For the past few years, since turning 60, whenever I’ve finished a favorite challenging hike, I’ve wondered: Will I hike this trail again?

In part, that’s because there’s a limited amount of time in life and a growing number of trails. We like hiking our favorites, we like hiking new trails. And since the pandemic, more trails coming on line. Decisions, decisions.

But there’s another factor. I’ve come to the slow-dawning realization that I while I’ll mylikely be able to hike another 20 years, I may not always be able to hike 15 miles in a day. Or 10. Or 7 or 8. 

That’s why when I had a day off recently and a forecast favorable for a long day on the trail — high temperature of 50, cloudless skies — I knew what I had to do. And I knew where I wanted to do it.

When I started GetHiking! more than a decade ago, the first long mountain hike we did was at Doughton Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Doughton offers the best hiking along Parkway: 30 miles of trail consisting of the most challenge hiking near Charlotte, the Triad, the Triangle. Four trails — Cedar Ridge, Bluff Ridge, Grassy Gap Fire Road and Flat Rock Ridge — climb the Blue Ridge escarpment, where they all connect with the 7.5-mile Bluff Mountain Trail (also the Mountains-to-Sea Trail). You can put together three long loops, ranging up to 17 miles. That first year we did the longest (up Cedar Ridge, across Bluff Mountain, down Flat Rock); a couple weeks back, because of time and available sunlight (not an area you want to hike after dark), I chose the Cedar Ridge/Bluff Mountain/Bluff Ridge route, about 15 miles. 

This hike is best done starting from the little-used Longbottom Road Access at the base of the escarpment. The reason: you get 80 percent of the climbing out of the way on the hike up. This is good for the obvious reason: who doesn’t like finishing a long day hiking downhill? It’s good, too, because if you overestimate your fitness and the climb is winning, you simply reverse course and head back down. I’d know within an hour if I had a 15-mile mountain hike in me.

Why?

Because the first mile and a quarter of Cedar Ridge is the worst; it’s not until the 2.2-mile mark that you encounter level ground, even a short descent. You still trend uphill for another two miles, but it’s not nearly as taxing. By the time you hit the Bluff Mountain Trail at mile 4.3, the bulk of your climb is over. For the day.

As I walked, I recalled my previous hikes on the trail. On that first GetHiking! hike, when I would have been 55, I don’t recall being overly tired after our 17-mile day. That’s in large part because when you’re leading a group you can’t feel overly tired: your charges get wind that you’re flagging and suddenly they’re really tired, too. I remember being especially invigorated on the long, mellow downhill on Flat Rock Ridge back to the trailhead. Same with a corporate group I took that returned down Grassy Gap Trail (we encountered a dusting of snow on that winter hike). I remember the first time taking the shorter, steeper Ridge Mountain Primitive Trail and seeing a momma bear and her two cubs, I remember scouting the trail for book projects  twice. The last time, in 2021, we base camped at the Basin Cove primitive camp, then spent a very cold and windy November Saturday on the trail, returning at dusk. Brief flashes of previous adventures suggested at least three other times doing a Doughton loop.

They were all good memories, and I’m sure that contributed to the fact it wasn’t until mile 13.5, coming off the Bluff Ridge Trail, that it occurred to me I was on the verge of being tired. Before hiking the last mile and a half on gently trending downhill, I took off my hiking shoes and stuck my feet in a very nippy Basin Creek. 

As my feet slowly went numb I realized I was as happy on the trail as I’ve been in a while. I recounted particularly memorable parts of the hike — drawing water from the Brinegar spring, the views from the open meadows near Bluff Mountain, the sun, the fact I only saw one other hiker — and smiled. 

I can’t wait to do this hike again, I thought.

And I’m pretty sure I will.

* * *

Forever hikes

Here’s the skinny on my top 5 Forever Hikes.

Doughton Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, Sparta

30 miles of trail, 3 long loops

The trail in today’s tale. 

Learn more here.

Standing Indian Recreation Area, Nantahala National Forest, Franklin

40 miles of trail, various loops involving the Appalachian Trail

As the AT enters Standing Indian, it traces a horseshoe-shaped ridge; about a dozen trails snaking up from the Standing Indian Recreation Area over a variety of loop options. Note: Three weeks after doing Doughton Park, I lead a two-day, one-night backpack trip on a favorite loop, starting from the backcountry trailhead: Long Branch Trail to the AT to Lower Trail Ridge Way, for 24 miles. 

