Under Phase 1 of the reopening of North Carolina in light of the coronavirus pandemic, “parks and trails are encouraged to reopen.”

That was one of several elaborations on Phase 1 made by Gov. Roy Cooper this afternoon during a coronavirus briefing. Phase 1 goes into effect Friday at 5 p.m.

North Carolina’s 29 state parks that have been closed (12 have remained open, with trails only) will reopen Saturday, says parks department Public Information Officer Katie Hall. That will include trails, most restrooms and most boat ramps. Visitor centers and other facilities will remain closed during Phase 1.

Under Phase 2, beginning May 22, camping will resume (except for group camps). Cabins will be open weekends only. Some beaches and designated swimming areas would open, as well as picnic areas, though with no reservations. All facilities would reopen under Phase 3, a date for which is to be determined.

We’ll let you know of more specifics as they become available. You can also find more detailed information about the phased reopening on the N.C. State Parks website.

In the meantime, here’s a look at the current status of our other major public lands:

North Carolina

Blue Ridge Parkway. Most trails along the parkway remain open, though restrooms and portable toilets, visitor centers, campgrounds, picnic areas, and concession operations are closed.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park. On May 9 (Saturday), the park, which has been essentially closed since April 4, will begin a phased reopening, focused on roads and trails. Which roads and trails were not specified in a release dated April 30.

“Campgrounds, picnic pavilions, visitor centers, and many secondary roads will remain closed during the first reopening phase, which is expected to last for at least two weeks,” the park reports on its website. To accelerate the second round of openings, the park will engage in “disinfectant fogging operations for restrooms and public buildings, installation of plexiglass shields at visitor centers, personal protective equipment requirements for maintenance workers, new safety protocols for emergency services staff, and reduced group size limits.”

Your best bet for the latest on what may be opening Saturday is to follow the park’s Facebook page.

Croatan, Nantahala, Pisgah and Uwharrie National Forests. There’s been no change in the status of the four national forests in North Carolina since April 13. You can find a rundown of all closures here, including the trails that were closed in the Pisgah National Forest on April 13, here.

Virginia

Shenandoah National Park. Closed on April 8, the park has yet to announce plans for a phased reopening. Last Friday, the park reported on its Facebook page that it was “working with our local communities and public health officials, as well as state and national guidelines to develop a phased plan for reopening that ensures the safety of Park staff, local communities, visitors, and resources.” Check their Facebook page for the latest.

George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. Closures include all campgrounds and recreation areas, portions of the Appalachian Trail on Forest Service property, the Virginia Creeper Trail and all shooting ranges. Otherwise, trails are open, though the Forest Service advises: “Stay Home Now, the Forest Will Wait Across the South, people are exercising close to home to comply with state and local guidance about not traveling for recreation. When shelter-at-home orders are lifted and public health and safety are restored, the forest will be waiting. Treasured places like national forests are being managed for everyone’s enjoyment far into the future.“

Virginia State Parks. All 38 parks in the system are open for day-use activities, including hiking, but closed otherwise until June 10 (“otherwise” closures include cabins, camping, restrooms and bathhouses). Keep updated at the State Parks website, here.

Both states

Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, which oversees the 2,190-mile trail that passes through 14 states, continues to ask that people stay off the trail “to keep both the Trail and its broader community safe and healthy.” But with several states along the route relaxing or planning to relax stay-at-home orders, “the ATC has convened a task force to develop guidance on how A.T. visitors can re-engage safely with the Trail.” For updates on the task force’s recommendations and about the reopening of the trail, go here.

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We’ve compiled a list of those parks, including miles of hiking trail, and added a thought or two about why they make for good hiking (or in some cases don’t) if you’re in the area. 

Carolina Beach State Park

Carolina Beach (10 miles south of Wilmington)

Hiking trail: 9 miles

A worthy loop is the 4.5-mile hike from the Flytrap Trail parking area, but starting on the Sugarloaf Trail. Hike west, toward the Cape Fear River. You’ll hike mostly through pine savannah on white sand, then through maritime forest, a nice mix. There’s an excursion up the forested 60-foot Sugarloaf Dune; there, take the Sand Live Oak Trail, which meets back up with Sugarloaf. Pass three ponds before returning to the trailhead.

Goose Creek State Park

Washington (30 miles southeast of Greenville)

Hiking trail: 8.5 miles

From the Visitor Center (closed) hike the Palmetto Boardwalk above a dense marsh to the Ivey Gut Trail, which buddies up briefly to Goose Creek, then pick up the 2.5-mile Goose Creek Trail for views of the Pamlico River, then the Mallard Creek Loop, which visits its namesake creek. This is coastal wetlands hiking at its best, with passage through marsh, and black gum and cypress swamps.  

