Mel writes: “I am the Hiking Merit Badge coordinator for Troop 395 in Raleigh and we are looking to put together our hiking itinerary over the next 12 months.  As you may know, to earn this MB the Boy Scouts have to do five 10+ miles hikes and one 20+ mile hike.”

Mel goes on to mention that he has my “100 Classic Hikes in North Carolina,” but that most of the hikes therein are shorter than 10 miles. Might I, he asks, have some recommendations on longer hikes, and might at least one of them be at the coast, three to four in the Piedmont, and one or two in the mountains?

I love a good, long hike, and do indeed have some thoughts on the subject. Since Mel has already opened the door to shameless plugs of my books, I will go ahead and add that many of the 43 trips in my “Backpacking North Carolina” (UNC Press, 2011) can be done as long hikes. I should also note that my soon-to-be released “Adventure Carolinas: Your Go-To Guide for Multi-Sport Outdoor Recreation,” available from UNC Press in May, does not have specific long hikes but does have a section on “Backcountry Exploration.”

Where were we? Oh, yes. Mel and the Boy Scout long-hike recommendations. I’ll start today with the Coast and Piedmont; I’ll add the mountains next week.

Without further delay, the nominees are:

Coast

There aren’t a lot of long trail options along the coast (unless you count the 301-mile “hike” along the beach from Virginia to South Carolina). But of the two long trails that do exist, both in the Croatan National Forest, both are good ones.

10 miles

Croatan National Forest: Weetock Trail
11 miles
Maysville
The Weetock, located on the south flank of the Croatan National Forest along the White Oak River, was blazed between 2001 and 2003 by the Carteret County Wildlife Club.  A significant portion of the trail was rerouted by the USDA Forest Service in 2007; the last time we tried to tackle the Weetock, the Weetock tackled us instead. The first few miles were good: a nice ramble through coastal forest on well-marked, well-maintained trail. But then the trail grew forgetful, frequently losing its place and meandering into the boggy woods or dumping us in a briary thicket. A recent report from Daniel with the coastal Fast Fox Running Co.,  however, suggests the Weetock has since gathered its thoughts. “The trail is actually in pretty good shape these days!” he reports. Good news, since we liked what we were able to see of the trail back in 2011: boardwalk passages through perpetually wet stretches, great sightlines through a mostly pine forest, creeks that carve surprisingly deep through the woods, and a bluff at one point along the White Oak River.
Trailhead: The easiest place to pick up the trail is from the Haywood Landing Boat Ramp off NC 58. Details here.
Preferred seasons: November to April, to avoid the bugs, slithery types and assorted other pests common in warmer times.
More info: Carteret County Wildlife Club.

20 miles

Croatan National Forest: Neusiok Trail
21 miles
Havelock
Whereas the Weetock Trail may have once lost its way, the Croatan’s other major trail, the Neusiok, has done a good job of staying the course since its creation, also by the Carteret County Wildlife Club, in the early 1970s. The trail runs from the Pine Cliff Recreation Area along the southern shore of the Neuse River, southeast to its southeast trailhead off Mill Creek Road. The northernmost seven miles are the most diverse, passing beneath a bluff overlooking the Neuse, then heading through a pine savannah. You’ll find the scrubby pine forests and swampy spots expected of a southern coastal forest, but you’ll also encounter a rolling stretch where holly, galax and other flora more commonly associated with the southern Appalachians are found. Signs of the area’s colorful human past (rusted stills) also dot the trail. The southern two-thirds of the trail are flat and more typical of a coastal forest, with long stretches of boardwalk through marshy stretches.
Trailheads: To pick up the trail on the south end, at Oyster Point: From the town of Newport, take Chatham Street for 2.8 miles to Market Street and turn left. Take Market to Mill Creek Road (SR 1154); go 7. 1 miles on Mill Creek to Oyster Point Road (FR 181) and turn right. Go one mile to the trailhead. To get to the northern trailhead in the Pine Cliff Picnic Area: From Havelock, go left on NC 101 for 5.3 miles. At Ferry Road (NC 306), turn left and go 3.3 miles to
FR 132. There, go left for 1.7 miles to the Pine Cliff Picnic Area at road’s end.
Preferred seasons: November to April, to avoid the bugs, slithery types and assorted other pests common in warmer times.
More info: Check out the USDA Forest Service brochure here.

Piedmont

A Boy Scout needn’t leave the Piedmont to earn his long-hike stripes: the region is full of long hikes. Some are pieced together with two or more trails. The longest, the 60-mile Falls Lake Trail, is long on its lonesome.