Learn more here.

Appalachian Trail: Carver’s Gap to US 19E, Roan Mountain, Tenn.

13.7 miles

I’ve only done this as a day hike twice — largely because it’s such a stunningly gorgeous hike that you don’t want to rush it. We usually do it as a two-nighter, staying Night 1 at the Overmountain Victory Trail crossing and Night 2 at Doll Flats.

Learn more here.

Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake, Durham/Raleigh

16.4 miles: Penny’s Bend to Cheek Road (Day-Hike sections P,Q,R,S,T)

The MST spends 60 of its 1,175 miles along Falls Lake’s south shore, and all it makes for good hiking. We like this leg-stretcher because it’s among the more remote stretches of MST through the Triangle — and it’s probably the latest stretch!

Learn more here.

Weetock Trail, Croatan National Forest, Cape Carteret

11 miles

I love off-trail hiking, which is why I love this trail. The first 7 or so miles are fairly easy, over mostly flat coastal forest terrain with the occasional gully dip. The last 5 miles or so is an exercise in wayfinding, thanks to a hurricane a few years back that turned the trail into an obstacle course, an especially fun one.

Learn more here. 

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There’s strength in numbers, and to me the sturdy number for backpacking is three.

I recalled this bit of advice I used to hand out when I was contemplating my to-do list for 2024 — and realized I’d only backpacked once last year.

Once!

It wasn’t long ago that I was getting out about once a month. Sure, it was part of my job as a guide, but still, it felt natural. Once? Once did not feel natural.

So this year, I’ve vowed to follow my own advice. I’m scheduling three backpack trips. And I’m hoping you’ll go with me.

Here are the three, selected because they’re my three favorite. Click on the link for more information and sign up.

Standing Indian AT loop

Thursday – Sunday, April 25-28

Standing Indian Basin, a portion of which is in the Southern Nantahala Wilderness, is one of the few places where you can create a loop hike incorporating a large (about 20 miles) stretch of the Appalachian Trail. The AT portion of this hike is along the basin’s rim, offering expansive views of one of the most undeveloped regions in the Southeast. We meet Thursday evening at the Standing Indian campground (camping and welcome beverage and snacks included), hit the trail Friday morning.

Learn more and sign up here.

Virginia’s Triple Crown

Thursday – Sunday, June 20-23

On this 4-day, 35-mile trip you’ll visit the three most iconic spots on the Virginia portion of the Appalachian Trail: Dragon’s Tooth, Tinker Cliffs and McAfee Knob. Views abound on this trip, and you’ll work for them. This trip includes a training program that should whip you into shape for the challenge ahead. Note: Only one spot remains for this trip.

Learn more and sign up here.

AT from Carver’s Gap to US 19E

Friday – Sunday (Aug. 23-25)

The 14-mile stretch of the Appalachian Trail between Carver’s Gap and US 19 E is perhaps the most scenic stretch of the AT in the Southeast. We take our time and savor this hike, over Round and Jane balds, over Hump and Little Hump mountains, and past all the scenic hardwood splendor along the way on this 3-day, 2-night backpack trip. Trip includes shuttle.

Learn more and sign up here.

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Shining Rock Wilderness

Pisgah National Forest

We love it because: Start high (above 5,000 feet), stay high (topping 6,000 feet) through mostly open terrain.

Miles of trail: 50+

From late spring through mid-fall, it’s not unusual to find the Black Balsam Access over-run with cars, especially on the weekends. Most of those folks won’t get more than a couple miles from their car, meaning once you eclipse this invisible barrier the wide vistas and mountaintop views are yours. If you do the basecamp option and camp at Shining Rock, be sure to catch sunset from atop the rock: it’s about a 10-minute climb from camp, and it can take an extra minute or two to find the easiest route. Also be advised that bear canisters are required for food storage in much of the area.

