Sunday, we had a need for distance, while at the same time distancing. With the temperature being in the low 80s, with not a cloud to be seen, and with summer’s humidity still a few weeks out, we knew that a long hike amid no fellow hikers might be hard to come by.

But then, we also knew about the 40,000-acre Butner Game Lands north of Falls Lake.

Last fall, scouting new locations for our GetHiking! Winter Wild series of off-trail adventures, I   spent a couple of weekends exploring the Butner grounds. 

What I found most appealing about Butner is what most people would find the least appealing. What maps there are, as is the case with North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission game lands throughout the state, aren’t particularly detailed. They give you an idea of boundaries, you get a rough idea of where the main gravel roads go and where you can park. But as for how to get around, well, you’re pretty much on your own. Most game lands have access roads that are closed to vehicles but open to walking. It’s how the hunters get in, the birders, too. They’re used mainly by WRC to maintain these gamelands, acreage set aside to provide healthy habitats for fauna big, small, winged and gilled. You’ll find wide-open meadows, managed ponds, wetlands and forest. Those maintenance roads are how you get around.

My advice if you’ve never explored game lands: 

• Find the aforementioned generic map of the area you’re interested in on their website. 
• Locate an access point, marked with a “P.”
• Drive to the access point: some include GPS coordinates; occasionally, there’s an address. Otherwise, you might have to use good-ol’ map skills.
• At the trailhead, there may be a kiosk that includes a map of the area. Take a picture of the map with your smartphone so you’ll have it with you. Start exploring.
• If you get lost, call up Google Maps. It will tell you where you are. You just have to figure out how to get to where you want to be.

Right now, with so many trails closed, these game lands are your best bet for a long walk in the wild. Start your search at the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission website, here.

One last thing: hunting season in North Carolina runs through May 31 (and starts up again 

Resources

To find game lands across the state, start at the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission website, here.

Learn more specifically about the Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Land here.

For more on exploring in your immediate vicinity during these shelter-in-place times, check out our Explore Your Neighborhood: A Guide section here.

The post Butner: a walk with distance — and distancing appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Sunday, we expanded our horizons for safe-distance recreation: we took a paddle trip. 

We’ve been walking, walking, walking our neighborhood for the past little bit (check out our Morning Walk with Joe on Facebook Live every morning at 7:30). But Sunday, the weather was grand — sunny, with temperatures in the mid-80s — and it seemed that time on the water would be restorative. And a safe and responsible way to get out.

It was, and it was.

Some of the most peaceful times I’ve known have been on the water. You’re paddling a lake on a summer’s day, you pull up in a shaded cove, put the paddle down, flop your legs up onto the boat deck, close your eyes. A light breeze, the water gently lapping your bow, that feeling of warmth that flirts with but doesn’t achieve sweaty heat. Your mind drifts in a variety of directions, none of them, in my experience, disturbing. It’s one of nature’s best avenues of escape. 

It was safe and responsible as well. We put in at the Eno River boat access off Red Mill Road in Durham. We love this spot because you can paddle upstream or down. Paddle downstream and shortly you meet the Flat River on your north and the confused beginnings of Falls Lake. Though the lake appears well defined on a map, it’s actually a morass of small islands intertwined with tight passages through choking vegetation giving way to small pocket lakes. Scenic, but remember to take a map and compass (or have Google Maps at the ready).

Upstream is how I usually go. Up the Eno, under Red Mill Road, past a couple of collecting points, to the Little River and it’s journey from the north, to Old Oxford Highway and Penny’s Bend, where progress is typically thwarted by the first of several rock gardens that mark Eno’s transition from backed up flatwater to spritely and mischievous creek. We paddled just past Red Mill Road, hung out in an eddy for a while, then slowly let the current helps us back to the boat ramp. It was just the relief we needed.

The boat ramp, both putting in and taking out, was busy with a mix of paddlers and folks fishing from power boats. It was also one of the most socially distanced places I’ve recreated during the pandemic. People were patient about not overcrowding the boat ramp, either to put in or take out. People were also good not to dillydally at the ramp: do your business, move on. And why lose patience, anyway? We were all just glad to be out in a world familiar to us that hadn’t changed. A world we hope remains open.

Where to, how to

A few quick things if you’re interested in getting out on the water during this time of Social Distancing.

