The following is part of GetGoingNC.com’s ongoing collaboration with Great Outdoor Provision Co. To keep reading, click on “Keep reading here.” You’ll be taken to the rest of the story, plus a list of 10 Can’t-Miss Paddling Destinations in Eastern North Carolina.

Until recently, Eastern North Carolina’s greatest asset as a paddling destination was also its greatest drawback.

Its well-kept secrets were a little too well kept.

The vast, expansive sounds and bays at the coast, the swamps and tannic creeks slightly inland, meandering creeks and rivers as you advanced toward I-95. They were, the locals knew, great places to dip a paddle — if you knew where these waterways were and how to access them.

About 20 years ago, the N.C. Paddle Trails Association was formed to get the word out. Among their early initiatives was a bid to compile a comprehensive list of paddle trails in the eastern part of the state (roughly east of Interstate 95). That list quickly grew to include 2,500 miles of documented paddle trails including all the essentials for a successful trip, from put-in to take-out. Counties in the eastern part of the state quickly got on board and produced their own maps as well. The result: those paddle trails you once heard about in sketchy terms are now as easy to find as the search engine on your computer.

You won’t be disappointed in what you find.

To continue reading, go here.

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For information on paddling throughout North Carolina, check out our Paddling section on the GetGoingNC.com home page, under “Where to Play in North Carolina” in the left sidebar. There you’ll find:

• 45 Places to Rent a Canoe or Kayak in North Carolina
• Where to Paddle in and Near Seven N.C. Cities
• Ten Can’t Miss Paddling Destinations in Eastern North Carolina

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The post Eastern NC paddling: paradise (finally) found appeared first on GetGoing NC!.