Best basecamp option: Hike in 4.5 miles in full pack to the base of Shining Rock and set up basecamp. Multiple day-hike options from here, including: 1) Shining Rock Ledge to Cold Mountain (11.4 miles); 2) Art Loeb Trail to Black Balsam and Graveyard Fields (14 miles); 3) Investor Gap Trail to Sam Knob and Little Sam Knob (15.6 miles); 4) Shining Rock down Shining Creek Trail, back up Big East Fork and Greasy Cove trails to the Art Loeb and back (15 miles)

Best day-hike option: Sam Knob/Little Sam Knob loop from Black Balsam Access (8.2 miles)

Best backpacking option:  Big East Fork loop, from US 276 trailhead hike up Big East Fork to Shining Rock for Night 1, across the Art Loeb Trail to Yellowstone Prong for Night 2, Yellowstone Prong back to trailhead. 19 miles

More info here.

Standing Indian / Appalachian Trail

Nantahala National Forest

We love it because: A 30-mile loop hike on a linear trail, about two-thirds of which is along ridge

Miles of trail: 50+

The geology of this horseshoe-shaped bowl makes Standing Indian a hiker’s paradise. The Appalachian Trail follows the majority of the rim, for about 18 miles. With at least 7 names trails heading up from the bottom and connecting with the AT, there are numerous loop options (some requiring a short hike on Forest Service road). There’s two notable peaks to summit — 5,499-foot Standing Indian Mountain and 5,250-foot Albert Mountain, with notable views along the ridge. Good camping abounds along the way.

Best basecamp option: Car camp in the Standing Indian Campground. Multiple day-hike options, including: 1. Kimsey Creek to the Appalachian Trail to Standing Indian Mountain returning via the Chestnut Ridge Trail (11 miles); 2. Longbranch Trail to the AT, then south to Albert Mountain and returning down the Hurricane Creek Horse Trail with a short road walk (10 miles); 3. From Mooney Gap, hike south on the AT to Standing Indian Mountain, then down the mountain on Chestnut Ridge Trail to camp (shuttle required; 14 miles).

Best day-hike option: Kimsey Creek Trail to the AT, go north to Standing Indian Mountain, then return via Chestnut Ridge Trail trail (11 miles).

Best backpacking option: 30-mile loop starting from backcountry trailhead and up Longbranch Trail to AT, then south over Albert and Standing Indian mountains, returning via Kimsey Creek Trail.

More info here.

Black Mountains

Mount Mitchell State Park/Pisgah National Forest

We love it because: Topping out just under 6,700 feet, these are the highest mountains east of South Dakota’s Black Hills.

Miles of trail: 30+

Southern Appalachian hardwood forests are great, and in the Black Mountains you’ll hike through plenty. You’ll also hike, starting around 5,500 feet, through spruce and fir forests more commonly found much farther north. That “hiking elsewhere” feel is part of the allure of the Black Mountains. The rugged Black Mountain Crest, which spends much of its time above 6,000 feet, offers great outcrop exploring and great views.

Best basecamp option: Two options. 1. For the full Mount Mitchell experience, camp at the Black Mountain campground and take the Mount Mitchell Trail for 5.5 miles and 3,700 feet of vertical gain to the top of 6,684-foot Mitchell (11 miles roundtrip); or, 2. Camp in the Mount Mitchell State Park campground and spend one day exploring the roughly 8 miles of trail exploring the park, then a second day hiking north on the Black Mountain Crest trail to Mount Craig (1 mile), Big Tom, Balsam Cone, Cattail Peak and Potato Hill before dropping down to Deep Gap after 3.8 miles — a very challenging 3.8 miles.

Best day-hike option: Black Mountain Crest Trail. 6,648-foot Mount Craig is “just” a mile, with four more 6,000-foot peeks before reaching Deep Gap at mile 3.8 (and remember, you’ll need to hike back the same way).

Best backpacking option:  Colbert Ridge loop from the book

More info here.

Neusiok Trail  (late fall)

Croatan National Forest

We love it because:: Where else can you hike 21 miles through swamp, coastal forest and pine savannah?

Miles of trail: 21

The last place you’d pick to hike — a coastal forest — is the first place we think to go in winter. One, because you can only hike it in late fall and winter (the rest of the year its consumed by flying and slithering things). But mainly because it’s cool, but typically not cold, and exceptionally peaceful, muffled in large part by a dense forest that’s mostly pine on the south end, hardwood on the north.

Best basecamp option: Camp at the Oyster Point Campground and day-hike the various sections of the trail (providing about 3 days of day-hike options).