10 miles

Umstead State Park: Company Mill Trail with Sycamore Loop
10 miles
Raleigh
A figure-eight double lollipop loop that exposes you to the best of Umstead. Starting from the Harrison Avenue entrance to Umstead (a k a the Reedy Creek entrance) on the Company Mill Trail, cross three small ridges on your way to Crabtree Creek. Cross the green metal bridge (dropped in years back by an Army BlackHawk helicopter) and go right. You’ll follow Crabtree for a spell, climb to the bike and bridle trail that bisects the park and continue. Shortly, you’ll hit a kiosk indicating a short spur to the Sycamore Trail; follow it to another B&B trail, go left and over the bridge, then pick up Sycamore just past the bridge, to the right. There’s a half-mile stretch along Sycamore Creek (quite lively just after or during a rain), then the trail climbs through the hardwood Piedmont forest prevalent throughout before crossing another B&B. Within a quarter mile, the trail Ts. To get in your full 10 miles, go right to yet another B&B crossing, then turn and complete the opposite side of the Sycamore-Company Mill figure-eight. Lots of up-and-down, but nothing sustained. No water along the way (don’t risk filtering these urban creeks), so pack plenty, especially in summer.
Trailhead: Harrison Avenue at I-40 in Cary.
Preferred seasons: Fall, winter, spring
More info, including a map, at the Umstead State Park website.

Uwharrie National Forest: Birkhead Mountain Wilderness lollipop loop
11.8 miles
Asheboro
This one clocks in at 11.8 miles and you’ll appreciate every step of the extra credit. Starting from the trailhead off Tot Hill Road, you’ll hike the Birkhead Mountain Trail south for two miles before hitting the popular loop that Boy Scouts, among others, have been using for years to cut their backpacking teeth. Where the Robbins Branch Trail enters from the right, continue straight on the Birkhead for two miles. Note along the way that despite the fact this is a designated wilderness, the trail is well blazed. After two miles, go right on the Hannahs Creek Trail, where, for the first time, you abandon ridgelines in favor of passages along holly-clogged creeks. After a mile and a half, go right on the Robbins Branch Trail, which climbs a rocky (for the Piedmont) ridgeline before dropping to its namesake creek and rejoining the Birkhead after 3.2 miles. Go left for the two-mile return to your car. You can filter water from Hannahs Creek and Robbins Branch, though both run low in summer and during dry weather.
Trailhead: There’s a gravel lot and kiosk on the south side of Tot Hill Road. Tot Hill Road is a paved loop off NC 49 west of Asheboro; if you take the eastern Tot Hill turn, start looking for the kiosk on your left when you see the golf course on your right.
Preferred seasons: Fall, spring, winter
More info here.

Hanging Rock State Park: Moore’s Knob and Indian Creek trails
11.5 miles
Danbury
Starting from the Visitor Center, the 4.3-mile Moore’s Knob Loop Trail makes a dandy warm-up. It starts innocently, passing the lake and bathouse, then probing a tunnel of holly. About a mile in, it’s time to get down to business, with a long ridge ascent to Moore’s Knob. It’s a bit relentless, this climb, getting rockier and ridgier the higher you get. The payoff: great 360 views from the observation tower atop Moore’s Knob. Continue the loop back to the Visitor Center for Round 2. The Indian Creek Trail descends, along with scores of hikers, to Hidden and Window falls. It’s here were the men are separated from the Boy Scouts, with the men sitting winded wondering how they’ll climb back up to their cars while the Scouts continue another three miles to the Dan River. And back. Yes, this hike also goes over the 10-mile limit (it’s 11.5), but isn’t going above and beyond what being a scout is about?
Trailhead: Visitor Center, Hanging Rock State Park
Preferred seasons: Year-round
More info here.

Crowders Mountain State Park/Kings Mountain State Park (S.C.): Ridgeline Trail
12 miles
Gastonia
This hike is two miles over the 10-mile limit. But it’s downhill. The 12-mile Ridgeline Trail joins two state parks (Crowders Mountain and Kings Mountain) and the Kings Mountain National Military Park, plus it involves two states, which gives you added bragging rights. Starting from the Crowders Mountain Visitor Center, hike to the base of Kings Pinnacle and don’t pass the opportunity to take the short spur to the top for great views. Back on the Ridgeline Trail, continue south through rolling Piedmont countryside. Near the south end of Crowders Mountain State Park, you’ll see a sign for the Boulders Access area. If you’re in need of a rock climbing merit badge, check out this popular bouldering area. Otherwise continue on. If the hills have taken a toll on your legs, keep sights set for the South Carolina state line: once the trail hits the Palmetto State, it is dead flat for the remainder. (Buggy, too, in warm weather so you might save this for a cool season option.)
Trailhead: Visitor Center, Crowders Mountain State Park. You’ll need to set up a shuttle from Kings Mountain State Park — unless you elect to make this your 20-mile badge.
Preferred seasons: Fall, winter, spring
More info here.

