I don’t mean do you have your gear ready: Rather, do you have your plan of attack in place?

Not to put too much pressure on the fall hiking season, but there is a fair amount of pressure to make the most of the next three months. Sure, spring has its obvious pluses — wildflowers, warming temperatures, rebirth — and winter has its subtle charms. But face it, the combination of a retreat from sweltering temperatures, low humidity, crisp blue skies, and fall color make this the best season to hike in the Southeast.

Thus, it’s important to have a plan to make the most of autumn. Like, where to go first?

Because you can’t be in two or more places at once, you need to plan your hikes accordingly by taking into account the best time to hike a given trail. You still may not be able to hit all your favorites this fall, but with smart scheduling you can hit a goodly number of them.

Here’s how I approach the fall hiking season.

September

We associate the start of fall with the Labor Day weekend, the start of school, the start of football. In reality, though, the calendar says fall doesn’t officially start until Sept. 22, and even then, we can still experience temperatures topping 80 for another month. The point: take advantage of this continuing warm weather by taking two factors into consideration:

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  Elevation. It will start cooling — but not yet be cold — at higher elevations in September. Take advantage of this early pleasantness by hitting the high country trails you missed in summer. Come mid-October, you’ll begin dealing with true cold above 4,000 to 5,000 feet, and by November, limited access due to snow, ice and seasonal road closings on Forest Service land. Examples: North Carolina’s Black Mountains and the Shining Rock Wilderness; the Mount Rogers area of Virginia.

• Water. If you didn’t get a chance to hike this summer on a trail with multiple stream crossings, waterfalls and pools for lollygagging, you did not have a complete summer. Air and water temps at lower mountain elevations — 3,000 feet and below — will remain warm enough through the month for a summer-like experience. Examples: Wilson Creek in North Carolina; St. Mary’s Wilderness in Virginia.

October

Four factors to keep in mind for your October hikes:

• Fall color. Here’s another misconception: The start of October means immediate fall color. In fact, the fall color change typically doesn’t begin until mid to late October in the Piedmont. Even at the highest elevations, it doesn’t begin until late September. If you’ve got a hankerin’ for early fall color, put the high country on your early October list, and keep an eye on the fall color tracking websites (ExploreAsheville.com, VirginiaisforLovers.org) which track where the color is currently best (depending on temperature, cloud cover and rainfall, the emergence of color can vary wildly). Examples of early fall color: Elk Knob State Park, Mount Jefferson State Natural Area in North Carolina; Mount Pleasant National Scenic Area in Virginia.
• Crowds. Fall, especially October, is the most popular time of year to hike. Folks who otherwise balk at having to park in the outer lot at the mall suddenly channel their inner John Muir and hit the trail. The good news: they generally gravitate to trailheads that have: 1) a Visitor Center, 2) Restrooms, 3) paved parking, 4) an address for the trailhead. Avoid these four traps, especially on idyllic fall weekends, and you should be fine.  Examples of off-the-beaten-path trailheads: Pilot Creek and Pinnacle Hotel Road accesses to Pilot Mountain State Park in North Carolina; Osprey Point Access, Smith Mountain Lake State Park in Virginia.
• Temperature. From the beginning of October to the end, you’ll notice significant drops in temperature. Remember to layer.
• Sunset. Likewise, the amount of afternoon sunlight you’ll have diminishes significantly during October. For example, on Oct. 1, sunset in Raleigh is at 6:59:49; on Oct. 31, the sun will set at 6:21:37. Be aware when planning late day hikes.

November

November, especially the first half, is the sweet spot of your fall hiking season. In reality, in the Piedmont fall color is near peak at this time, and the cooler temperatures — too cool for the occasional hiker — make for ideal hiking conditions. There’s a quiet that dominates the woods, and there’s just the slightest hint of the coming transition to winter. Great color, fewer people, perfect weather — now is the time to hit the more popular trails, even on weekends.

Fall is prime hiking season in the Southeast. Make the most of it by planning accordingly.

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A traditionally popular way to observe the weekend is to go camping, and before you say, “Wish I’d thought of that before: there won’t be any campsites left. Besides, I don’t have the key camping gear” be advised that neither are an issue. For starters, reserveamerica.com. reports that plenty of campsites remain available throughout the state. As for the requisite camping gear, look no further than the GetCamping! program we run with our partners at Great Outdoor Provision Co. Six-person tent, sleeping pads, hammock, two-burner camp stove, two rocking camp chairs, a hammock, lights — all the key camping gear. And what we don’t provide, you likely already have; we’ll include a list of suitable household substitutes, stuff you likely already have around the house that works well for camping.

