Your options …

March

Mount Rogers, Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, Virginia

• 20 miles (basecamp backpack)
• 2 nights
• March 11-13

The Mount Rogers area of southwest Virginia is one of the most scenic and popular backpacking destinations in the Southeast. It includes the two highest points in Virginia and open terrain akin to what you might expect out West. If you’re a backpacker and it’s not on your bucket list, it should be. On this trip we hike in a mile or so east from Elk Garden off Whitetop Road and set up basecamp. Saturday, we don daypacks for a 12.5-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail into the heart of Mount Rogers (including summiting the 5,772-foot peak, returning on the Virginia Horse Trail. Sunday, we hike to 5,525-foot Whitetop for more great views.

Learn more and register here.

April

Ideally, you don’t want to see anyone on a backpack trip, save perhaps for the folks in your group (and even then … ). That’s what tends to keep us away from some of the more popular areas. Unless you happen to know where the back door is, such as this one to …

Shining Rock Wilderness via Big East Fork

• 19-mile loop
• 3 days, 2 nights
• April 22-24

There are days when the Black Balsam parking lot at the mouth of Shining Rock is more jammed than a Walmart lot on Black Friday. Everyone wants a piece of the Shining Rock/ Art Loeb/Tennent Mountain/Black Balsam action. But head in from the Big East Fork trailhead off U.S. 276 and you’ll think it was Christmas Day. Sure, there’s a challenging 4.5-mile climb to Shining Rock Gap, but the carrot — sunset from atop the white quartz outcrop — is so worth it. You’ll mix it up briefly with the BBM (Black Balsam Masses) on Day 2 as you cross the Art Loeb Trail, but lose them when you slip behind Graveyard Fields and head down Big East Fork.

Difficulty: Strenuous, though about three quarters of the climbing is on Day 1.

Learn more and sigh up here.

May

In our backpacking lives there comes a trip where stop repeatedly and marvel, “This hike’s got it all.” “This hike,” in our case is the …

Virginia Triple Crown

• 35-mile loop
• 4 days, 3 nights
• May 19-22

On this trip you start (after 4 miles) with McAfee Knob — and it gets better from there. Mainly, that’s because you drop the hordes who hike this iconic outcrop for a trademark selfie. On Day 2 you hit Tinker Cliffs, with many of the same attributes, minus the crowds. An awesome and seemingly endless ridge line hike marks Day 3, which is capped with a day-hike scramble up Dragon’s Tooth. The hike out includes passage through a blissful meadow.

Difficulty: Strenuous
Learn more and sign up here.

June

Welcome to the most scenic stretch of trail in North Carolina (and Tennessee).

Appalachian Trail: Carver’s Gap to US 19E

• 14-miles
• 3 days, 2 nights
• June 17-19

From the git-go at Carver’s Gap, the Appalachian Trail passes over Round and Jane balds (with a side trip to a third, Grassy Ridge, possible), offering sweeping views of the North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia mountains. There’s some intimate high-ridge hiking (the mountain ash should be coming into bloom), then more balds: Little Hump and Hump mountains. At this altitude, which flirts with 6,000 feet, we may even catch some rhododendrons still in bloom

This three-day, two-night trip starts from Carvers Gap on the Appalachian Trail and heads north for 14 miles. Particularly stunning are the three balds in the first couple of miles and the famous Hump and Little Hump mountains about 10 miles later.
Day 1: We will set off from Carver’s Gap around 2 p.m., hike 5.5 miles and establish camping the meadow at the Overmountain Victory Shelter.
Day 2: We hike 5.3 miles, past Yellow Gap, over Little Hump to Hump Mountain and on to Doll Flats for camp on night 2..
Day 3: Hike out, a little more than 3 miles, to US 19E.

Difficulty: Moderate

Learn more and sign up here.

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Thru-hikes on shorter trails in 2022

Also on tap for 2022, we will lead four thru-hikes on the state’s shorter long trails. They are:

• N.C. Bartram Trail, Nantahala National Forest, 50 miles (approx), summer, date tbd.
• Art Loeb Trail, Pisgah National Forest, 31 miles, fall, date tbd.
• Foothills Trail, North Carolina/South Carolina line, 77 miles, date tbd.

We will have details on the last three hikes soon. In addition, we will offer a spring training program pertinent to these trips but also appropriate for anyone who plans to have an ambitious summer and fall of backpacking. Maybe you’re planning your own long hike, maybe you’re planning a trip out west. Our program will help get you where you need to be by the end of spring. Details coming shortly on this program, as well.