Eno River: Mountains-to-Sea Trail
10.2 miles
Durham and Orange counties
As the Mountains-to-Sea Trail grows in the Triangle, this 10.2-mile stretch has become a favorite. Assuming you hike this in warm weather, we’ll start upstream at the Pleasant Green Access. (There’s a reason for starting here, which we’ll get to momentarily.) Hike under Pleasant Green Road bridge, up a bluff overlooking the Eno, around an abandoned quarry, through surprising stretches of steep climbs and sharp drops. Pass under Cole Mill Road and the trail mellows, heading through flood plain forest and occasionally taking a more upland route. At Guess Road you hike up to the bridge, stay on your side of the road, cross the bridge, then curl under the bridge to continue downstream. A little over a mile downstream, and less than a mile from the end of the hike, you run into Sennet Hole, a pool on the Eno above the mill pond where even on the hottest of summer days you can find cool water 10 to 15 feet down, and plenty of rocks to sun on when you get out. You begin in an ample parking lot, you end in one as well.
Trailheads: Off Pleasant Green Road to the west, at West Point on the Eno City Park to the east. All the info you need to find these spots is here.
Preferred seasons: Year-round
More info: Find detailed descriptions of the four sections making up this stretch on the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail website.

20 miles

Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake
21.8 miles
Wake and Durham counties
The Mountains-to-Sea Trail runs 60 miles along the south shore of Falls Lake through the Triangle. With the trail broken down into 18 day-hike sections, ranging in length from just under a mile to nearly seven, there are plenty of 20-mile(ish) permutations. Here’s a favorite. Starting from the Falls Lake ranger station off NC 50, hike west. Immediately, you are in the most remote stretch of the MST along Falls Lake, a nearly seven-mile run where signs of your fellow humans are rare (save for the remains of an old tobacco barn and what appears to have been a commercial chicken coop). The trail ducks in and out of coves on the lake, loses sight of it occasionally, has some boardwalked, swampy passages. At Little Lick Creek there’s an impressive pedestrian footbridge followed by an impressively narrow and long boardwalk. From there, it’s more hiking typical of a Piedmont hardwood forest. This 21.8-mile stretch concludes at the Hickory Hill Boat Ramp: no facilities but lots of parking. There is no water along the way; be sure to pack in plenty.
Trailheads: The ranger station off NC 50 (the start) is marked from the highway; the take-out at the Hickory Hill boat ramp is well marked from Redwood Road. Find all the directional information you need here.
Preferred seasons: Fall, winter, spring
More info: For more information on navigating this stretch and for scouting your own 20-mile hike on the MST at Falls Lake, go here.

Uwharrie National Forest: Uwharrie National Recreation Trail
22.9 miles
Troy
The Uwharrie National Recreation Trail has long been the default long hike for Boy Scouts in the Piedmont. In part, that was because it was the only game in town — and what a game it was, extending 50 miles at one point in the 1970s. The trail shrank in the 1980s and 1990s, but has since rebounded and is back up to about 40 miles. This stretch remains the classic Uwharrie Trail. Starting from the trailhead off NC 24/27, the trail heads north through what was once a mighty mountain range, with peaks topping 20,000 feet. Today, nothing along the trail reaches 1,000 feet, and while the climbs aren’t Appalachian, they’re more sustained than any you’ll find elsewhere in the Piedmont. It’s a good workout, and great training for backpackers prepping for a mountain trip. Several small waterways cross paths with the trail and can be filtered — when they’re running.
Trailheads: The southern trailhead is 9.3 miles west of Troy on NC 24/27; the northern trailhead is off Flint Hill Road (SR 1306), 1.8 miles east of Tower Road.
Preferred seasons: Fall, winter, spring
More info: Find a detailed trip description of this hike in “Backpacking North Carolina” (UNC Press, 2011).

