiku Hike, Saturday, 10:30 a.m., Eno River State Park, Durham. Literary hike / along the gorgeous Eno / read some, compose some. Learn more here.
Occoneechee Geology Hike, Saturday, 2 p.m. Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, Hillsborough. The massive slash on the north face of mighty Occoneechee, at 867 feet the high point of the Triangle, means the pyrophyllite peak has few secrets to keep. But despite begin an open book, what does it all mean? Geologist Jean-Michel Margot has studied the mountain for decades, and shares his findings in this monthly gathering. Learn more here.read more
Carolina Beach State Park along the Cape Fear River
The natural world presents many questions in winter. This weekend, you have a chance to learn many answers.
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When you head to the coast, hiking often isn’t atop your list of things to do. It should be, especially this time of year. The bugs are at bay (or at least at a minimum), the temperatures aren’t stifling, and, perhaps most significantly, it is serene, the calm before the summer crowds descend.
And because it is the more temperate coast, nature is more alive than it is in colder reaches of the state.
Take Carolina Beach State Park, for instance, where the park’s website states, “Several coastal ecosystems are present in the park. Forests dominated by longleaf pine, turkey oak and live oak occupy the dry, coarse soil of a series of relict sand dunes. Between the dunes are dense shrub swamps, called pocosins, populated by pond pines, loblolly and sweet bay, yaupon and evergreen shrubs. Brackish marshes consisting primarily of cordgrasses and sedges can be found beyond the relict dunes adjacent to the river.”
That’s a lot to take in on your own. Fortunately, the park periodically holds a Biological Wonderland Hike, the next one of which is Saturday. Let a ranger help you identify these adjoining ecosystems and understand how they interact. The hike begins at 2 p.m., from the Flytrap Trail Parking Area.
Logistics: Biological Wonderland Hike, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2 p.m., Carolina Beach State Park, Carolina Beach. More info here.
Looking ahead: U.S. Open Fat Bike Championships, March 11, Blockade Runner Resort, Wrightsville Beach. More info here.
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One of the joys of winter in North Carolina is that it serves as the overwintering grounds for a goodly number of waterfowl. Most folks think this phenomenon is limited to the coast, where tundra swans, northern pintails and others by the hundreds of thousands spend the mild coastal winter in lakes, marshes and other wetlands. But the interior of North Carolina also gets its share of feathered visitors.
Learn about these migrants as well as the native avian population Sunday on a Waterfowl Birding Boat Tour on Lake Townsend in Greensboro. A naturalist leads this hour-and-a-half tour conducted on a pontoon boat.
Logistics: Waterfowl Birding Tour, Sunday, Feb. 26, 3 p.m., Lake Townsend Marina, Greensboro. $7. Learn more and sign on, here.
Looking ahead: Not a boat person? Take in the lake from the Palmetto & Nat Greene trails on a March 4 hike, also sponsored by Greensboro Parks & Rec. $2. More info here.
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Are you taking the North Carolina State Parks 100 Mile Challenge? Are you aware of the Challenge?
The Challenge is N.C. State Parks effort to get folks to hike 100 miles or more in their great parks during 2017. Log your hikes, complete the Challenge, get a cool commemorative pin. Learn everything you need to know about the challenge here.
Intrigued? Start your march toward 100 Sunday at Lake James State Park with the Fox Den Loop 100 Mile Challenge Hike. Ranger Kevin Bischoff leads this 2 1/4-mile hike to help you find out what the park’s permanent residents are up to in winter. Complete the hike and you’ll be 97 and 3/4 miles closer to meeting the Challenge.
Logistics: Sunday, Feb. 26, 11 a.m., Fox Den Lopp 100 Mile Challenge Hike, Lake James State Park, Nebo. More info here.
Looking ahead: Streamside Hike, March 18, South Mountains State Park, Connelly Springs. 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.
A variety of options await the weekend explorer in North Carolina this weekend. Take note of seasonal changes in a nature journaling class at Weymouth Woods, check out the overwintering bird population on Greensboro’s Lake Townsend, or take advantage of the recent cold snap and Ski North Carolina!
Coast
The natural world is ever-changing. While we may notice the more substantial changes from month to month, the more subtle shifts, from week to week, even day to day, often elude us.
Why?
Because we aren’t paying close attention. That’s part of the goal of the monthly Nature’s Notebook clinics at Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve in Southern Pines. Once a month, hikers head out into this 915-acre preserve known for its stand of regal longleaf pines (but home to more than 1,000 species of plant life), with nature notebooks in hand, to observe and “collect phenological data as part of citizen science and keep a scientific nature journal throughout the year.” The program lasts 90 minutes.
Logistics: Saturday, Jan. 9, 3 p.m., Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve, Southern Pines. More info here, or call 910.692.2167.
Looking ahead: 8th Annual Cold Stroke Classic standup paddleboard competition, Blockade Runner at Wrightsville Beach, Jan. 22-23. More info here.
Piedmont
Come winter, North Carolina’s coast is generally regarded as a haven for snowbirds migrating from the north. We speak of the feathered-and-winged variety, who settle in by the tens of thousands at Pea Island, Lake Mattamuskeet, Alligator River and the other National Wildlife Refuges dotting our coast.
But not all of these seasonals go to the coast. Find out who comes inland at Sunday’s Waterfowl Birding Pontoon Tour on Greensboro’s Lake Townsend. Explore the lake for 90 minutes with a seasoned birder who explains who’s on the lake and why.
Can’t make Sunday’s session? There are five more tours scheduled through March 27.
Logistics: Sunday, Jan. 10, 3 p.m., Lake Townsend, Browns Summit. $7, reservations required as space is limited. More information here, or by calling 336.373.3741.