* * *

Intro to Backpacking

Not a backpacker, but want to be? In two training sessions and a weekend, you can become a bonafide backpacker in time for the prime fall hiking season. We start with a gear session via Zoom, then meet for a 5-hour in-field training session before our weekend graduation trip to South Mountains State Park.

Dates & locations

• Getting to know you, getting to know your gear, Zoom meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 2 . 5:30 – 7 p.m. 1.5 hours
• Training Day: Saturday, May 7, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Morrow Mountain  State Park, Albemarle
• Graduation trip: Friday afternoon thru Sunday, June 10-12, South Mountains State Park, Morganton.

Included in the program

• Instruction, including:
  • Zoom gear session
  • 5-hour in-field training session
  • Graduation weekend
•  Info packet, including:
  • Gear lists
  • Tips sheets for:
    • Packing
    • Water crossings
    • Winter camping
• GetBackpacking! Guide to 10 Great Places to Backpack in North Carolina once you’ve graduated
• eguide outlining the program and covering what you’ll learn
• 20 percent off coupon to Great Outdoor Provision Co.

Loaner gear. We have a limited number of backpacks and tents available on a first-requested, first-awarded basis, at no extra charge.

Cost: $295

Learn more and sign up here.

The post GetBackpacking! Spring 2022 appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Not hardly.

Not when you live in part of the country where you can experience a rare coastal forest escape, hike on the country’s most iconic trail, and explore a high country oasis all while enjoying the cold embrace of the season, minus the threat. Sure, it can get cold and there can be snow. But not to the extent you need extreme weather gear to survive. Rather, winter here offers a stark beauty that can be enjoyed in solitude. And if you really don’t like the “cold,” but can tolerate cool, winter backpacking at the coast offers an experience you can’t have any other time of year.

This winter, GetBackpacking! offers three trips that capture the best of what backpacking has to offer during a season too often associated with hibernation, not exploration. Two are classics that we’ve done the past several years, one is new to our GetBackpacking! program.

January

Neusiok Trail, Croatan National Forest, Havelock 

• 21 miles
• 2 nights

The 21-mile Neusiok Trail takes you backpacking where most people least expect to go backpacking: a coastal swamp, But it’s more than just that. For our hike, we start late Friday afternoon and hike 2 miles to camp. It’s a hike at dusk, where the sun sets over the expansive Newport River, dipping below the horizon about the time we turn inland to camp. Day 2 takes us through coastal woods so dense the only clearing is the wide-foot-wide  path that slices through bay thickets and a variety of bushes before opening into pine savannah. On a cold, sunny winter’s day it doesn’t get much better. Day 3 begins the same, then morph’s for 5 miles into rolling terrain and woods more reminiscent of the Piedmont before concluding with a mile-long run along the mile-wide Neuse River, which at this point more resembles the Pamlico Sound it will shortly feed into.

Dates: January 28-30 

Learn more and register here.

February

Appalachian Trail between Max Patch and Hot Springs

• 21 miles
• 2 nights

Part of the thrill of this 21-mile trek — and the reason we do it every February — is that you never know what to expect. Three years ago, the forecast, at one point, called for up to 20 inches of snow and temperatures dropping to 7 degrees (we postponed that one). Another year, the temperature hit 70 degrees and, I swear to Colin Fletcher, we saw spring beauties popping up at 4,500 feet. We begin Friday afternoon taking a shuttle from Hot Springs to Max Patch; we soak up the view, then hike 2 miles to camp for the night. Saturday is 11 miles of AT delight, hiking mostly through classic Southern Appalachian hardwood forest, passing through a couple of gaps, hiking over 4,692-foot Bluff Mountain, then dropping into Garenflo Gap, to camp. The 7-mile hike out on Sunday ascends Lamp Knob, then mellows out, for the most part, with a descent into Hot Springs — where a variety of burger options awaits.

Dates: February 25-27 

Learn more and register here.

March

Mount Rogers, Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, Virginia

• 20 miles (basecamp backpack)
• 2 nights

The Mount Rogers area of southwest Virginia is one of the most scenic and popular backpacking destinations in the Southeast. It includes the two highest points in Virginia and open terrain akin to what you might expect out West. If you’re a backpacker and it’s not on your bucket list, it should be. On this trip we hike in a mile or so east from Elk Garden off Whitetop Road and set up basecamp. Saturday, we don daypacks for a 12.5-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail into the heart of Mount Rogers (including summiting the 5,772-foot peak, returning on the Virginia Horse Trail. Sunday, we hike to 5,525-foot Whitetop for more great views.