If you’re in the Triangle area, the EnoFest (formerly known as Festival for the Eno) is back after a pandemic-year hiatus. Live music (more than 40 performers), more than 50 craft booths, food, libations — all kinds of fun to support the Eno River Association and its land preservation efforts along the Eno and its tributaries. Learn more here.

Ranger-led hikes

It’s also a great weekend to summit a peak in a North Carolina State Park on one of these ranger-led hikes:

• Jomeokee Trail Hike, Saturday, 9 a.m., Pilot Mountain State Park, Pinnacle. This hike of just under a mile takes you as close as you’re gonna get to Pilot Mountain’s top spot. Learn more here.
• Mount Craig Hike, Saturday, 11 a.m., Mount Mitchell State Park, Burnsville. It’s only a mile hike out to 6,647-foot Mount Craig, slightly lower than its 6,684-foot neighbor, Mount Mitchell, but what a rocky, rollicking mile it is. A ranger leads the way, discussing the geology and history of the area. Learn more here.

More in a water mood? Then check out:

• Canoe Hike, Sunday, 6 p.m., Carvers Creek State Park, Spring Lake. Paddle a cypress swamp with a ranger. No experience necessary and it’s free, but space is limited and preregistration is required. Learn more here.

If you’re up for a hike but need some direction, check out one of our guides to hikes of various lengths for various ability levels and interests. You can find them on our GetGoingNC.com site, here.

Weather

As for the weather, after a cool and rainy Friday, Saturday looks especially nice, with temperatures in the low 80s throughout much of the area, rising into the mid 80s on Sunday and close to 90 on Monday. After Friday’s rain, there’s no precipitation in the forecast.

You were cooped up last Fourth of July, you aren’t this year. GetOut! and enjoy!

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Campsites

Go to reserveamerica.com, and in the search bar (where it says “Where do you want to explore?”) type “North Carolina.” Enter the dates you’re interested — July 2 and July 4, in this case — and your options will appear.

GetCamping! gear

Six-person tent, sleeping pads, hammock, two-burner camp stove, two rocking camp chairs, a hammock, lights — all the key camping gear is included in our GetCamping! kit. What we don’t provide, you likely already have; we’ll include a list of suitable household substitutes, stuff you likely already have around the house that works well for camping. Learn more and reserve a kit for this weekend here.

The post GetOut! Celebrate this July 4th appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

For the first time in a while, there’s a chance of rain in the weekend forecast. But how much and where exactly is hard to tell — harder to tell than usual, because the source of the rain is a fickle hurricane. Or the remnants of a fickle hurricane.

Delta, which is expected to make landfall this evening in Louisiana, is forecast to continue into the Midwest, then curl into the Northeast, possibly bringing moist tropical air into our region starting late in the day Saturday. So it could be wet from late Saturday into Monday. But, again, it’s a hurricane, and they aren’t known for sticking to script.

In any event, Saturday into mid-day looks the most promising for getting out and exploring. And it you’re like us, what’s on your mind this second weekend of October is finding fall color. One spot where we’ve found it getting a jump in the Piedmont: the Bunter-Falls of Neuse Game Lands north of Falls Lake.

Mostly bordering the north rim of the lake, this 40,670-acre spread is devoted to cultivating a healthy wildlife population. That means managing the land, and to manage it, you need access to it. That happens via gravel roads open only to N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission vehicles and to those of us on foot. There’s a lot to discover here, the discovery starting with simply where to find a trail. NCWRC has maps on their site (find the Butner map here), but they are general overviews and vague on specifics. (See “GetOut!” below for a less iffy approach.)

That’s one option for the weekend. Another: embrace the rain by suiting up and immersing yourself in its midst. It’s another sure way to avoid the crowds.

Rain or shine, GetOut! this weekend and explore!

GetOut!

Butner made easy. Intrigued by the Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Lands but leery of exploring a new place with no direction? Our GetHiking! Guide to Hiking the Bunter-Falls of Neuse Game Lands gives you all the information you need — from directions to the trailhead, to a step-by-step trail guide, to a map — to reduce the stress of our visit. Check it out here.

Hiking in the rain may seem intimidating (and messy!) at first, but not when you know a few tricks. We share our favorite hiking-in-the rain tips in our GetHiking! Guide to Hiking in the Rain. Check it out here.