NC Wildlife Resource Commission boat ramps. So far, the only COVID-19-related closures have been to restroom facilities; the boat ramps remain open (unless they’d been closed for unrelated reasons). Find the location of the WRC’s more than 200 boat access points here. You can also find a list of accesses closed for other reasons at this same site.

N.C. State Parks. It takes a little more digging to find out what boat access points remain open. As of Sunday, March 29, 25 state parks had completely closed. Some parks, with boat access, remain open. Merchants Millpond, for instance, still appears to allow access to the 760-acre millpond. You’ll need your own boat, though: the canoe rentals are closed. Jordan Lake in the Triangle area has four boat access areas open: Ebenezer Church, Seaforth, New Hope and Robeson Creek. Check the NC Parks website, here, for the latest.

Municipal and county access. Again, it’s a mixed bag. Parks across the state have been required to close their main facilities: rec centers, restrooms, pools, boat houses. In some cases (Durham, for instance), they’ve also closed boat access points. In others, there’s still access, but with modifications. In High Point, for instance, you can still put in your own boat on Oak Hollow Lake and High Point City Lake, with the launch fee paid over the phone. Again, call to check the status of your local launch before heading out.

Practice socially responsible boating. The folks at paddling.com have come up with their guidelines for safe paddling in the age of Social Distancing. Check ‘em out here. And for more on the benefits of paddling, check out this article from Paddling Magazine.

Need a boat?

Unfortunately, if being on the water sounds good but you don’t have a boat, well, that’s a challenge right now. Usually around this time you start to see boat rentals popping up, at lakes and through outfitters. That’s not happening. Your options for buying a boat are also limited. One option: a big box that sells groceries — and that also sells other stuff, like recreational gear. Your choices will be limited — to one, likely — but it will likely be an entry-level boat. Our friends at Great Outdoor Provision Co. can also help you out. They stock an array of kayaks, from fishing kayaks to sit-on-tops to the kind of recreational kayak you’re likely looking for. Learn more about their recreational kayaks here, their canoes and kayaks in general here. And while they are currently closed, they will have gear available on their online store starting Friday. Look for news on their web site here.

The post Social Distancing on the water appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

This means that in addition to the closure of visitor centers, camping, restrooms and other facilities that were announced last week, trails at these parks are also now closed.

The reason? Failure to adhere to social distancing guidelines. 

People are turning out to hike like never before. Sunday, hiking Day-Hike Section D of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along Falls Lake, we saw more people hiking than we’d ever seen on this stretch. And probably 95 percent were in compliance, either stepping well off the trail to allow oncoming hikers to pass, or pulling well off the trail to let faster hikers pass. Ninety-five percent seems like good odds: imagine a 95 percent free-throw shooter, or batting .950 in baseball. But with the rapid spread of COVID-19, 5 percent non-compliance is way too high a risk.

We realize how important it is to get out right now. But unless we do it in the most low-risk way possible, we will soon see all of our trails closed. We can work to make sure this doesn’t happen in two ways:

First, it’s vital that you observe social distancing requirements, including:

• Hike in groups of no more than 10 people
• Keep a minimum of 6 feet apart (our GetHiking! program recommends 10 feet, especially now in the spring allergy season when pollen-triggered sneezes can increase your … dispersal zone.
• No touching, no sharing (bring your own water and snacks)
• Do not go out, advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if you have:
  • A temperature in excess of 100 
  • A cough or shortness of breath
  • Underlying health conditions that may weaken your immune system, including heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes
  • Tested positive for the COVID-19

The other thing you can do: hike the trails less traveled. That’s where we aim to help you this week, by highlighting some of our favorite places to explore that typically don’t see as much foot traffic. The reasons for this vary, but here’s a big one: they lack the trailhead infrastructure (visitor center, restrooms, picnic areas) that tend to attract the masses. To get you started, in this post we wrote last week for our friends at Great Outdoor Provision Co., we identify some of our favorite backdoor entrances to the places you already love to explore. (Again, this was last week; Crowders Mountain State Park, which is included, has since closed.)

As of right now, many of our favorite trail networks — Eno River State Park, Umstead State Park, Pilot Mountain State Park (the latter for the most part) — remain open.

Let’s work to keep it that way.

Check before heading out

In these fluid times, remember to check the website of where you plan to hike to make sure it’s still open. Some quick sources of places we love to hike:

• N.C. State Parks
• Virginia State Parks
• U.S. National Forests in North Carolina
• National Park Service
• The Trek, an online magazine that’s doing a good job of covering the national hiking and backpacking picture.

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