Dates: March 11-13 

Learn more and register here.

* * *

Thru-hikes on shorter trails in 2022

Also on tap for 2022, we will lead four thru-hikes on the state’s shorter long trails. They are:

• Neusiok Trail, Croatan National Forest, 21 miles. Jan. 28-30 (see above)
• N.C. Bartram Trail, Nantahala National Forest, 50 miles (approx), summer, date tbd.
• Art Loeb Trail, Pisgah National Forest, 31 miles, fall, date tbd.
• Foothills Trail, North Carolina/South Carolina line, 77 miles, date tbd.

We will have details on the last three hikes soon. In addition, we will offer a winter/spring training program pertinent to these trips but also appropriate for anyone who plans to have an ambitious summer and fall of backpacking. Maybe you’re planning your own long hike, maybe you’re planning a trip out west. Our program will help get you where you need to be by the end of spring. Details coming shortly on this program, as well. 

The post GetBackpacking! Winter 2022 appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Shining Rock Wilderness

Pisgah National Forest

We love it because: Start high (above 5,000 feet), stay high (topping 6,000 feet) through mostly open terrain.

Miles of trail: 50+

From late spring through mid-fall, it’s not unusual to find the Black Balsam Access over-run with cars, especially on the weekends. Most of those folks won’t get more than a couple miles from their car, meaning once you eclipse this invisible barrier the wide vistas and mountaintop views are yours. If you do the basecamp option and camp at Shining Rock, be sure to catch sunset from atop the rock: it’s about a 10-minute climb from camp, and it can take an extra minute or two to find the easiest route. Also be advised that bear canisters are required for food storage in much of the area.

Best basecamp option: Hike in 4.5 miles in full pack to the base of Shining Rock and set up basecamp. Multiple day-hike options from here, including: 1) Shining Rock Ledge to Cold Mountain (11.4 miles); 2) Art Loeb Trail to Black Balsam and Graveyard Fields (14 miles); 3) Investor Gap Trail to Sam Knob and Little Sam Knob (15.6 miles); 4) Shining Rock down Shining Creek Trail, back up Big East Fork and Greasy Cove trails to the Art Loeb and back (15 miles)

Best day-hike option: Sam Knob/Little Sam Knob loop from Black Balsam Access (8.2 miles)

Best backpacking option:  Big East Fork loop, from US 276 trailhead hike up Big East Fork to Shining Rock for Night 1, across the Art Loeb Trail to Yellowstone Prong for Night 2, Yellowstone Prong back to trailhead. 19 miles

More info here.

Standing Indian / Appalachian Trail

Nantahala National Forest

We love it because: A 30-mile loop hike on a linear trail, about two-thirds of which is along ridge

Miles of trail: 50+

The geology of this horseshoe-shaped bowl makes Standing Indian a hiker’s paradise. The Appalachian Trail follows the majority of the rim, for about 18 miles. With at least 7 names trails heading up from the bottom and connecting with the AT, there are numerous loop options (some requiring a short hike on Forest Service road). There’s two notable peaks to summit — 5,499-foot Standing Indian Mountain and 5,250-foot Albert Mountain, with notable views along the ridge. Good camping abounds along the way.

Best basecamp option: Car camp in the Standing Indian Campground. Multiple day-hike options, including: 1. Kimsey Creek to the Appalachian Trail to Standing Indian Mountain returning via the Chestnut Ridge Trail (11 miles); 2. Longbranch Trail to the AT, then south to Albert Mountain and returning down the Hurricane Creek Horse Trail with a short road walk (10 miles); 3. From Mooney Gap, hike south on the AT to Standing Indian Mountain, then down the mountain on Chestnut Ridge Trail to camp (shuttle required; 14 miles).

Best day-hike option: Kimsey Creek Trail to the AT, go north to Standing Indian Mountain, then return via Chestnut Ridge Trail trail (11 miles).

Best backpacking option: 30-mile loop starting from backcountry trailhead and up Longbranch Trail to AT, then south over Albert and Standing Indian mountains, returning via Kimsey Creek Trail.

More info here.

Black Mountains

Mount Mitchell State Park/Pisgah National Forest

We love it because: Topping out just under 6,700 feet, these are the highest mountains east of South Dakota’s Black Hills.

