• Elk Knob State Park, for instance, located between Boone and West Jefferson, has one of the best mountaintop views in the state (see photo at top) from its 5,520-foot summit, a sweeping look east, north and west into Virginia and Tennessee. (And the 2-mile climb to get there is swell as well.)
• Mount Jefferson State Natural Area towers above the town of Jefferson, and if you’re not up for the 1,000-foot vertical climb to the top, you can drive to the top and hike around this 4,465-foot mountaintop.
• Pond Mountain. Love Mount Rogers in Virginia but aren’t crazy about the crowds? Pond Mountain, a joint venture by the Blue Ridge Conservancy and N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, is a similarly open and exposed mountain that also has that wide-lonesome feel of the West.
• New River. One of the oldest rivers in the world and one of the most relaxing to paddle (you can even hike along its banks).

That’s just a taste of the adventure to be had at the Year of the Trail Weekend Festival in West Jefferson Aug. 4-6. The event is sponsored by the towns of West Jefferson, Lansing and Jefferson; Ashe County; the Blue Ridge Conservancy; the New River Conservancy; and, the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources’ Hometown Strong initiative. 

A quick rundown of events follows. Go here for details on each event and to sign up. And did we mention there’s also a festival — Friday night in West Jefferson, Saturday night in Lansing. And snorkeling in a mountain stream? Read on.

Friday August 4

1-3 p.m. — Snorkel the Roaring River., part of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s new Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail.

3 p.m. — Paddy Mountain/Northern Peaks State Trail celebration for North Carolina’s 40-mile Northern Peaks State Trail eventually linking West Jefferson, Mount Jefferson State Natural Area, Elk Knob State Park and Boone.

4-8 p.m. – Live music downtown West Jefferson.

5 p.m. – Guided hike on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along the Blue Ridge Parkway at Jumping Off Rocks, Glendale Springs. 2 miles.

Saturday August 5

8-5 p.m. — Registration and information table at Farmer’s Market.

8-4 p.m. – Vendors featuring outdoors gear and crafts behind Farmer’s Market. Hourly outdoor skill and equipment demos.

9 a.m. – Elk Knob State Park, Todd. Summit Trail Hike, 4 miles. Moderate/strenuous.

9 a.m. – New River State Park 5-mile paddle.

10 a.m. – Mount Jefferson State Natural Area, Jefferson. Summit and Rhododendron trails, 1.5 miles. Easy/moderate.

1 p.m. – New River State Park, Wagoner Access, 3- and 7-mile hikes on Riverbend Trail. Easy/moderate.

2 p.m. – Pond Mountain, Creston, 1-4 mile hike, Easy/moderate..

3:30 p.m. – Lansing Creeper Trail Park, Lansing. Guided mountain-bike ride, 3-4 miles.

4 p.m. – Jennifer McGaha, author of “Bushwhacked,” reads from her book at the Old Orchard Creek General Store in Lansing.

Sunday August 6

Self-guided hikes suggested for Sunday:

• Pond Mountain, easy/moderate: 4 miles.
• Three Top Mountain, strenuous: 4.2 miles.
• Elk Knob State Park, moderate/strenuous: Summit Trail, 4 miles.
• Mount Jefferson State Natural Area: Summit, Rhododendron, Lost Province trails, easy/moderate, 2.5 miles.

Information on each hike will be available at the registration/information table in West Jefferson.

The post YOTT Festival celebrates NC’s northern mountains appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

It’s been cool most of the week throughout our blogging area, and it will be cool again at least on Saturday, making this the perfect summer weekend to get in a hike.

Mount Jefferson Downhill Skateboarding Event, Saturday and Sunday, starts at 9 a.m. both days, Mount Jefferson State Natural Area, West Jefferson. Scratching your head, are you? Here’s the deal: The 1.6-mile road to the summit of 4,683-foot Mount Jefferson will be closed to vehicles both days to accommodate the mountain’s annual downhill skateboard race. Yup, youngsters on skateboards — more than 100 of ‘em — will skateboard down the mountain, dropping more than 700 vertical feet along the way. However, there will be shuttle service to the top of the mountain: park at the Lowe’s in West Jefferson and take a shuttle to the top, where you can hike the park’s 5 miles of trail. And you can check out the race as well. (FYI, one of the sponsors for the race, the Ian Tilmann Foundation, will be giving helmets to the first 100 kids who sign a pledge to wear a helmet while skateboarding.) Learn more about the race here and hiking at Mount Jefferson here.

