Let’s not forget mom this Mother’s Day weekend! Take her for a mountain bike ride at the Coast on Saturday, then on Sunday go looking for wildflowers in the Piedmont or take her for a mountain hike. (Er, and in the spirit of Leave No Trace, resist the urge to pick those wildflowers for mom. She’ll understand.)

Coast

In part because of the name, you usually don’t think of the coast when your thoughts turn to mountain biking. Yet one of the more fun and challenging trail networks in the state is at Blue Clay Bike Park in Castle Hayne, just outside Wilmington. Blue Clay is a rare example of a bandit bike trail network that didn’t succumb to development, but rather became part of the system, the New Hanover County Parks & Garden system. Today, Blue Clay’s eight miles of trail offers a swampy ride that manages to stay above the swamp.

It’s also the location of Saturday’s Pedal in the Park event, part of the New Hanover County Parks & Gardens efforts to celebrate National Bike Month. The event, held in conjunction with the Cape Fear Southeast Off-Road Bicycle Association, is geared toward growing new riders out of the 7-14 set.

Logistics: Saturday, May 10, 10 a.m., Blue Clay Bike Park, Castle Hayne. More info at 910.798.7622 orjdellinger@nhcgov.com.

Saturday forecast: Mostly sunny, high of 83.

photo courtesy SirBikesALot.com

Piedmont

Sunday is your last chance to check out the Eno River Association’s weekly Spring Wildflower Hike series. Begun in March, the series follows the bloom of wildflowers throughout the Eno River Valley. As the season begins to fade, the series ends, fittingly, at the highest point in the Triangle, 867-foot Occoneechee Mountain.

Curiously, though, the hike will focus on the lowest part of Occoneechee Mountain, along the Eno River, where a north-facing bluff created conditions conducive to supporting a montane community. If you want to check out the mountain laurel bloom without driving to the mountains, here’s your chance.

Logistics: Sunday, May 11, 2 p.m., Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, Hillsborough. More info here.

Saturday forecast: Mostly sunny, high of 84.

Mountains

What says “Thanks, Mom!” — in our book, at least —more than taking mom out for a hike? In the high country, Mother’s Day falls at a particularly opportune time, what with all the wildflowers in bloom.

But with so many options in our Southern Appalachians, where best to go? Our friend Karen Chavez, fellow guidebook writer and outdoors editor at the Asheville Citizen-Times, offers her suggestions in a post from Wednesday. Looking for a hike with wildflowers? Where you can take mom for dinner afterwards? Or one where you don’t have to worry about her dropping you? Karen has ideas.

Logistics: Check out Karen’s recommendations here.

Sunday forecast: High of 84 under mostly sunny skies is forecast for Asheville.

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Those are our thoughts on the weekend. Find more options at the sources listed below.

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You could explore standup paddleboarding at Wrightsville Beach this weekend, you could take a  yoga hike near Charlotte. Or, you could join us on a GetGoingNC/NCHikes-sponsored, day-long hike along the mile-high portion of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail through the Pisgah National Forest.

Coast

You keep hearing about standup paddleboarding,  you keep meaning to find out more about it. You won’t find a much better opportunity than Saturday’s NC Surf to Sound Challenge & Paddleboard Expo In Wrightsville Beach. On tap: a pair of races — Elite & Intermediate Standup Paddling categories — and a Waterman’s Expo from noon to 6 p.m. featuring products, supplies and accessories for water sports including SUP, surfing, kayak, fly fishing, sailing, boating, and much, much more! (Sorry. Got carried away with our used car salesman pitch there.)

The Expo is free, ya gotta pay to race. More info here or by calling 910.256.2545. And for a refresher on what standup paddleboarding is about, go here.

Piedmont

Yoga Hike: sounds a little … off, at first. But if you think about why you hike (in part, to free your mind) and why you do yoga (in part, to free your mind), well … .

Judge this combination for yourself Saturday at 10 a.m. at Latta Plantation Nature Center when yoga instructor and Carolina Mountain Club member William DeGrauw leads a yoga hike through the 1,351-acre preserve. The hike, according to the sponsor, will “begin and end with a yoga sequence and incorporate poses along the trail as we stretch our body and mind.” Sounds good. “Further explore the fundamentals of meditation and mindful meditation as we discover the change of seasons within ourselves.” Huh.

$10. 704.8751391 to register, go here for more information on the Mecklenburg County preserve, at 6211 Sample Road in Huntersville.

Mountains

Thirty miles of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail — in the mountains — in one day? Who in their right mind would organize a trip like that?

That would be me. On the heels of two 28-mile Ultimate Hikes in the past month and a half, the urge to go long remains. So Saturday, at least three of my long-hiking brethren — Robert Williams and the Jons Cochran and Holiday — and me will set off from the Pisgah Inn and hike west to Bearpen Gap on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. You’re welcome to come along.

This is a scenically stunning hike. There’s high ridge hiking, there’s waterfall hiking, there’s Graveyard Fields, there’s a brush with the Shining Rock Wildneress, a climb through Black Balsam, and a nice stretch through the Middle Prong Wilderness. Much of the hike is above 5,000 feet; it tops out just below 6,214-foot Black Balsam Knob. And the forecast for Saturday couldn’t be better: a low of 41, daytime high of 55 and nothing but sun.

If you’re not up for all 30 miles, feel free to meet up with us along the way. The route follows the Blue Ridge Parkway, which offers several meeting points. By my rough estimate, we’ll pass just south of Wagon Road Gap around 8:15 a.m., Tunnel Gap at 9:30 a.m., hit the Black Balsam Forest Service parking area around 11:30, cross NC 2:15 around 1:30, emerge at Haywood Gap around 3 and finish up at Bearpen Gap around 5. (Follow along using the Trails Illustrated Pisgah Ranger District map from National Geographic.) If you’re interested in meeting up with us, leave a message below and I will make arrangements to put you on our contact list.

Scenic hike, great weather — it’s a can’t miss. And if you can’t make it, you can hike vicariously: I’ll be Tweeting along the way, where cell coverage allows; follow along at JoeAGoGo.

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Those are GGNC’s thoughts for an active weekend. Find out other ways you can get out this weekend by browsing our super calendar, a collection of events calendars from throughout the state, below.

Coast

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

Crystal Cost Tourism Authority
Comprehensive calendar focusing on the Crystal Coast. Good source for programs offered by N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Lookout National Park, N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve and other costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

Blue Ridge Outdoors
Searchable calendar lets you extend your reach to events throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast (or you can just limit it to North Carolina). Also lets you search a boatload of categories, ranging from Hiking, Mountain Biking and Climbing to Trail Running, Triathlon and Road Walking.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Todd’s Calendar

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triad

GoTriad.com
Comprehensive calendar includes a Sports & Recreation category.

Piedmont Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triangle

Triangle.com
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including: Birding, Boating, Cycling, Nature, Rec & Wellness, Recreation, Running, Swimming, Tennis, Yoga.

Carolina Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Statewide

Office of Environmental Education
One calendar for the numerous Environmental Education Centers statewide.

North Carolina State Parks
Lets you search for programs at the state’s parks, recreation areas and natural areas by location, by month, by topic. To reach the calendar from the home page, click on “Education,” then “Fun & Free Programs at Parks.”

National Forests in North Carolina
From the home page, click on Carolina Connections for news updates on the state’s four national forests as well as hints on recreational opportunities and a detailed rundown of recreation areas and the amenities at each.

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