Miles of trail: 30+

Southern Appalachian hardwood forests are great, and in the Black Mountains you’ll hike through plenty. You’ll also hike, starting around 5,500 feet, through spruce and fir forests more commonly found much farther north. That “hiking elsewhere” feel is part of the allure of the Black Mountains. The rugged Black Mountain Crest, which spends much of its time above 6,000 feet, offers great outcrop exploring and great views.

Best basecamp option: Two options. 1. For the full Mount Mitchell experience, camp at the Black Mountain campground and take the Mount Mitchell Trail for 5.5 miles and 3,700 feet of vertical gain to the top of 6,684-foot Mitchell (11 miles roundtrip); or, 2. Camp in the Mount Mitchell State Park campground and spend one day exploring the roughly 8 miles of trail exploring the park, then a second day hiking north on the Black Mountain Crest trail to Mount Craig (1 mile), Big Tom, Balsam Cone, Cattail Peak and Potato Hill before dropping down to Deep Gap after 3.8 miles — a very challenging 3.8 miles.

Best day-hike option: Black Mountain Crest Trail. 6,648-foot Mount Craig is “just” a mile, with four more 6,000-foot peeks before reaching Deep Gap at mile 3.8 (and remember, you’ll need to hike back the same way).

Best backpacking option:  Colbert Ridge loop from the book

More info here.

Neusiok Trail  (late fall)

Croatan National Forest

We love it because:: Where else can you hike 21 miles through swamp, coastal forest and pine savannah?

Miles of trail: 21

The last place you’d pick to hike — a coastal forest — is the first place we think to go in winter. One, because you can only hike it in late fall and winter (the rest of the year its consumed by flying and slithering things). But mainly because it’s cool, but typically not cold, and exceptionally peaceful, muffled in large part by a dense forest that’s mostly pine on the south end, hardwood on the north.

Best basecamp option: Camp at the Oyster Point Campground and day-hike the various sections of the trail (providing about 3 days of day-hike options).

Best day-hike option: From the Pine Cliff Recreation Area, pick up the Neusiok Trail as it runs along the south bank of the Neuse River before heading inland through rolling coastal forest. After 7 miles, at NC 306, it’s about a 2-mile hike back to the car (briefly on NC 306, then on the gravel road back to Pine Cliff.

Best backpacking option: Meet at the Pine Cliff equestrian lot, then shuttle to the trailhead at Oyster point, staying Night 1 at the Blackjack Lodge Shelter and Night 2 at the Dogwood Shelter. Days of 2, 9 and 10 miles.

More info here.

Mount Rogers / Grayson Highlands

Jefferson National Forest / Grayson Highlands State Park, Virginia

We love it because: High, open terrain with sweeping rock outcrops; reminiscent of exploring out West

Miles of trail: 100+

Anyone who owns a backpack in the Southeast knows Mount Rogers. The National Recreation Area bearing its name covers more than 200,000 acres, with another 4,500 acres in adjoining Grayson Highlands State Park

Best basecamp option: From the Grayson Highlands backcountry lot, hike in full pack 4.5 miles to Rhododendron Gap and set up basecamp. Day hikes include: 1. Lewis Fork Wilderness (various options, starting at around 7 miles); 2. Appalachian Trail to Scales and back via the Crest Trail (12 miles); 3. To Mount Rogers and Whitetop mountains and back (10 miles).

Best day-hike option: From Grayson Highlands to Rhododendron Gap up to Mount Rogers (14 miles).

Best backpacking option:  Mount Rogers Loop Trail, starting from Grayson Highlands and including the AT and Crest Trails.

More info here and here and here.

The post 5 Special Spots for hiking and backpacking appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Where? you inquire.

Here are 10 spots where we think you should head based on two things:

1. The temperature. Hike in the mountains and you could be starting out in temperatures in the 40s!
2. Fall color. Hike in the mountains, and high enough in the mountains (above 5,500 feet), and you could see the start of some pretty good color. 

Based on those two criteria, most of our recommendations are all in the mountains. Enjoy!

North Carolina

1. Black Mountain Crest Trail

Mount Mitchell State Park

North Carolina

Might as well start at the top, atop 6,684-foot Mount Mitchell, the highest point on the East Coast. Anchoring the north end of the Black Mountain Crest Trail, you can start from the state park’s snackateria and hit several peaks above 6,000 feet and see a good color show consisting of fire cherry, yellow birch, mountain ash and mountain maple. Note: the Crest rail is technically challenging, with mild scrambling in spots. Fortunately, the best view is from the nearest peak: Mount Craig.

