So what makes for a good, early-season long hike? A variety of factors. Below, we list five of our favorite longer hikes and what makes them good for a first long hike of your hiking season.

1. 

   Horton Grove Nature Preserve, Bahama (north of Durham). A classic for a first long hike of the season because, with 7 connecting trails comprising 8 miles of hiking, if you get out there and discover you aren’t ready for a 5-miler, you can cut it short. Likewise, if you’re feeling strong after 5, why not hike every trail? Rolling terrain with no heartbreaking climbs.

2. Bunter-Falls of Neuse Game Lands, Bahama. Flat, no crowds. That should be enough — but we’ll give you a smidge more. The hiking here is open, on gravel access roads that pass meadows and impoundment ponds designed to attract wildlife. Especially good on cool days (the exposure), especially good on Sundays (these are gamelands; currently, there is no hunting on Sundays — or from Memorial Day through Labor Day). And again, flat and no crowds. Our guide highlights a 4.5-mile hike.
3. Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake: Day-hike Section L, Durham. This 3.2-mile stretch of the MST (6.4 miles out and back) is among the lesser-traveled stretches of the MST along Falls Lake in the Triangle. Why? Maybe because of its brief encounters with the lake? That’s the only reason we can figure; this gently rolling trail through maturing hardwoods is perfect for losing yourself (spiritually, not physically) in the woods.

4. 

   Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake: Day-hike Section P, Durham. Another great hike along Falls Lake that flies under the radar. From the Hickory Hill Boat Ramp head east through mostly hardwoods at first, mostly pine (in a pine savannah-type environment) after that. Flat, with foot-friendly trail tread throughout.

5. Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake: Day-hike Section S, Durham. Possibly our favorite stretch of the MST along Falls Lake, this 4.8-mile stretch starts and ends on Red Mill Road, making for a quick shuttle — or a vigorous 9.6-mile out-and-back. Lots of variety as the trail passes through wetlands, along meadows, through bottomland woods, along railroad tracks, past signs of the area’s pre-reservoir human past.

Hike ‘em

Intrigued? Below are links where you can find more information on each of the hikes. You can also download our GetHiking! Guide to 5 Longer Hikes for Getting in Shape. 

GetHiking! 5 Longer Hikes for Getting in Shape. Guides to each of the hikes listed, including an overview, recommended hikes, custom map, pertinent details (directions, facilities at the trailhead, etc.), and a short video introduction to the venue. Find it here.

• Horton Grove Nature Preserve (Triangle Land Conservancy), Bahama 
• Butner-Fllas of Neuse Game Lands, Main Depot off Brickhouse Road (N.C. Wildlife Resource Commission), Bahama
• Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake: Day-hike Section L, Durham
• Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake: Day-hike Section P, Durham
• Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake: Day-hike Section S, Durham

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1. Raven Rock State Park
Lillington
We’ll defer to the park’s website on this one: “One of the best reasons to visit Raven Rock is the exceptional beauty of its wildflowers. A variety of species reveal magnificent blossoms in early spring. Look over patches of Dutchman’s breeches, bloodroot, saxifrage and trailing arbutus. Gaze down paths lined with Solomon’s seal, bellwort and spring beauty, or let your eyes wander through a haze of greens and yellows as leaves break their winter dormancy and begin to color the forest.”
Best bets: Campbell Creek and Little Creek trails.
More info here.

2. Eno River
Durham and Orange counties
So prolific are the wildflowers along the Eno River that the Eno River Association annually devotes a weekly series of hikes to them, each hike targeted to the area where blooms are most likely to be occurring. (This week’s destination: the Riverwalk area of downtown Hillsborough.) The hepatica and trout lily have passed, but you can still catch Dutchman’s breeches and yellow lady slippers this month, and rhododendron and mountain laurel in May, among others.
Best Bets: Consult the Eno River Association Spring Hike Series (below) for current blooms.
More info here.

3. Grandfather Mountain State Park
Linville
It’s no surprise that one of the most diverse biopspheres in the world would have a wide array of wildflowers. Massive Grandfather Mountain is conducting multiple spring wildflower hikes each week, at different locations on the mountain. A good opportunity to see wildflowers common to higher elevations and lower in one spot. Check the site listed below for an idea of where you’ll find the most flowering action.
Best Bets: Profile Trail on the mountain’s northwest flank.
More info here.

4. South Mountains State Park
Connelly Springs
South Mountains is both surprisingly close to the Triad and Charlotte and, of equal surprise, a quiet place to visit. Considering the park has more than 18,400 acres (making it North Carolina’s biggest state park), that’s lots of room to roam unobstructed. Not that you need to hike into the park’s interior for spring color: the wood anemone pictured were within a mile of the main parking area. But it’s great to know you have that option.
Best Bet: Jacobs Fork Trail
More info here.

5. Jockey’s Ridge State Park
Nags Head
Think of Jockey’s Ridge and you think of sand dunes — big sand dunes, the biggest along the East Coast! But still, big mounds of sand — not festive flowers. But Jockey’s Ridge isn’t entirely about sand; in fact, the barrier island preserve is ideal for spotting a range of coastal wildflowers, from the yellows of dune camphorweed and smooth bur-marigold to the fire-wheel blanket-flower and trumpet honeysuckle.
Best Bet: Soundside Nature Trail
More info here.

The post Five Spring Wildflower Hikes appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

There was a break in the week-long rain, but it remained gray and cold. Certainly not weather to entertain thoughts of spring. But suddenly I was, thanks to one of the sweetest sounds nature conjures — the ascending croak of a spring peeper.

Forget the groundhog; Spring peepers are the season’s first responders. They typically emerge this time of year, typically in rainy weather, though typically during a spike in temperature (it was in the low 40s, as it seems to have been all winter). Yet probably not 30 feet away a vernal pool, a male peeper was loudly and enthusiastically kicking off the mating season. 

