Yesterday, you indulged a slideshow of our trip Sunday to Panthertown Valley in the Nantahala National Forest of western North Carolina. Today, we take you with us on a quick show of our hike a day earlier on an 8-mile stretch of the Bartram Trail, from Wayah Bald to Nantahala Lake.
Tag Archives: Panthertown Valley
Fall perfection (Part I): Panthertown Valley
This past weekend, our GetHiking! North Carolina’s Classic Hikes group hit fall perfection on a doubleheader in the Nantahala National Forest of far western North Carolina. Neither day was there a cloud in the sky, neither day did the temperature get much past 60. And if the color wasn’t peak, then it was just approaching — or just descending.
Summer hiking: beat the heat
As we enter August, those among us who eschew putting foot to trail in hot weather start getting a little anxious. It was OK back in mid-June; there were other, largely water-based pursuits to keep us occupied: paddling the canoe, kayak or standup paddleboard, surfing, just lolling in the surf.
Now, even though it’s still hot, we’re missing the trail. Must we wait until the end of September to renew our love of hiking?
No. You do have options. You need trails that either work with their surroundings or you need to know when exactly to hike.
A while back, we assembled a list of 10 mountain hikes especially suitable for summer. Those hikes are:
Clear a path for National Trails Day this Saturday
Saturday is National Trails Day, a day set aside for us to appreciate the more than 200,000 miles of trail in the U.S. Officially, National Trails Day dates back to 1991, when the American Hiking Society deemed that one day a year be set aside to honor our trails; the first NTD, however, didn’t occur until June 5, 1993.
25 North Carolina hikes tailor-made to beat the heat
Come summer, with its 90/90 days (heat/humidity) the last thing on most of our minds is a long hike in the woods. Oceans of sweat, acres of trail-clogging cobwebs, no hydration pack big enough to sate your insatiable thirst. Very understandable, this hike aversion — if you don’t know where to go. For if you do, there are plenty of trails — from North Carolina’s steamy coast, to the stuffy Piedmont to the sun-drenched high country — ideal for summer exploring.