More info here.

2. Tanawha Trail / Mountains-to-Sea Trail

Blue Ridge Parkway

North Carolina

The 13-mile Tanawha at the base of Grandfather Mountain is best known for its rocky southern half. But put in at Boone Fork and head north and you’ll spend time initially in a mature hardwood forest, later in small rolling meadows that offer intimate exposure to the Blue Ridge’s less aggressive side. You’ll also find more potential for early color on the northern end. Additional advantage: paralleling the Blue Ridge Parkway as it does, you’ll find it super easy to set shuttles — along the 13.5-mile length of the trail there are 11 access points. 

More info here.

3. Linville Gorge

Pisgah National Forest

North Carolina

One of our favorite hikes in the state, the 2.2-mile trail up to Shortoff Mountain from the end of Wolf Pit Road is a good climb, but pays off in three miles of trail with repeated outcrop views up the gorge, down into the gorge and beyond, to Lake James. On a clear, crisp fall day you may not experience better color. In spots, the gorge rises 1,300 feet above the Linville River (which drops 2,000 vertical feet from the north end to the south), offering one of the most awe-inspiring views in the state. If you’re comfortable hiking in the dark (back to your car) and driving a windy forest service road in the dark, plan to be on Shortoff around sundown for one of the best sunsets around.

More info here.

4. Mountain Trail

Pilot Mountain State Park

North Carolina

Pilot Mountain, with its distinctive knob towering 1,400 feet above the surrounding countryside, is a hot spot when autumn’s colors heat up. Avoid the resulting crowds by picking up the 4.5-mile Mountain Trail from the little-used Corridor Access. The connecting Grindstone Trail takes you to the top, for great views. Another option for avoiding fall crowds: take the new 3.3-mile Pilot Creek Trail, which starts low on the north side of the park and connects with the Mountain and Grindstone trails for a trip to the summit.

More info here.

4. Uwharrie Trail: Sections 3 & 4

Uwharrie National Forest

North Carolina

So maybe you live in the Piedmont and don’t have time to visit the mountains but still want a mountain-like experience: you need to pay a visit to North Carolina’s under-appreciated mountain range, the Uwharries. Located within an hour and a half of Charlotte, the Triad and the Triangle, the Uwharries offer peaks reaching 1,000 feet (hey, it’s the Piedmont!) and one awesome view, which you can reach from the Jumpin’ Off Rock trailhead. Take the Uwharrie Trail north following a creek for a ways, then climbing Little Long Mountain for the best view in the Uwharries. Continuing north, it tops out on 1,020-foot King Mountain, the highest point on the Uwharrie Trail. Lots of good fall hardwoods along the way.

More info here.

5. Summit Trail

Elk Knob State Park

Todd

Elk Knob is the perfect early season fall destination. At 5,520 feet, it offers unsurpassed views (nearly 360 degrees), but it’s the view to the north that’s especially captivating in fall. We’ll let the park website explain why: “Elk Knob contains an excellent example of a northern hardwood forest … typically found above 4,000 feet in elevation [are] sugar maple, yellow birch, American beech, and yellow buckeye.” That is, the trees that give forests in New England their vaunted glow. In addition, from atop Elk Knob you can see Three Top and Bluff mountains, Mount Jefferson, Grandfather Mountain, Mount Mitchell, Mt. Rogers in Virginia and the Iron Mountains in Virginia and Tennessee. And it’s not just the summit: the 1.9-mile hike to the top is one one of the most well-crafted trails around.

More info here.

6. Moore’s Wall Loop Trail

Hanging Rock State Park

Danbury

Mountain-top 360-degree views are few in the Piedmont. At Hanging Rock, you have two. Hanging Rock proper is just 1.3 miles from the Visitor Center, making it a popular choice for the masses who descend on fall weekends. Less popular is the 4.7-mile Moore’s Wall Loop, which, regardless of whether you hike it clockwise (our choice) or counter, requires payment in leg labor for the resulting views. Ah, but what views they are: to the west (Blue Ridge) and north (Virginia’s George Washington National Forest) you can watch the color cascading your way. Or, hiked in late October into November, look south and east to see the Piedmont light up in the distance.

More info here.