I stayed still; spring peepers have a security system that goes off when you get within 30 feet or so. Penetrate that bubble and the music stops. 

Their song made be think about the progression of spring. Next come the daffodils, though they get an asterisk because they are an ornamental plant, not a native wildflower. Homesteaders planted them long ago, likely to remind them that winter wouldn’t last forever.

The two wildflowers that truly signal a change of season is afoot are the trout lily and the spring beauty. I’ve seen both as early as the third week of January, more typically the second or third week of February. Once the temperature hits 60 for the first time and it’s accompanied by a cloudless day, that’s when my wildflower watch begins.

Given the conditions, I was surprised by yesterday’s spring peeper. Later in the day, though, I checked the calendar and discovered it was Imbolc, a pagan celebration marking the mid-point of winter. As Bon Jovi put it, “Whoa, we’re half way there.” 

Then I saw something that made me even more hopeful about the coming of spring: the forecast. The beginning of the week will see temperatures in the 60s with sun. Three days of prime conditions for the season’s first wildflower blooms.

Here’s hoping our spring peeper’s opening act is followed quickly by the main event.

Learn more about the spring peeper from The National Wildlife Foundation, here.

Learn more about Imbolc here. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/imbolc-how-to-celebrate-the-festival-which-marks-the-end-of-winter/articleshow/97527840.cms?from=mdr

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Same thing the annual Profile Trail Wildflower hikes at Grandfather Mountain, which kick off this weekend. For us flatlanders it’s the spring wildflower season all over again. And while the 3-hour hike is listed as covering 3 miles, you needn’t hike that far before you start seeing some spring sensations beneath the barren canopy along the Watauga River. If you miss this Saturday’s hike, there will be more. Learn more here.

If you’ve been keeping up with spring and wonder what’s next, then check out Sunday afternoon’s weekly Spring Wildflower Hike along the Eno, with the Eno River Association. This week’s hike is at Eno River State Park’s Fews Ford Access, starting from the Piper Cox House and heading out the Buckquarter Creek Trail. This hike will cover about a mile and will check out the wildflowers displays in a variety of habitats, including field, forest and river floodplain. Learn more and sign up here.

Most of the hikes offered through N.C. State Parks have an educational focus, cover short distances, and go at a snail’s pace. But sometimes you just feel like pulling out the stops and giving those Vasques some vroom. If you’re of such a mind this Saturday, check out The Triangle Land Conservancy’s weekly Speed Hike, at Johnston Mill Nature Preserve. A 3-mile hike at a 20-minute-per-mile pace — allow 1 hour for this hike. Learn more and sign up here.

Weatherwise, we’re looking at a cool Saturday (highs in the 60s) and a warmer Sunday, with a high topping 80 and a chance of thunderstorms, mostly in the afternoon.

Spring won’t be here forever. Take that as added incentive this weekend to GetOut!

And enjoy!

The post GetOut! Check out spring now (and a month ago) appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Saturday morning — the exact time depends upon where you live — a cold front moves in, the kind of cold front ushered in by gusty winds, thunderstorms, possibly tornadoes. Then, sun — and temperatures that will drop into the upper 30s by late afternoon. Temperatures will drop into the low 20s overnight Saturday, rising only into the mid-40s on Sunday. Thus, you might want to reconsider the 9 a.m. Volunteer Days Saturday at Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve and Carvers Creek State Park, but you should be OK for the …

• St. Patrick’s Day Party at 11 a.m. at Morrow Mountain State Park in Albemarle. “Enjoy some family-friendly activities and games to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and the First Day of Spring,” says the park website. Learn (a little) more here.
• Life of the Longleaf, Sunday, 2 p.m., Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, SouthernPines. Weymouth Woods celebrates NC State Parks Year of the Tree with a 1-mile hike celebrating it’s celebrated tree, the longleaf (also our state tree). Learn more here.
• Wildflower Hike Series: Willie Duke’s Bluff, Sunday, 2-5 p.m., Penny’s Bend Nature Preserve, Durham. The Eno River Association kicks off its 2022 spring Wildflower Hike Series with a hike along the Eno River at Penny’s Bend, where the hope is to find Dutchman’s breeches (pictured above), the rare eastern false rue anemone and numerous other wildflowers. We saw a nice display of Dutchman’s breeches the last weekend of March 2021 (in a spring that was warmer), so it may be early, but an awesome hike all the same. About 2 miles of hiking. Learn more and sign up here.

Finally, we’ll take a chance, weatherwise, on this one because it’s at a little-appreciated preserve tucked into the suburbs. Check the website to make sure it’s still a go.

• Get Wild About Wildflowers @ Swift Creek Bluffs Nature Preserve, Saturday, 9-11 a.m. Swift Creek Bluffs Nature Preserve, Cary. Swift Creek Bluffs is a narrow sliver of land along its namesake creek in Cary. Though small in size, it’s location nestled between Swift Creek and its wetlands, and a sizable bluff insulate it from Cary development. On this hike they’ll be searching for trout lilies, bloodroot, and spring beauties. Learn more and register here.

That’s a taste of what the weekend holdse. Don’t let the early day rains on Saturday discourage you. Once the front moves through it looks like a sunny weekend of cool fun, a weekend to GetOut! 

And enjoy.

* * *

GetHiking! Spring Tuesday Evening hikes. A reminder that Sunday marks the beginning of Daylight Saving Time — and our GetHiking! Spring Tuesday Evening Hike Series — 10 weekly hikes, all on different trails around the Triangle, all about 3 miles. Learn more and sign up to join us here.

The post GetOut! Rain early, then a sunny, cool weekend appeared first on GetGoing NC!.