Today’s video

Today’s video takes you on a tour of the Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Lands near the Butner Depot.

The post GetOut! Rain? Don’t let it keep you inside this weekend appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Stormy weather sticks around, for much of the region, though Saturday: Sunday, it’s low 70s and sunny. Perfect weather for getting outside.

But will everyone be thinking along the same lines?

Today, we direct you back to some of our strategies for avoiding the crowds that have caused some state parks in North Carolina to close their gates.

• Hike Where the Horses Do. In this post from yesterday, we tout the virtues of hiking trails developed with horses in mind — but open to hikers as well. North Carolina State Parks, for instance, have 118 miles of horse trails in 11 parks, while hundreds of additional miles of equestrian trail can be found in the state’s four national forests. Read that post here.
• Hike the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. The state’s best known trail also, curiously, offers your best bet for a quiet ramble. We offer tips on how to identify some of the statewide trail’s less trod treat, in a post you may read here.
• Finding the right time and place. A few tips in this post about the best time of day to hike and how to find trails that may not be as populated.
• Hike in the rain. Perhaps your best bet at solitude is to hike Saturday, in the rain. Unless there’s also thunder and lightening in the forecast, we’re big fans of hiking in a light to moderate rain. It’s a much different experience, and one in which you’re unlikely to encounter any fellow hikers. Read that post here.
• Embrace the heat. Most people hang up their hiking shoes and boots when the hot, humid weather rolls in. And that’s the perfect time to enjoy a little me-and-only-me time on the trail, Read our post about embracing a hot-weather hike here.

Also, because the number of trails open and closed is constantly changing, we suggest checking ahead to make sure the trail you’d like to hike is actually open. Below are the websites of some of the region’s largest public land managers where you can find the latest trail status:

• Blue Ridge Parkway
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• North Carolina State Parks
• North Carolina National Forests (Croatan, Pisgah, Nantahala, Uwharrie)
• Shenandoah National Park
• Virginia National Forests (George Washington and Jefferson)
• Virginia State Parks

Enjoy your weekend; make sure you GetOut!

Today’s video

Today, we take you back to last summer and our GetBackpacking! trip to Wilson Creek. Why Wilson Creek? Because it’s likely one of the first spots we will backpack this summer, on a trip that will focus on the developing the skills and confidence to backpack solo. For more information on the class, drop us a line expressing your interest, to info@getgoingnc.com.

The post GetOut! Your Friday Nudge for Weekend Adventure appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

What to do on the last weekend of July? We have a thought or two …

Geology of Stone Mountain, Saturday, 9 a.m., Stone Mountain State Park, Roaring Gap. No doubt you’ve looked at that strange forehead protruding from the ground, the one from which Stone Mountain gets its name, and wondered, How did that happen? Here, at this one hour program at the Hutchinson Homestead, is your chance to find out. And if you’re left at the end yearning for more, eager to know all about Stone Mountain, then stick around until 2 p.m. for “All About Stone Mountain.” (You can do some hiking in between to pass the time.) For more info on both programs and to register, go here.

Night Hike Along the Great Blue Heron Trail, Saturday, 8 p.m., Haw River State Park Iron Ore Belt Access, Greensboro. We love a night hike, and we especially love one where we’re not compelled to watch our every footstep to avoid rocks and roots in the trail. On the smooth-as-sandstone 3.8-mile Great Blue Heron Trail you’ll be able to focus on the wonder of the night. Bring a flashlight/headlamp with red or blue filter, bring bug spray and water. For more info and to register, go here.

Guided Hike: Balsam Nature Trail, Sunday, 11 a.m., Mount Mitchell State Park. Visiting Mount Mitchell, which tops out at 6,684 feet, is like visiting another world — so many unusual things to see at that elevation. Sunday, let a ranger explain what it is your seeing and why it’s there on this guided hike on the Balsam Trail. More info and register here.

You can find more opportunities this weekend here:

• North Carolina State Parks have a variety of adventures planned for the weekend. Check those options here.
• North Carolina Environmental Education Centers has an extensive calendar of what’s happening at its affiliates; check it out here.
• You can also find more adventures right here, at GetGoingNC.com.

And learn more about where we spent this past week, featured in the video, by visiting the web sites for Umstead State Park and Eno River State Park.

The post GetOut! Your Friday Nudge for Weekend Adventure appeared first on GetGoing NC!.