Sauratown Trail
Between Pilot Mountain and Hanging Rock state parks
21.6 miles
Though part of the statewide hiking-centric Mountains-to-Sea Trail, the Sauratown Trail originally was built for equestrians. As a result, it often exhibits a slightly more rugged feel. For instance, instead of a footbridge over every wet spot, you have running creeks that are rock-hopped. Also, horses apparently have less of a problem with direct assaults on climbs, adding a vigorous ascent or two. All of which underscores the particular allure of this trail: its naturalness. The trail is never hard to find, but you’ll know you’re not on a finely groomed state park trail. Starting from Pilot Mountain, the trail heads east, tracing the north flank of Sauratown Mountain. There are some particularly scenic passages, including a waterfall or two that would seem more appropriate about 75 miles to the west, along the Blue Ridge escarpment. There’s a doozy of a climb when the trail reaches Hanging Rock State Park, but you’re rewarded with great views from atop Moore’s Knob. End your hike at the Hanging Rock Visitor Center. Note: Much of this trail is on private land, access generously granted from local landowners. Occasionally, land changes hands and the new land owner may not be as keen about a public trail. Thus, trail rerouting is common, and is well documented on the Sauratown Trails Association website.
Trailheads: Pilot Mountain State Park ranger station to the west, Hanging Rock Visitor Center to the east.
Preferred seasons: Fall, winter, spring
More info: Check out the aforementioned Sauartown Trails Association web site.

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We rode at Umstead Tuesday morning and noticed nothing different. We rode Thursday morning and couldn’t help but notice the difference.

Fall had finally begun gracing the Piedmont with its festive palette.

Poplars were suddenly popping yellow, sourwoods were flashing crimson, red maples were glowing red. Real color, the first of the season. And who knows how long it will last.

Which is why we encourage you to get out this weekend and take in the color while you can. Incentive, too, is the fact that daytime temperatures throughout the Piedmont are forecast to crest around 70s under sunny skies. Enough blah blah. Six thoughts on where to check out the color this weekend:

1. Triangle: Mountains-to-Sea Trail/Falls Lake Trail, 60 miles. Is there a better way to check out fall than on a 60-mile-long hiking trail that hugs a shoreline most of the way?  From the Penny’s Bend Nature Preserve in Durham County to the Falls Lake dam in Wake County it’s possible to hike non-stop on the Moutains-to-Sea Trail. If that’s more than you have time

for this weekend, worry not: the trail is broken down into 24 day-hikeable sections ranging from less than a mile to 5.4 miles in length. The Falls Lake MST ducks in and out of coves along the lake, briefly brushing backyards in spots, and escaping civilization entirely in others. Learn more about the trail here.

2. Morganton: South Mountains State Park, 11.8-mile loop. I was reminded of South Mountains State Park as a great place for a quiet fall getaway when I overheard one hiker trying to explain to another where the park is. After several aborted attempts, he finally said, “It’s near Morganton. Sorta.” One of the beauties of South Mountains is its vague location, sorta near Morganton (in fact, South Mountains State Park is about 16 miles south of Morganton on backroads), keeps the masses away. That leaves lots of solitude for you on the 40 miles of trail that penetrate this 18,000-acre playground. A favorite loop is the 11.8-mile counterclockwise traverse of

Raven Rock, HQ, Possum, Horseridge, Lower CCC, Fox, Jacob Branch and Upper Falls trails. A nice, long dayhike or an overnighter. Helpful info here.

3. Charlotte/Triad: Sugarloaf and Morrow Mountain Trails, Morrow Mountain State Park, 5.4 miles. This 5.4-mile hike bags two peaks at Morrow Mountain State Park. And yes, I say “bags two peaks” without reservation. Both the climb up 843-foot Sugarloaf and 906-foot Morrow Mountain are legitimate climbs. The first climb gains more than 350 feet in a relatively short distance, the second even more. And while the views are minimal from Sugarloaf, you’ll have numerous Kodak moments from the top of Morrow Mountain. You’ll also have company: your summit celebration is tempered slightly by the fact the peak is covered by a very large parking lot. Details here.

4. Greensboro: watershed lakes, 42 miles (short hikes of as little as a mile). Triad residents have numerous good options around the three watershed lakes — Brandt, Townsend and Higgins — north of town. Forty-two miles of watershed hiking trails take you through a variety of environments. The 1.6-mile Palmetto Trail, for instance, features some interesting geology; the 3.6-mile Nat Greene Trail offers a smorgasbord of Piedmont ecology. Details here.

5. Roanoke Rapids/northeast: Medoc Mountain State Park, Discovery/Stream/Summit loops, 6 miles. You aren’t the only one in North Carolina with hiking on his/her mind come the cool, colorful days of October, which brings up the one downside to hitting the trail this month — with the exception of Medoc Mountain, which sits happily off the beaten track in Halifax County. Ten miles of trail meander through the park, which sits on the eastern fringe of the Piedmont; this recommended 6-mile trek takes you through a good portion of it, including a climb up Medoc’s 325-foot summit and a stroll through what was once the first wine operation in the country. More info here.