Best day-hike option: From the Pine Cliff Recreation Area, pick up the Neusiok Trail as it runs along the south bank of the Neuse River before heading inland through rolling coastal forest. After 7 miles, at NC 306, it’s about a 2-mile hike back to the car (briefly on NC 306, then on the gravel road back to Pine Cliff.

Best backpacking option: Meet at the Pine Cliff equestrian lot, then shuttle to the trailhead at Oyster point, staying Night 1 at the Blackjack Lodge Shelter and Night 2 at the Dogwood Shelter. Days of 2, 9 and 10 miles.

More info here.

Mount Rogers / Grayson Highlands

Jefferson National Forest / Grayson Highlands State Park, Virginia

We love it because: High, open terrain with sweeping rock outcrops; reminiscent of exploring out West

Miles of trail: 100+

Anyone who owns a backpack in the Southeast knows Mount Rogers. The National Recreation Area bearing its name covers more than 200,000 acres, with another 4,500 acres in adjoining Grayson Highlands State Park

Best basecamp option: From the Grayson Highlands backcountry lot, hike in full pack 4.5 miles to Rhododendron Gap and set up basecamp. Day hikes include: 1. Lewis Fork Wilderness (various options, starting at around 7 miles); 2. Appalachian Trail to Scales and back via the Crest Trail (12 miles); 3. To Mount Rogers and Whitetop mountains and back (10 miles).

Best day-hike option: From Grayson Highlands to Rhododendron Gap up to Mount Rogers (14 miles).

Best backpacking option:  Mount Rogers Loop Trail, starting from Grayson Highlands and including the AT and Crest Trails.

More info here and here and here.

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Or this, from a more contemporary purveyor of percipient thought:

“It’s the first day of autumn! A time of hot chocolatey mornings, and toasty marshmallow evenings, and, best of all, leaping into leaves!”

— W. Pooh

But it’s writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, inspired by his New England home, that we think best captures the sentiment of the season: “I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house. So I have spent almost all the daylight hours in the open air.”

That’s pretty much how we approach fall, and why we, too, endeavor to spend so much of it “in the open air” — by backpacking. Warm days, cool nights, cloudless skies and lots of autumnal color make this the season to not just to explore the backcountry, but to live in it. And while that autumnal sunshine is indeed intoxicating, the shoulder periods of dawn and dusk, not to mention those brisk, brilliant night skies, make fall the true season of backpacking.

How are we planning to spend as much of this fall as possible outdoors? In a variety of ways. And ways that nearly every one of you can be a part of, regardless of your backpacking experience — if any.

For the more experienced

Got a bit of backpacking experience under your belt? We have two four-day trips on tap.

• Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock/Citico Creek Wilderness, Sept. 16-19. On this basecamp backpack trip we hike in 1.5 miles and establish camp, then spend three days day hiking these adjoining wilderness areas. $195. Learn more and sign up here.
• Appalachian Trail at Standing Indian, Oct. 28-31. We spend Thursday evening at the Standing Indian campground, then head out Friday morning for three days on the trail, mostly the AT as it follows a horseshoe-shaped ridge over Albert Mountain and Standing Indian Mountain. $195. Learn more and sign up here.

For those short on time

Fall rolls around, you’re out of vacation time. With our Weekend Quick Escapes, you don’t need any PTO; these trips are designed to let you work a full day, then, when the whistle blows at 5, hop into your loaded car and drive to a trailhead requiring a short hike in to basecamp and two days of hiking in daypacks. Our three destinations for fall:

• Doughton Park, Oct. 22-24.  $105. Learn more and sign up here.
• Rock Castle Gorge, Nov. 19-21. $105. Learn more and sign up here.
• Birkhead Mountain Wilderness in the Uwharrie National Forest, Dec. 10-1. $105. Learn more and sign up here.

Backpacking for Non Backpackers

You’re an avid hiker but, for whatever reason, have yet to try backpacking. With our Basecamp Backpack option you can enjoy the best of both worlds: the solitude of a backcountry campsite plus the ability to hike miles on end without 40 pounds on your back. We supply the basic backpacking gear — backpack, tent, sleeping pad, cook stove and cookset, plus guidance on how to use it all and be a backpacker. This option is available on our Basecamp Backpack trips that require a short hike — between a quarter mile and 3 miles — to camp in full pack. We provide a list of everything you’ll need to bring.

• Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock/Citico Creek Wilderness, Sept. 16-19. $295. Learn more and sign up here
• Weekend Quick Escape: Doughton Park, Oct. 22-24. $195. Learn more and sign up here
• Weekend Quick Escape: Rock Castle Gorge, Nov. 19-21. $195. Learn more and sign up here.
• Weekend Quick Escape: Birkhead Mountain Wilderness in the Uwharrie National Forest, Dec. 10-12. $195. Learn more and sign up here.

Backpacking for backpackers-to-be

Not a backpacker — yet? In just three sessions you can become a bonafide backpacker in time for the prime fall hiking season. We start with a gear session via Zoom, then meet for a 5-hour, in-field training session before our weekend graduation trip to South Mountains State Park. Some loaner gear is available on a first-requested basis. We have four sessions scheduled for the fall. Click the appropriate link for details and to sign up. $225.

• Intro to Backpacking: Charlotte. Sept. 8, 11, 24-26
• Intro to Backpacking: Triangle. Sept. 8, 11, 24-26
• Intro to Backpacking: Triad. Sept. 8, 11; Oct. 1-3
• Intro to Backpacking: Greenville. Sept. 23; Oct. 9, 22-24

Of all the seasons, fall is the last you can afford to waste. As noted horticulture writer Elizabeth Lawrence — the first woman, in 1932, to graduate with a degree in landscape architecture from N.C. State — put it, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”

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Face it, are there no bad hikes. Each hike has its own special, well, “charm” may be pushing it. But each hike we do does have some unique or compelling aspect that, in the end, always has us saying, “That sure beat a day at the widget works.” Even when it’s finger-nipping cold, even when it’s wet enough to pack a snorkel.

Still, there are some hikes that stand above the rest. A grand view, perhaps. Fabulous fall color, or an especially inspiring spring wildflower display. The hikes that we put an asterisk next to in our hiking journals and vow to hike again, soon.

For us, “soon” was supposed to be last year. Our planned hike schedule — a scheduled planned in January, when planning still made sense — included several hikes we were especially excited about. Hikes that we try to hit regularly, for reasons specific to that trail.

Today, we share five of those hikes, along with the reason they’re special to us. In the Hike It Yourself section at the bottom, you’ll find information on how to hike each trail yourself.

1. Mount Mitchell Trail 

5.6 miles (one way, 11.2 miles up and back)

Black Mountain Campground, Burnsville

The allure: With 3,700 feet of vertical it’s great for assessing your fitness; a state of the union for hiking, as it were

I look at this as an annual assessment of where I stand as a hiker, especially whether I’m losing anything and need to start making it up. This hike is just 5.6 miles (OK, it’s an out-and-back so make it a little more than 11) but it’s less the length than the elevation gain — about 3,700 vertical feet, and without much recovery opportunity to catch your breath: it’s pretty much a slog straight up. It’s not until you’re near the top, once you enter the boreal forest at close to 6,000 feet that it becomes challenging. The trail gets a little steeper, the terrain becomes rocky and rooty. Still, you’re within a half mile or so of the summit, which eggs you on. One bummer: share your summit victory with a hundred or so “hikers” who’ve walked the length of a mall, from the gift shop. Still, at an elevation of 6,684 feet you are now standing at the highest point on the East Coast, the highest point east of the Black Hills of South Dakota. You’ve earned the bragging rights, not driven them to the summit.

2. Sam Knob Loop 

8.2-mile loop

Black Balsam area of the Blue Ridge Parkway 

The allure: The grandeur of its neighbor Shining Rock minus the crowds

There are places you love to go, and there are places you love to go that everyone else loves to go, too. Once you’ve identified an area of mutual and multiple adoration, it’s time to find a suitable alternative. The Shining Rock area of the Pisgah National Forest is a prime example: Between Shining Rock, Graveyard Fields, the Art Loeb Trail, and Black Balsam, it’s hard to find any peace — let along a parking spot — at the main access to Shining Rock, the Black Balsam parking area just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Enter “Shining Rock” into the AllTrails.com app and you’ll get 131 curated trails. While two or three of these recommendations include portions of the Sam Knob Area located adjacent to Shining Rock, none are the 8.2-mile Sam Knob Loop. You don’t even need to use the busy Black Balsam parking area to access the trail; rather, sneak in the back door off NC 215 and hike in from the west. Hike it clockwise and you’ll hit Chestnut Bald, Little Sam Knob, Sam Knob, Flat Laurel Creek, some nice cascades, some boreal forest, sweeping views — basically everything you’ll find at Shining Rock minus the legions of blueberry pickers and youth groups that storm the area from late spring into fall.