Ranger-led Hike on the Profile Trail, Sunday, 10 a.m., Grandfather Mountain State Park,  Banner Elk. Think of Grandfather Mountain and you think of winging bridges and wild weather. That’s all on top of the mountain. At the base, on the massif’s northwest flank, lies the start of the Profile Trail, which revels in stately Southern Appalachian hardwoods and tranquil hiking. Join a ranger to explore this softer side of old Grandad on a 2-mile, 2-hour hike. Learn more and sign up here.

Sunday Morning Birdwalk, Sunday, 8 a.m., Eno River State Park, Durham. Ever walk through the woods in the early morning, hear the avian chatter and wonder who’s talking — and what they’re saying. Eavesdrop with a ranger on this leisurely 2-mile hike. Learn more and sign up 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

The Joyce Kilmer/Slickrock Wilderness in the Nantahala National Forest, coupled with the adjoining Citico Creek Wilderness in adjoining Tennessee, make up more than 35,000 acres of some of the wildest terrain on the East Coast. GetBackpacking! spent four days exploring the wilderness this past weekend, and will return next year. Until then, learn more about the area’s trails here.

More 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!.

Vade Mecum Trails Open, Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Hanging Rock State Park, Danbury. The first weekend of every month, Hanging Rock and the Friends of Sauartown Mountains open the trail network at the park’s Vade Mecum addition. The 716-acre former Camp Sertoma 4-H Educational Center, with miles of trail, was added to the park in 2014. Learn more and sign up here.

Bear Island Eco-Hike, Sunday, 10:15 a.m., Hammocks Beach State Park, Swansboro. If you’re spending Labor Day weekend in the Crystal Coast area, head over to Swansboro Sunday morning and hike the dunes of a barrier island with a ranger. Learn more and sign up here.

Hike at Naked Creek Restoration Site, Monday, 11 a.m., Mount Jefferson State Natural Area, West Jefferson. Another opportunity (see Vade Mecum) to explore new terrain at a North Carolina State Park. Says the program description: “We will start at the park office and drive to the newest park access. Once there, we will begin a relaxing saunter through a kaleidoscope of wildflowers and butterflies. Bring your cameras and wildflower books. Learn more and sign up here.

You can find more opportunities this Labor Day weekend here:

• North Carolina State Parks have a variety of adventures planned for the weekend. Check those options here.
• North Carolina Environmental Education Centers has an extensive calendar of what’s happening at its affiliates; check it out here.
• You can also find more adventures right here, at GetGoingNC.com.

And learn more about where we spent last weekend, featured in the video, by visiting the web sites for Little River Regional Park and Eno River State Park.

The post Getout! Your Nudge to Get Out This Labor Day Weekend appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Yeah, it’s still hot. But over the past couple of weeks we’ve had delightful dalliances with low humidity. Low meaning less than 50 percent, but low enough to put a little bounce in your step. This weekend, we hope to help you get the most of that bounce with a suggestion or two on what you can do.

Night Hike Adventure, Saturday, 8:30 p.m. Mount Jefferson State Natural Area, West Jefferson. Hike at night: that’s something you typically can’t do (legally, at least) in a state park. Saturday is the exception, when a ranger takes you on a tour of the trails atop Mount Jefferson. Sans clouds you’ll see the day’s fading light on some of the Southeast’s most notable peaks. Bring a flashlight for the times you’ll be hiking and not gawking. More into and register here.

Canoe the Mayo, Saturday, 10 a.m. Mayo River State Park, Mayodan. Paddling a river can be a bit of a production even if you have a boat, costly if you don’t. Just one reason we like this periodic paddle trip at Mayo River State Park. The Mayo is a fairly intimate river that’ll you get to spend 4 to 5 hours on (depending upon water levels). Free, put you will need to make your own arrangements to get back to your car at the put-in. More info and register here.

Bike to the Burn, Sunday, 9:30 a.m. Dismal Swamp State Park, South Mills. Notice this this is called Bike to the Burn, not Bike ’til you Burn, the key distinction is this won’t be like that spin class you tried at the gym a couple years back. Rather, you’ll pedal with Ranger Joe out to the site of the swamp’s last wildfire (a wildfire in a swamp — that alone is incentive to attend). About 17 miles total, with no one screaming at you to climb out of the saddle and PUSH! No bike, no problem; you can borrow one. More info and register here.

