How about Transylvania and Jackson counties, and their respective basecamps of Brevard and Sylva?

From Tuesday, Sept. 9 through Sunday, Sept. 14, those communities along with the State of North Carolina’s Department of Natural and Cultural Resources are sponsoring two events under Gov. Josh Stein’s Rediscover the Unforgettable campaign. That campaign aims to let folks know that Western North Carolina is rebounding from last September’s Hurricane Helene and is eager to welcome tourists.

A disclosure before pressing on: My day job is with the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and a good deal of my time lately has been spent helping to put these events together. Thus, I’m exceptionally excited about both events, which you can find out more about by clicking the links below:

• Rediscover the Unforgettable: The Art of Exploring Brevard (this event coincides with Brevard’s second annual Plein Air Festival), Sept. 9-10
• Rediscover the Unforgettable: Sylva Adventure Sampler, Sept. 12-14

Both events include a smorgasbord of adventures, from rafting, paddling and tubing, to mountain biking, waterfall chasing and Forest Bathing.

And, of course, hiking.

There are 7 hikes as part of both events. And because the events are back-to-back, that’s nearly a week’s worth of continuous hiking. All the incentive you need to make a getaway out of it.

The hikes

The hike schedule follows. Although most hikes are free, space is limited; If you see a hike of interest, click the link and sign up. Additional information — trailhead location, weather forecast two days out, what to wear and bring — will be sent upon registration.

• 

  Tuesday, Sept. 9, 10 a.m. John Rock Hike, 4.7 miles, moderate difficulty. This lollipop loop hike starts and ends from the Fish Hatchery near the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, and includes a break atop the trail’s namesake, a rock outcrop offering stellar views. Learn more and sign up here.

• Tuesday, Sept. 9, 4 p.m., Pink Beds Loop, 5 miles, moderate difficulty. A surprisingly flat hike, this trail spends much of its time navigating a rare mountain bog, elevated in the swampy parts by strategically placed boardwalk. Learn more and sign up here.

• 

  Wednesday, Sept. 10, 10 a.m., Sam Knob Hike, 8.7 miles, moderate difficulty. This hike includes great views of the Shining Rock Wilderness and passage along mountain streams, a waterfall, through a high-altitude Balsam Forest and more. Learn more and sign up here.’

• Friday, Sept. 12, 9 a.m., Pinnacle Park in. Sylva.  This 6.2-mile up-and-back hike on the Pinnacle Trail will be led by Jackson County Parks and Recreation. It gains 2,000 vertical feet and is recommended “for those who have previous experience hiking, although anyone is encouraged to try.” Learn more and sign up here.
• Saturday, Sept, 13, 9:30 a.m. – noon, Forest bathing at Pinnacle Park, If you’ve heard of forest bathing, the Japanese practice of restoring your soul through nature, here’s your chance to check it out. This hike will be led by Mark Ellison, a certified forest therapy guide and forest therapy trail consultant by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. Learn more and sign up here.
• Saturday, Sept. 13, 5 p.m., Late Day Walk on the Jackson County Greenway, Sylva, 5 p.m. We wind down the day with a mellow 2.3-mile walk on the Jackson County Greenway in Sylva. Learn more and sign up here.
• Sunday, Sept. 14, 9 a.m., Hike the Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Soco Gap to Waterrock Knob, 8.8 miles. moderately difficult. On this out-and-back hike we will ascend to the highest point on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, 6,692-foot Waterrock Knob, then descend back to the trailhead. Learn more and sign up here.

This is a great lineup of hikes and the perfect opportunity to reintroduce your hiking self to Western North Carolina. Not a bad way to get a jump on the fall hiking season.

Hope to see you there!

The post Rediscover Western NC with a week of great hikes appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

“In the coming weeks and months, we will be surveying the trail and assessing damage, but trail restoration is a very low priority in light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis facing western North Carolina … it is likely that sections of the trail will remain closed for a significant length of time.”

Trails are a low priority in the recovery scheme of things. An incredible amount of work needs to be done to get the communities of WNC back up and running. But when the time comes for trail restoration, we need to be ready to tackle a big job.

How big? Consider the case of the statewide MST. “As a result of the storm,” Laurenz wrote, “the entire North Carolina section of the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed. The MST from Kuwohi [formerly Clingman’s Dome] through Stone Mountain State Park should be considered closed and highly dangerous. This is roughly a third of the entire route of the trail.”

A third of the entire 1,125-mile MST.