3. Doughton Park Loop

17-mile loop

Longbottom Road Access to Doughton Park

The allure: A challenging, yet doable, 17 miles in one day

Is it possible to do a 17-mile day-hike that climbs and retreats down the face of the Blue Ridge Escarpment? Granted, you need to be in OK shape — this is a hike for folks who get out regularly and probably have a recent 10-miler under their belt. But I’ve led numerous groups on this hike and they’ve all finished. Now, if you’re familiar with Doughton Park, you’re likely familiar with the Blue Ridge Parkway portion of the hike. The part where multiple access points let you hike through open mountaintop meadows with grand views. You get those views with this version of the hike, but you don’t start and end with them. Rather, you begin at the base of the Blue Ridge Escarpment and climb 4 1/2 miles up the Cedar Ridge Trail: steeper at the beginning, tapering some near the top. With 75 percent of your climbing behind you meander on the Bluff Mountain Trail (which is also the Mountains-to-Sea Trail) four another 4 1/2 miles through those rolling meadows, then three miles of quiet hardwood forest before the nearly 5 mile descent back to the car. This is a popular training hike for hikers in the Triad and Triangle: it’s a good challenge delivered with lots of distracting scenery.

Standing Indian Mountain

11.1 miles

Standing Indian Recreation Area, west of Franklin

The allure: A challenging mission, a suitable reward

I love a good, straightforward hike with a clear plan and a challenging objective and, at hike’s end, winds up with me sitting in a camp chair in a mountain stream drinking a beer. That’s what you get with this classic 11.1-mile hike that follows a mountain stream for 4 miles to a gap, then picks up the Appalachian Trail for a 2.5-mile climb to a mountain with a view. 5,513-foot Standing Indian Mountain makes for a great summit lunch stop with gazing to the south and east into a vast landscape about as devoid of signs of man as any in the southeast. Lunch up here on a clear day … man, it’s the best. There’s a 4.5-mile return that “trends downhill” (guide-speak for, There may be a short climb or three along the way; don’t hold me to it). Finally, at hike’s end back at the campground, a celebratory brew in Kimsey Creek. Plan to make a few days of it by staying in the Standing Indian Campground and executing several similar hikes that use forest service trail to create loops with the AT, which forms something of a horseshoe on its passage through the area. 

North Mills River

9.5 miles

North Mills River Recreation Area, Mills River

The allure: The charm and challenge of the nearby Davidson River area, minus the crowds

Years ago I planned to lead a hiking weekend in the Davidson River area, only to realize at the last minute that I hadn’t reserved campsites. Big mistake at the popular Davidson River Campground, where the reservable campsites are snapped up weeks in advance and the lines for the first-come sites resemble those for Duke/UNC tickets. I frantically began searching for an alternative and up came North Mills River, just a ridge or two to the east. The fact that they had openings made me dubious — I was even more so after arriving to find a voluminous meadow camping area with out-the-tent-door access to great hiking. We especially liked the hike up Fletcher Creek to Spencer Gap, with a return down Trace Ridge. It was August and the multiple creek crossings on Fletcher Creek were especially welcome, as was the exceptionally mature forest above Hendersonville Reservoir.

Hike it yourself

Itchin’ to hike these trails yourself? Resources to get you started follow.

Mount Mitchell Trail

• Find the Alltrails.com route description here.

Sam Knob Loop

• “Backpacking North Carolina,” Trip No. 14

Doughton Park Loop

• Visit the National Park Service site here for information on Doughton Park and a map
• “Backpacking North Carolina,” Trip No. 11

North Mills River Loop

• Visit the National Forest Service site for North Mills River here

Standing Indian AT Loop

• Visit the National Forest Service site for Standing Indian here

GetHiking! Southeast Podcast

This week on the GetHiking! Southeast Podcast we discuss the hikes mentioned above plus two more hikes we hope to do in 2021. We also look at North Carolina’s record State Park attendance in 2020. Give a listen here.

The post 5 Hikes Delayed from 2020, Destined for 2021 appeared first on GetGoing NC!.