6. Triad: Sauratown Trail, linking Pilot Mountain with Hanging Rock north of the Triad, 35 miles. A total of 35 miles make up this trail network that was designed primarily with equestrians in mind, but the actual link between the Tories Den portion of Hanging Rock State Park and the Surry Line parking area of Pilot Mountain is 21.7 miles, making for a nice, long day hike, if you choose. The advantage to Sauratown is that it takes in some of the same scenery as Hanging Rock and Pilot Mountain (though, granted, without the aerie vistas), but with a fraction of the people. Plan your trip through the helpful Sauratown Trails Association website.

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“I can’t believe we haven’t seen anyone,” Krista said midway into our 15-mile hike.
“I wonder what Umstead’s like right now?” Amy wondered. “Probably bumper-to-bumper people.”
Probably, considering: 1) It was the second weekend in October and the first true weekend of fall color in the Piedmont, 2) It was a Saturday afternoon, 3) There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, 4) The temperature was struggling to get out of the 60s.
In short, it was a perfect fall day. The kind of day where it occurs to everyone to go for a hike, and it occurs to everyone to go to the same places. To Umstead State Park in Raleigh, to Hanging Rock and Pilot Mountain state parks in the Triad, to Crowders Mountain near Charlotte.
Need proof?
The Crowders Mountain Web site offers this warning front and center on its home page: “Expect parking delays on nice fall weekends.”
Which isn’t to say you should hide at home and experience fall through silde shows such as the one above. If you know where to go — like Amy and Krista did — you can experience the magnificence of fall in magnificent solitude.

Triangle
Falls Lake/Mountains-to-Sea Trail
60 miles
The statewide Mountains-to-Sea Trail spends 60 miles along Falls Lake through the Triangle, running nearly unencumbered from Penny’s Bend in Durham southeast to the Falls Lake dam in northeast Raleigh. The trail accommodates both short hikes — the shortest stretch between trail access points is less than a mile — and long: you can go for more than 5 miles at one point without encountering signs of civilization. And as Amy and Krista discovered earlier, there’s plenty of diverse color as the trail dips in and out of coves and, on occasion, takes the high road through established upland forests. A particularly nice stretch in fall is the 8 miles (divided into a pair of 4-mile stretches) between Penny’s Bend off Old Oxford Highway and Red Mill Road.
More information on the trail here, maps here.

Triad
Sauratown Trail
35 miles
Ironically, one of the state’s most underused trails connects two of the state’s most poplar parks for viewing fall color. The 35-mile Sauratown Trail (also part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail) links Hanging Rock State Park on the east with Pilot Mountain State Park to the west (and takes in a third peak in the ancient Sauratown range, Sauratown Mountain). The trail is rolling Piedmont, mostly on private property, much of it brushing past pastures. A particularly nice stretch is the 2.4 miles heading west from the Sauratown Trail Center off Rock House Road.
More info here.

Charlotte
Ridgeline Trail
8.7 miles
Irony, again: The new Ridgeline Trail (dedicated in 20XX) starts in Crowders Mountain State Park, home of the aforementioned parking lot jam, and ends across the state line in South Carolina’s also-popular Kings Mountain State Park. Thus, you might want to avoid both ends. Rather, start at the Boulders Access, a popular bouldering area that’s part of Crowders Mountain but removed from the main park, and head north. You’ll get much of the same scenery that lures people to Crowders Mountain, save the views from Kings Mountain and the Pinnacle. But as its name suggests, there’s lots of ridgeline hiking with good views along the way.
More info here. http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/crmo/activities.php

Northern Piedmont
Medoc Mountain State Park
10 miles
Medoc Mountain is less than an hour and a half drive from the Triangle, yet is one of the least-visited parks in the North Carolina State Parks system. You won’t find yourself jockeying for the next available parking space, you won’t find yourself tapping someone on the shoulder to ask if you can hike through. Medoc Mountain is on the cusp of where the Piedmont gives way to the coastal plain, but don’t be deceived: despite the fact Medoc Mountain tops out at just 325 feet, there’s plenty of up and down here. That leads to a more mountainous experience than you might expect, and more diverse foliage than you might anticipate as well. The 3-mile Bluff Loop Trail offers a nice mix of upland forest and good streamside foliage viewable from on high.
More info here.

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