When the time comes, the land managers responsible for our trails will need your help. The MST has already set up a form for volunteers who wish to be part of the effort; you can fill it out here. “There will be a need for sawyers,” Laurenz wrote, “those who can clear trail and rebuild it, those who can oversee work crews, but also for those who can help support the volunteers.”

Other land managers will be in a similar position.

Take the Appalachian Trail, for instance, which is overseen by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The ATC is “part of a unique cooperative-management system, working with numbers of local, state and federal partners to ensure greater protections for the Trail.” Key to the AT’s health are the hiking clubs that help maintain it. In Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia, there are a dozen hiking clubs that each maintain a section of the AT. These clubs also maintain other trails in their regions; their impact on reviving not just the AT but many other mountain trails is will be huge. 

Below are links to these 12 clubs; click on the link(s) you’re interested in to learn more about the clubs and their volunteer activities. Note: Join the club and you’ll be the first to know when these opportunities arise.

• Old Dominion Appalachian Trail Club
• Tidewater Appalachian Trail Club
• Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club
• Outdoor Club at Virginia Tech
• Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club
• Piedmont Appalachian Trail Hikers
• Mount Rogers Appalachian Trail Club
• Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club
• Carolina Mountain Club
• Smoky Mountains Hiking Club
• Nantahala Hiking Club
• Georgia Appalachian Trail Club

You might be surprised by the number of trails you hike that are owned/managed by land conservancies. They, too, will need your help both in repairing their damaged trails. Click the link(s) below for more information.

• Conservation Trust for North Carolina
• Blue Ridge Conservancy
• Conserving Carolina 
• Catawba Lands Conservancy
• Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina
• Mainspring Conservation Trust
• New River Conservancy

North Carolina’s State Parks will also need a hand. Volunteers for State Park restoration will be coordinated through the Friends group for that park. Those groups include:

• Friends of Chimney Rock State Park
• Friends of Crowders Mountain State Park
• Friends of the Fonta Flora State Trail
• Friends of Gorges State Park
• Friends of High Country State Parks (Elk Knob, Grandfather Mountain, Mount Jefferson, New River state parks)
• Friends of Lake James State Park
• NC High Peaks Trail Association (Mount Mitchell)
• Friends of South Mountains State Park
• Friends of Stone Mountain State Park
• Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail
• As we become aware of specific volunteer opportunities, we will post them here on the GetGoingNC website and on our Facebook page.

The opportunities to help rebuild our trails will come, but as the MST’s Laurenz notes, that’s “a very low priority at this point.”

Be patient. The time to rebuild will come.

The post How (and when) to help rebuild our mountain trails appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

I didn’t have to think long: the mountain portion of the statewide Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

Now, I hike the MST nearly every day, since I can pick it up a couple blocks from my front door in Hillsborough. And while I never tire of this stretch, nor of the other 120 miles I hike with some frequency through the Triangle, there’s something about the MST’s nearly 350-mile run through the mountains that’s especially enchanting — and diverse, capturing both the rugged beauty of the Southern Appalachians and its moments of intimate calm. Here’s a look at three favorite sections, all along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Waterrock Knob to Pisgah Inn

63.6 miles

I fell in love with this stretch in an unexpected way: by getting lost. I was leading a hike here a decade ago where we inadvertently veered off the MST on its way through the Middle Prong Wilderness. Down, down, down, we went — and, subsequently, back up, up, up after encountering a foursome that assured us we were on the wrong trail. I loved the wild nature of this section, one of the rare untamed stretches of the MST as it passed through un-blazed wilderness. Then, magically, crossing into the Sam Knob/Black Balsam area, which was a bit more civilized, as it made its way through balsam woods on its way to Graveyard Fields and Yellowstone Prong, then escaped that popular area by crossing US 276 and dipping over the south side of the Blue Ridge escarpment above Pink Beds and on to Mount Pisgah. Great views and classic high mountain terrain, then long stretches of escape with no other hikers in sight. 

Beacon Heights to Trout Lake

20 miles

This is the glitzier stretch of the 90-mile run the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail refers to as The High Country. From Beacon Heights at Milepost 305.2 of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the trail wastes no time delivering what you came for, passing through a dark evergreen forest, over a bridged waterfall, then under that engineering marvel, the Linn Cove Viaduct. You’re on the southeast flank of Grandfather Mountain, a tumble of rock and verdant hardwoods with a curious “Appa-tropics” feel. You’ll gain elevation and find yourself atop the Rough Ridge rock outcrop, with views and plenty of spots to stretch out and enjoy them. Descend to the Rough Ridge parking area, then head through an intimate forest of towering hemlock and hardwoods. Marvel at the quiet; “marvel,” because you’re not more than a half mile from the Parkway on this hike. You’ll emerge into small mountain meadows, you’ll follow rough-and-tumble Boone Fork, where you’ll need to navigate a ladder or two. Cross Boone Fork on a footbridge, make a steep climb, then descend to the dark green waters of Trout Lake.