Virginia

1. Hawksbill Mountain

Shenandoah National Park

Virginia

At 4,050 feet, Hawksbill is the highest point in the Shenandoah National Park, and thus, presumably, the first place to spot fall color. Take the steep 1.7-mile out-and-back or the 2.9-mile loop trail, from MP 45.6 on Skyline Drive. Connect to the Appalachian Trail to extend your hiking time. The hike is a favorite of our GetHiking! Charlottesville group. 

More info here.

2. Rock Castle Gorge

Blue Ridge Parkway

Virginia

A hidden favorite that’s surprisingly close to the Triad area. Start from the base, at the VA 605 access and get your climbing out of the way early, with a 3-mile hike up the Blue Ridge Escarpment to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Here, follow the trail south for 3.5 miles through mountain meadows (the cows are friendly), until a rocky 1.5-mile descent back into the gorge. Your last 2.8 miles is a steady descent on old roadbed along Rock Castle Creek. A 10.8-mile with enough distractions to keep your mind off the fact the elevation on this hike ranges from 1,700 to nearly 3,600 feet. Along the way you’ll pass through rhododendron hells, along a frisky mountain stream, past long-abandoned buildings.

More info here.

3. Peaks of Otter

Blue Ridge Parkway

Virginia

It gets a little crowded, though the challenging terrain thins the crowds on certain trails. In fact, that’s one of the advantages here. Got a mix of hikers in your group? The die-hards head one way, the strollers another. The latter will also appreciate the civilities here: the visitor center, the lodge, the restrooms.

More info here.

4. Mount Rogers

Mount Rogers National Recreation Area

Virginia

Mount Rogers and the adjoining Grayson Highlands State Park offer a trip out West in southwest Virginia. Rock outcrops and vast open spaces offer the type of wide-open experience folks head to the Rockies for. The only place you won’t find a view? Atop Mount Rogers, at 5,729 feet the highest point in Virginia.

More info here.

The post Fall evicts Summer this weekend; here’s where to hike appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Coast: 8th Annual Cold Stroke Classic

Head on down to Wrightsville Beach this weekend to participate in (or watch) the 8th Annual Cold Stroke Classic! Lots of standup paddleboarders competing in different divisions: based on age, gender and height. Friday, there is a pig pickin’ and music fest, followed by the races on Saturday. Registration ends this Friday!

There are two races, a 3.5-mile recreational race, and a 7-mile elite race with cash prizes for winners! All racers must bring a USCG approved PFD in order to participate. Registration fees differ based on category.

Weather policy: there will be a weather call Saturday morning. Canceling will occur only if paddling conditions are unsafe.

Vital stats: 8th Annual Cold Stroke Classic, Friday and Saturday, more information here or here. ColdStroke@coastalurge.com or head here.

Saturday forecast: High of 42, chance of rain. Might wear a wetsuit. Or a dry suit.

Looking ahead: Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Marathon Madness; marathon, half-marathon, marathon relay, 5K, 1-mile run, March 18-20. More info here.

Piedmont: Mount Rogers Hike

Weather permitting, this Saturday the Piedmont Hiking and Outing Club is hiking the Mount Rogers Trail to intersect with the Appalachian Trail, Northbound, in the popular Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in southwestern Virginia. Before signing on, the club advises that you be prepared for cold temperatures, high winds and possibly deep snow!

If you can’t make this hike, the club is one of the more active outdoors groups in the region. Check their website for a schedule of activities; individual membership fees are $20 per year, family memberships are $30 annually.

Vital stats: Saturday, Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, visit the club’s website for meeting time and additional information.

Saturday forecast: Snow starting Thursday evening will begin to taper Saturday morning, with accumulations of 18 inches expected. High temp: 30.

Looking ahead: Nature’s Notebook Hike, Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve, Saturday, Feb. 6. More info here.

Mountains: Icycle Mountain Bike Event

“The most fun you’ll ever have on two wheels, rain, sleet, snow or sunshine,” promises the event’s sponsors. Fontana Village Resort hosts the Icycle Mountain Bike Event Saturday. Cross-country races begin at 11 a.m. and go late into the night. If you’re looking for a challenging winter mountain bike race, the IBM should do it.

Registration takes place in advance and race day; fees vary, see website.

Vital stats: Icycle Mountain Bike Event, Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. into the night, Fontana Village Resort, Fontana Dam. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Snow throughout the day, high of 32.

Looking ahead: Swannanoa Rim Hike #3: Cherokee Boundary, March 19, 4.5-mile hike nearly all off trail. More info here.

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

The post Weekend Plans: Ice? Snow? Bah! appeared first on GetGoing NC!.