You can also join our GetHiking! group on a pair of hikes this weekend:

Hike the MST Cheek to Creek, Saturday, 9 a.m., Mountains-to-Sea Trail along Falls Lake. 5 miles. We hike a section of the MST we haven’t hiked in a while, the 5-mile run from Cheek Road east to just past Little Lick Creek. Not as hilly as much of the MST along Falls Lake, and a tight-wire crossing of Little Lick Creek. An easy to moderate hike, depending upon how much you’ve been hiking. More info and register here.

A Mellow Meander at the Confluence Natural Area, Sunday, 10 a.m., Confluence Natural Area, Hillsborough. Earlier this year, the Eno River Association opened the Confluence Natural Area, a 200-acre preserve at the confluence of the East and West branches of the Eno River in Orange County. We’ll hike two mellow miles and get to know this new preserve. More info and register here.

You can find more opportunities this weekend here:

• North Carolina State Parks have a variety of adventures planned for the weekend. Check those options here.
• North Carolina Environmental Education Centers has an extensive calendar of what’s happening at its affiliates; check it out here.
• You can also find more adventures right here, at GetGoingNC.com.

And learn more about where we spent last weekend, featured in the video, by visiting the web sites for Little River Regional Park and Eno River State Park.

The post GetOut! Your Nudge to get out this weekend appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Coast

We hike, in part, to explore (which is one reason the urge to go off trail can be so great). We love to see new things, love to see things that not a lot of other folks get to see. Hence, our recommendation for Saturday’s Jones Island Eco-Tour at Hammocks Beach State Park.

If you’ve spent much time in Swansboro, or explored the Cedar Point area of the Croatan National Forest, you’ve probably seen the forested, 24-acre island at the mouth of the White Oak River, just before it passes under NC 24. After a short boat ride, a ranger leads a walk around the island, which features various distinct habitats. “We will explore the island and the surrounding waters discussing about the wildlife and ecosystems of this unique island as well as its cultural history influences.”

Logistics: Jones Island Eco-Tour, Saturday, Nov. 12, 10 a.m., Hammocks Beach State Park, Swansboro. Free, but space is limited and preregistration required, by calling 910.326.4881.

Saturday forecast: Temperatures in the low 50s under sunny skies.

* * *

Looking ahead: North Carolina Birding Trail Hike, Halyburton Park, Wilmington, Dec. 15, 8 a.m. More info here.

Piedmont

We’re used to looking to the treetops for our fall color. But there’s often good color in the understory. And that will be the focus of Sunday’s Fall Paint Hill Hike at Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve.

As the Weymouth Woods website puts it: “The pine trees” — Weymouth Woods is known for its impressive tract of longleaf pines — “may stay green year round, but there are still many plants in the longleaf understory that put on a nice fall show. Join us for a 1.5 mile stroll around the Paint Hill tract of Weymouth Woods to enjoy an autumn afternoon in the Sandhills.”

Logistics: Fall Paint Hill Hike, Sunday, 3 p.m., Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, Southern Pines. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Clear, with hikes in the low 60s.

* * *

Looking ahead: Occoneechee Geology Hike, Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, Hillsborough, Dec. 17, 2 p.m. More info here.

Mountains

Back in the day, we heard of people who would buy a ticket to the matinee down at the Bijou, then, when that show was over, they’d mill about in the restroom for half an hour and sneak into a later show. Reprehensible behavior that, again, we’d heard other people who were not ourself had done.

We’re wondering if some of those same folks might have similar thoughts about Saturday’s back-to-back program at Mount Jefferson State Natural Area in West Jefferson. At 2 p.m., a ranger takes you on a hike through the geologic wonders of the mountain’s unique metamorphic rocks. Then, at 4 p.m., a ranger holds court atop the mountain, pointing out the surrounding peaks and talking local history.

Should you be inclined to double-dip, no one will look at you askance: both programs are free.

Logistics: Saturday, Geology Hike at 2 p.m., Vista Viewing at 4 p.m., Mount Jefferson State Natural Area, West Jefferson. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Afternoon highs around 50 under clear skies.

* * *

Looking ahead: Loons of Lake James Boat Tour, Lake James State Park, Nebo, Dec. 4, 1:45 p.m. More info here.

* * *

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

Coast

The post This weekend: Yet another great weekend to GET OUT!  appeared first on GetGoing NC!.