Coast

Like a little history with your hike? Saturday, at Carolina Beach State Park, Chris Fonvielle. history professor at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, will discuss the role that the park’s Sugarloaf Dune played in the Civil War.

If you’ve yet to visit Carolina Beach State Park, this is a good opportunity to remedy that situation. The 55-foot dune provided a natural watchtower for Confederate troops to watch for Union ships attempting to enter Wilmington via the Cape Fear River. This was especially important considering — well, that’s why you should attend the hike: you may know how this story ends, but Sugarloaf Dune plays a key role in the plot.

Logistics: Saturday, Jan. 31, 2 p.m., Carolina Beach State Park, Carolina Beach. The program is free, but space is limited. Reserve your spot by calling 910.458.8206.

Saturday forecast: Sunny, high of 46.

Piedmont

Looking for a hike but not sure what kind? Do you want a real challenge? A mellow ramble? Something in between?

The Piedmont Hiking and Outing Club has all your bases covered this weekend. For those looking for a long but not-too-taxing hike, PHOC will be hiking 8 miles on the Lake Townsend Trail in Greensboro on Saturday, and 7 miles on the Laurel Bluff and Reedy Fork trails, also along Greensboro’s watershed lakes, on Sunday. Looking for a little more elevation? How about 11 miles Saturday at Hanging Rock? And if you’re looking for true adventure — and have crampons — the club will be doing a 13-mile assault on Mount Mitchell on Saturday.

Read on for more information.

Logistics: All of these hikes are detailed at the PHOC online hike calendar, which you can find here.

Weekend forecast: For the Triad area, high of 47 both Saturday and Sunday, clear Saturday with a chance of rain Sunday. For Mount Mitchell on Saturday, high of 42 and mostly sunny.

Mountains

If you’ve been bemoaning the cold, perhaps you haven’t been looking at it in the proper perspective. Let the cold work for you.

If you were a skier or snowboarder, you’d be appreciating the cold, especially going into this weekend. There’s a chance of light snow throughout the weekend in much of the high country, but more importantly it will be cold, allowing for continued snowmaking. SkiSoutheast.com reports conditions are already excellent at North Carolina’s ski areas and will only get better as the cold continues. As of Thursday, for instance, Sugar Mountain reports 20 of 21 slopes open, Ski Beech reports all 15 slopes open, and App reports all 12 of its slopes open.

Logistics: Check SkiSoutheast.com for the latest conditions.

Weekend forecast: Daytime highs in the mid to upper 30s, overnight lows in the low 20s. Chance of light snow.

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

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The post This weekend: Hike a hill at the coast, ski one in the mountains appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Coast

Canoeing the millpond at Merchants Millpond State Park is, to paraphrase Julie Andrews, one of our favorite things. The canoe rentals are cheap ($5 for the first hour, $3 for each additional) and the adventure through sprawling cypress and tupelo gum trees on the 760-acre millpond is boundless. The only thing better than a self-guided trip is to tag along with someone who knows the pond.

Someone like a park ranger, who will be leading Sunday’s Waterfowl of Merchants Millpond paddle. Learn about the waterfowl who inhabit the millpond, both seasonally and year-round, as well as the millpond’s significance in their lives. And because this is a park program, there’s no fee.

Logistics: Sunday, Dec. 7, 2:30 p.m., Merchants Millpond State Park, Gatesville. Free, but pre-registration is required, by calling 252.357.1191. More about the park and the millpond here.

Saturday forecast: High of 67, chance of rain.

Piedmont

New trail is always a welcome thing. Saturday, you’ll have the chance to welcome three new miles of trail at the Triangle Land Conservancy’s Horton Grove Nature Preserve in northern Durham County. Horton Grove, at 708 acres, is the TLC’s largest preserve, and with three new miles of trail bringing the preserve total to eight, it’s also the preserve with the most path.

To celebrate the new trail, TLC will hold guided hikes at Horton Grove from 1-4 p.m. Saturday. Hikes on just the new trail, hikes on most of the preserve’s trails for newcomers. Horton Grove is a diverse slice of Piedmont, with upland oak-hickory forests, beech slopes, stands of mixed pine and hardwoods and a 20-acre Piedmont Prairie restoration in progress.

Logistics: Saturday, Dec. 6, 1-4 p.m., Horton Grove Nature Preserve, Durham County. For directions and more information, go here.

Saturday forecast: High of 62, chance of rain.

Mountains

We haven’t mentioned skiing in a while — and likely won’t again until after the Christmas crush. But if you’ve got the need for white speed, North Carolina’s slopes are in good shape for this early in the season. Appalachian, Beech, Cataloochee and Sugar are all operating, generally with at least half of their respective mountains open. Snowshoe in West Virginia is open and Wintergreen in Virginia plans to reopen this weekend. Skiing or riding on a budget? Lift tickets at Appalachian are just $5 this weekend.