Doughton Park area: South Laurel Fork Road to Devils Garden Overlook

18 miles

Most folks would say the highlight of this stretch is the roughly 2 miles through mountaintop meadow at Doughton Park, where you can see in all directions, a rarity in North Carolina hiking. And it is pretty special, especially the view from the Wildcat Rocks Overlook just down from the old lodge. From it you can look nearly straight down the Blue Ridge Escarpment to the tiny Caudil Cabin below, further down the Basin Creek valley, and on to the Piedmont beyond. But it’s the more subtle, subdued stretches that I find especially appealing. You cross the Parkway several times, and there’s a run-in with minor civilization. But for the most part the trail makes its way through woods undisturbed for more than a half century. You may not come away with searing memories of specific scenery, but you’ll definitely find the sense of serenity that drives so many of us into the woods. 

All 347.4 miles of the mountain MST are worthy of exploring this summer. But if you don’t have that kind of time, these three sections provide a worthy snapshot. 

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Explore with us!

You didn’t think I’d explore these sections on my own and leave you behind, did you? This summer, our GetHiking! Weekend Escapes will focus on the three sections mentioned above. For each Weekend Escape, we’ll do a short hike Friday evening, spend the day on the trail Saturday, and do a short-ish hike Sunday before heading out around 1 p.m. Each Weekend Escape is camping based, but if you’re not a camper, worry not: each basecamp isn’t far from roof-over-head lodging. Each escape includes breakfast Saturday and Sunday morning, lunch Saturday and Sunday, and dinner Saturday night. Here’s a quick description of each hike; click the link for more info and to sign up.

• Summer on the MST Weekend Escape to Doughton Park, June 10-12, 18 miles of hiking. Go here.
• Summer on the MST Weekend Escape to Mount Pisgah, 22.5 miles of hiking, July 22-24, go here.
• Summer on the MST Weekend Escape to Price Lake, 20 miles of hiking, Sept. 9-11, go here.

Explore on your own

If you’re interested in exploring these sections on your own, you’ll find helpful information for planning your hike at the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail website. Click the appropriate link.

• Segment 2: Waterrock Knob to Pisgah Inn 
• Segment 5: The High Country (including 90 miles from Beacon Heights to Devil’s Garden Overlook). Find descriptions of 18 day hikes here.

The post This summer, hike the mountains of the MST appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

In other words, another weekend where you might be hard-pressed to find a trail that isn’t swamped with hikers. And, as a result, another GetOut! column in which we try to point you in the direction of trails less likely to attract the masses.

Today, we have three recommendations. We offer a quick overview and a link for more information. In addition, at the end of the column we offer you our guides for each of the three hikes. 

First, the three hikes:

1. Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake: Day-Hike Section L (Rollingview Access to NC 98), Durham. 3.2 miles (one way; 6.4 out and back). The first three-quarters-of-a-mile is a gradual downhill, letting you loosen up your legs for the gently rolling terrain ahead. Lake views are best near the beginning; after that, the trail roles, gently, through Piedmont mixed hardwood forest. A good option if you’re looking to get some miles in, though with the route description in our guide you can cut your hike short to a more comfortable distance. Learn more here. 
2. Butner-Falls Lake Game Lands: Butner Depot, Bahama. 5 miles. How do you overlook 40,000 acres of public land along Falls Lake? For one, it’s mostly on the north side of the lake, and thus shielded from public view. It’s also designated game lands, intended primarily for hunting. But hikers are welcome, and if you know the hunting seasons you can avoid close encounters of the buckshot kind. Most of the hiking is on gravel roads closed to traffic but open to great views of wetlands and dry passage through swampy woods. Learn more here.
3. Cane Creek Mountains Natural Area, Snow Camp. 2.5 miles. Part of the reason this 1,000-acre tract is lesser known is that it’s new, having opened this past spring. Another reason: it’s near Snow Camp. Which is where? you ask. Exactly. Yet here you can explore the highest “peaks” in the central Piedmont, rising more than 900 feet above sea level. An alpine escape south of Burlington. Learn more here.