Hammocks Beach State Park

Swansboro

Hiking trail: 2.6 miles

Hammocks Beach is best known for Bear Island, a barrier island reached by ferry (not running) or kayak (the boat access is closed). But on the mainland you’ll find a good 2 miles of hiking on four interconnected trails — Live Oak, Evergreen, Hickory Bluff and Coastal Fringe — that explore coastal forest.

Haw River State Park

Greensboro

Hiking trail: 3.9 miles

A bit of a surprise that the park’s Iron Ore Belt Access on the north edge of town remains open. It’s home to the popular Great Blue Heron Loop Trail, which somehow stays relatively level while probing a hilly wooded area. Mature forest, meadow, the headwaters of the Haw River, and hiker-friendly tread make this one of the best hiking options in the Piedmont.

Jockey’s Ridge State Park

Nags Head

Hiking trail: 1.9 miles

NOTE: The park is only open to residents of Dare County; the county remains closed to non residents.

Two options. From the park’s main entrance, the 1.2-mile Tracks in the Sand Trail takes you over the dunes to Roanoke Sound (a good opportunity to do your best Lawrence of Arabia impression). From the secondary entrance off West Soundside Road, the 0.6-mile Soundside Nature Trail takes you through a very different environment: a maritime shrub thicket. Bring a kite.

Jones Lake State Park

Elizabethtown (40 miles southeast of Fayetteville)

Hiking trail: 6 miles (a portion of which is the Mountains-to-Sea Trail)

Another trail very high on our list of favorites: the Bay Trail, a 4-mile loop circling Jones Lake. Hiked clockwise from the Visitor Center (yes, closed), you start in a pine forest with good sun. At roughly the midpoint, on the northern side of the lake, you’re suddenly transported into a dense coastal forest of pond cypress festooned with Spanish moss and a plethora of bays and other coastal vegetation. For extra credit hiking, take the mile-long spur (2 miles out and back) to Salters Lake.

Kerr Lake State Recreation Area

Henderson

Hiking trail: 1.5 miles (roughly)

Hiking really isn’t a thing at Kerr Lake, where the eight recreation areas are devoted to boating, swimming and fishing. What trails there are are short campground paths.

Medoc Mountain State Park

Hollister (30 miles northwest of Rocky Mount)

Hiking trail: 10 miles, with an additional 9 miles of mountain bike trail

Located well off the beaten path, Medoc Mountain has long been an under-appreciated hiking destination. On the interconnected trail network you can hike along Little Fishing Creek, up 300-foot Medoc Mountain, past the remains of the first winery in the New World and through maturing Piedmont hardwoods.

Merchants Millpond State Park

Gatesville (near the Virginia border in northeastern N.C.)

Hiking trail: 9 miles

Best known for canoeing on its 760-acre millpond, Merchants Millpond also has a diverse trail network that’s ideal for a long walk on flat terrain. Most of the trails are wide, meaning you can hike here in summer and minimize your risk of contact with ticks and itchy plants. 

Pettigrew State Park

Creswell (not far off U.S. 64 on the way to the Outer Banks, in Washington and Tyrell counties)

Hiking trail: 9 miles, some of which is open to mountain bikes

Are you a gawker? Then you need to hike the 2.8-mile Moccasin Trail, which takes you past some of the oldest, biggest trees in the state, including sweet gums, persimmons, pawpaws, bald cypress with trunks 10 feet in diameter and cedars that top 100 feet. Great hiking along Lake Phelps as well.

Singletary Lake State Park

Kelly (in Bladen County, 50 miles northwest of Wilmington)

Hiking trail: 1 mile

The mile-long CCC Loop Trail offers a good introduction to a bay forest. Nearby, though, you’ll find the Bay Tree State Natural Area, a 620-acre forest of longleaf pine, Carolina bay and xeric sandhill upland that houses a nearly 5-mile trail. It also presents an opportunity for some diverse wildlife viewing. Reads the website: “Hikers are cautioned that trails may feature venomous snake species to include Southern copperhead, cottonmouth moccasin, pygmy and canebrake rattlesnakes.” 

Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve

Southern Pines

Hiking trail: 7.3 miles (some of which is open to horses)

As the preserve’s name would suggest, there’s ample hiking through sandhill terrain, beneath expansive longleaf pines, and that is probably the main attraction. But we love the fact that on the Pine Island Trail you suddenly dip into a lush wetland (much of which is boardwalk). A little like finding an oasis in the desert.

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