Intrigued? Check out your options and get the latest news at SkiSoutheast.com.

Logistics: Check SkiSoutheast.com.

Weekend forecast: Sunday looks the most promising, according to Ray’s Weather, with some sun and highs around 40.

* * *

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

Like us on Facebook and get health, fitness and outdoors news throughout the day.

GetGoingNC.com

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The post This weekend: Paddle, hike, ski appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Coast

Not sure why, but November is one of my favorite times to paddle at the coast. Perhaps the droves of summer tourists are gone, perhaps because the cold of winter — a cold exacerbated by being on the water — has yet to settle in. In any event, it’s a magical time to be on the water. One of the best places to experience this magic: the peaceful waters of Bogue Sound behind the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores.

Saturday, join a naturalist for an Early Bird Paddle Trip beginning at 9 a.m. All equipment — paddle, vest, canoe/kayak — provided, as is the interpretive eye of a trained naturalist who can help you make sense of the salt marsh ecology. A great way to spend two hours on a Saturday morning.

Logistics: 9-11 a.m., $20, ages 10 and up. 800.832.FISH. Here for more details.

Weekend forecast: Sunny, high of 59.

Piedmont

This weekend is probably your last chance to enjoy fall color, so enjoy it to the fullest on a guided hike. Saturday’s Fall Foliage Hike at Historic Yates Mill County Park in Raleigh, for instance. Join a naturalist to learn about what makes the green world explode in color come fall on a hike at this special preserve.

Logistics: 11 a.m.-noon, Saturday, Nov. 3. Free, but pre-registration is required. 919-856-6675

Saturday forecast: Sunny, high of 57.

Mountains

Can you believe we’re suggesting skiing as an option the first weekend of November? A bizarre mix of Hurricane Sandy and a cold front dumped 11 inches of snow on Beech Mountain, 7 at Sugar and 4 at Cataloochee, all in North Carolina. Sugar and Cataloochee were further capitalizing on the cold by making snow and expected to open today. Temperatures were expected to continue cold into the weekend, supporting at least overnight snowmaking efforts. As of today (Wednesday, Oct. 31), Sugar and Cataloochee. It was unclear whether any additional Southeast resorts would open this weekend, including Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia, which had nearly two feet of snow as of Tuesday morning.

Logistics: Follow the breaking North Carolina and Southeast ski situation at SkiSoutheast.com.

Forecast: From today through the weekend daytime highs are expected to rise into the upper 30s with overnight lows in the upper 20s. With heavy snow expected to leave the region tonight, conditions will remain for overnight snowmaking.

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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.

* * *

The post This weekend: Skiing? In early November? appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Coast

Sometimes luring the recalcitrant into the outdoors is simply a matter of offering the right bait. A mere walk in a cold forest may not appeal to someone more involved in cerebral pursuits, but throw in a map, a compass and the opportunity to calculate your way over hill and dale and suddenly a hike doesn’t seem so bad. Sunday at 2 p.m. just such an opportunity will be offered at Cliffs of the Neuse State Park near Goldsboro, when a park ranger leads a beginner course in map reading and using the compass. (If you have a compass, bring it; otherwise, the park has some spares you can use.) It’s free and should last about an hour and a half.

Directions and more about Cliffs of the Neuse here.

Piedmont

Opportunities to take a guided kayak trip are few during cold weather months, fewer still are those trips that throw in a hot breakfast. Take advantage of such a rare opportunity Saturday morning on a four-and-a-half-hour guided tour on High Point’s Belews Lake. Conducted by the Piedmont Environmental Center, the tour will check out the birds, beaver and other wildlife that live along the lake; all gear is included, including a heated lake! (A power plant on the lake uses lake water to cool its turbines.) Cost is $50, $40 if you’re a member of the PEC. The trip is appropriate for beginners.

More info here.

Mountains

Just like that, we’re in the middle of ski season. At mid-week, North Carolina’s ski area’s were reporting mid-season conditions, thanks to a weekend dump of snow and cold weather making for ideal snowmaking conditions. Ski Beech, for instance, has already recorded 21.6 inches of snow for the season and coming into this week had 4 of 8 lifts operating. Just down the road, Sugar Mountain was reporting 15.3 inches of snowfall to date with a base ranging from  26 to 56 inches! Not only will you be able to ski this weekend, but conditions should be good and a fair amount of terrain should be open. The lone caveat: You won’t be alone.

For the latest, most objective report on conditions on the state’s slopes, visit SkiNC.com.

Photo: Sugar Mountain gets off to a fast start for the 2010-11 season. (Photo courtesy Kenny Griffen/SkiNC.com.)
* * *

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.

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.

The post This weekend: wayfind, paddle, ski appeared first on GetGoing NC!.