State Park programs

Up for learning a thing or two this weekend? Six educational programs are planned at North Carolina State Parks, including Saturday’s Geology for Kids hike at Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area in Hillsborough and Hoof It or Woof It, a dog-friendly hike at Hammocks Beach State Park in Swansboro. Learn more about these and the other four weekend programs here.

* * *

GetHiking! Guide to 3 Trails Less Traveled

Our guides to the three hikes described above provide all the information you need to take a hike on your own, including a map, route description and detailed overview including everything from length and difficulty of the trail, to how to find it in the first place. Order your downloadable copies this weekend, enter the code 7TMK3B3Y, and get 50 percent off the $1.99 purchase price. Discover the guide here.

The post GetOut! 3 hikes that offer quiet on a fab weekend appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

With another weekend of great weather forecast, we’d like to help avoid a repeat of last weekend. Our advice: hike the state’s best-known trail.

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

Granted, the statewide, 1,175-mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail passes through the very state parks that had to be closed. Much of the MST, though, eschews the popular and well-known in favor of surreptitious passage through some of the state’s gorgeous, but lesser traveled terrain. 

Solitude at Shallowford

Last Saturday, for instance, one of our hike leaders, fueled by “cheap gas and wanting to explore other options,” discovered a stretch of the MST that runs through the Shallowford Natural Area in Alamance County. The MST through this 190-acre preserve is part of a 5-mile trail network that includes rolling Piedmont hills, meadows and passage along a wide and rocky stretch of the Haw River. A sign recommending hiking in a counterclockwise direction helped minimize exposure to fellow hikers.

“Very green and not too crowded, even on a Saturday,” she reported.

The Shallowford segment is part of an 8-mile run of the MST along the Haw with good exposure to a particularly rambunctious stretch of the river, as well as the history of the Haw’s fabled mill past.

Along the Blue Ridge Parkway 

Another possibility: this week, the stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway from Craggy Gardens to Mount Mitchell reopened, easing access to the MST paralleling the parkway. The hiking here is challenging — and spectacular. The terrain is rugged and rocky, the views frequent and spectacular. You can access the trail at numerous points along the way.

In fact, that’s what makes the MST so attractive on it’s long run along the parkway, from just outside of Cherokee to the west, to where the trail descends into the Piedmont above Stone Mountain State Park. Overlooks and pullouts along the parkway give frequent access to the MST, all of which captures the Southern Appalachian experience in its entirety, from bold rocky exposures to intimate passage through heath balds and deciduous forest. 

And the true beauty in these times of distancing on the trail? Sure, some of the access points will be crowded. But if you swing by an access crowded with cars, keep driving — you’ll soon find one that isn’t. 

Piedmont, coastal plain

Other places where you may find solitude on the MST:

• Sauratown Trail, between Pilot Mountain and Hanging Rock state parks. Much of the MST piggybacks on other trail on its run across the state. Between Pilot and Hanging Rock, it doubles up with the Sauratown Trail. Originally built as a horse trail, the Sauratown passes through rolling terrain that takes in horse pastures, dirt roads and a waterfall or two.
• Jones Lake State Park/Turnbull Creek State Educational Forest, near Elizabethtown. With Jones Lake State Park as your base, you can either hike west on the MST along it’s namesake lake, a Carolina bay, and through a pine savanna, or east, into the dense woods of Turnbull Creek, which also boasts some cool historic nods to forest firefighting efforts.
• Holly Shelter Game Land, between Burgaw and Surf City. If you’re looking to put in some miles, miles where you can hike flat, foot-friendly terrain and let your mind drift, the 19-miles of dirt-road walking through “vast expanses of pocosin recovering from a major peat fire in 2011, as well as savannas of lush grasses and native plants flourishing under towering longleaf pines” (that’s the guidebook talking) is hard to beat. 
• Neusiok Trail in the Croatan National Forest near Havelock. This is more of a winter hike, but if the temperature isn’t much above 70 (the point at which the forest’s snake and annoying flying pest populations get activated) this is an awesome hike through coastal forest, wetlands (made passable by ample boardwalks) and pine savanna. 

If you’re unfamiliar with the MST, or would like to get to know the nearly 43-year-old trail better, this is a good weekend to start.

Resource

mountainstoseatrail.org. Everything you need to know to explore the MST, from end to end, you’ll find here on the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail website. Most helpful are the trail guides for the MST, broken down by Coast, Piedmont, Mountains. Not only will you get a good overview of the trail, you’ll find detailed instructions for finding access points and hiking every step of the trail.

The post N.C.’s best-known trail may be your best bet for solitude appeared first on GetGoing NC!.