It’ll be toasty this coming July weekend, a weekend that just makes sense to be on the water
Coast / Coastal Plain
It is perhaps the most rewarding type of paddling — and the easiest: paddling the tidal flats and meandering backwaters of the coast. The ill-defined wetlands along the sounds, the narrow tidal creeks enveloped in lush maritime woods that feed into the sounds. So much to see just a paddle-length away.
Fall is a great time to be outdoors in North Carolina; this weekend there are several ways to enjoy the season: hike a swamp at the coast, run a marathon in a Piedmont forest, paddle a mountain river — at night.
Coast
Lots of people go to Merchants Millpond State Park, almost all to paddle the cypress- and tupelo-peppered millpond. But the park, nestled in the swampy northeast corner of the state, also has hiking trail (it even has backcountry camping). Saturday, you can tag along with a ranger on a nature hike through the park, a good opportunity to learn about the swamplike environment. Bug spray recommended.
This weekend in North Carolina you can paddle into the Revolutionary past, you can paddle at night, or you can go camping a mile up.
Coast
Like a paddle with a little history? Thursday’s Moores Creek Kayaking History Adventure paddle on Moores Creek, which meanders through the Moores Creek National Battlefield, is just the ticket. The 88-acre park “commemorates the battle between Patriots and Loyalist militia on February 27, 1776,” according to the Halyburton Park (Wilmington) program guide. “This battle was the first major victory for the Patriots that lead to Cornwallis’ withdrawal from North Carolina. Join us and paddle this historic creek and watch history come alive after your kayaking adventure with a ranger-lead tour of the battlefield.” Fives mile roundtrip.