Looking ahead: Another seasonal birding opportunity: Winter Birds of the Piedmont, Saturday, Jan. 30, 9 a.m., Falls Lake State Recreation Area, Wake Forest. More info here.
Mountains
Finally, skiing!
The balmy weather that dominated the region for a long while has been chased by a mass of cold air that’s been perfect for snowmaking. As a result, all six of North Carolina’s ski areas will be open this weekend, with bases of up to 56 inches! And it’s not like only a slope or two are open; most had at least half of their mountain open midweek, meaning there’s a good chance they’ll be running full throttle come the weekend.
Logistics: Your best bet for up-to-date reports from North Carolina’s — and the Southeast’s — ski areas is through the aforementioned SkiSoutheast.com.
Looking ahead: Frostbite 5K, 10K, Feb. 21, Fletcher. More information 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.
It’s that time of the month — for the second time. That makes for a rare opportunity to see two full moons in one month, and whether you see it from the water or a mountaintop, it’s an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed. Three of your viewing options follow.
Coast
You’ve heard the phrase, “Once in a Blue Moon,” referring to something that doesn’t happen often? Well, the event for which the idiom is named is happening this Friday, and Halyburton Park in Wilmington plans to take advantage of it with a Blue Moon Kayaking Adventure.
Shoving off at 5 p.m. from River Road Park, the paddlers will make their way to Shark Tooth Island, returning under the aforementioned blue moon at 9 p.m.
So what is a blue moon? In this context it’s when two full moons appear in one month, the later moon being the blue moon. And how rare is it? The next one won’t occur until 2018.
Logistics: Friday, July 31, 5 p.m., River Road Park, Wilmington. $45 if you need a boat, $35 if you bring your own. For more info and to preregister, go here.
Looking ahead: Think you’re a pretty good beach volleyball player? Make plans to drop by Carolina Beach on Saturday, August 8, and catch the action at the Carolina Beach Pro-Am, featuring some of the best players around. More info here.
Piedmont
Bummed because you live in the Triad and you just read about the Blue Moon Kayak Adventure in Wilmington, which is just a bit too far a drive?
Does driving to Greensboro’s Lake Townsend sound more doable?
Then you’re in luck, because Greensboro Parks & Rec is also sponsoring a blue moon paddle, this one from 8 to 10 p.m. Friday evening. Not only do you get to paddle under this rare full moon, but you’ll enjoy the cooling temperatures of the day as well.
Logistics: Friday, July 31, 8-10 p.m., Lake Townsend, Greensboro. $15 for a single, $22 for a tandem, $8 to launch your own craft. More info here.
Looking ahead: Really bummed because you can’t even make Friday night’s Lake Townsend paddle and the notion of a night paddle is really appealing? Worry not, Greesnboro has additional paddles planned for its watershed lakes on August 5, 12, 19 and 26. More info here.
Mountains
We couldn’t find any Blue Moon Night Hikes scheduled for the mountains, which leads us to suggest a DIY night hike from one of the best and most accessible spots for wide-open sky viewing: Shining Rock, in the Pisgah National Forest.
The Shining Rock area is known for its high, open expanses, which you can reach quickly from the parking lot (which itself is reached quickly off the Blue Ridge Parkway). Our suggestion: from the Black Balsam Access parking lot, go just past the gate on the Ivestor Gap Trail, take the Art Loeb Spur, on your right, up a half mile or so to Black Balsam and an ocean of open sky.
Logistics: To get to the Black Balsam Parking area, exit the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 420, on FS 816. Drive about a mile to the Black Balsam Parking area. Follow the trail instructions above.
Looking ahead: Here’s the thing about signing up for a race early: pay the fee and there’s a much better chance you’ll train for the event. That said, registration for the Nov. 7 20-mile Shut In Ridge Trail Run opens Saturday. An especially good race to train for, since it gains 5,000 vertical feet on the way from the French Broad River to the base of Mount Pisgah on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Register 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.
This year’s edition of the annual Great Backyard Bird Count is Feb. 15-18. On those days, amateur birdwatchers — or Citizen Scientists, as joint sponsors The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon refer to them — take as little as 15 minutes a day to record the bird activity around them. Count the number of different species you see in a given location, enter your findings at the GBBC Web site.
The count is open to even the most inexperienced birder. But if you are that inexperienced birder, you’d like to have at least some idea of what you’re looking at. If you can’t tell a robin from a wren, then you might benefit from an Armchair Birding class, which they just happen to be offering Sunday at Dismal Swamp State Park. Tips on how to ID birds and “make a contribution as a Citizen Scientist … in next week’s Great Backyard Bird Count.”
Dismal Swamp State Park!? Isn’t that up in the way far northeast corner of the state? those of you more centrally located in the Tar Heel state may protest. It is. And it turns out you needn’t travel so far for a little bird 411. In fact, instruction can be found as close as 336 — in the Greensboro area. Specifically on Lake Townsend, one of the three watershed lakes rimming the north side of Greensboro, where Greensboro Parks & Rec. runs a weekly Waterfowl Birding Tour. This week’s tour is Saturday afternoon and includes binoculars and expert consultation from a local birding club.
Logistics: Saturday, 1:30 p.m., Lake Townsend Marina. $4. Reservations required by calling 336.373.3741
In the spirit of Andy Rooney, did ya ever wonder why some plants stay green all year? Sure you have. And you can get an answer to this age-old question Saturday on the Wintergreen Hike at South Mountains State Park. Entails a “leisurely walk along the Hemlock Nature Trail.”
Logistics: Saturday, 11 a.m., meet at the Jacob Fork Parking Area. More info on the park 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.
