It’s the transition season in North Carolina: standup paddleboarding at the coast, skiing in the mountains and hiking in between.
Coast
The Surf to Sound Challenge at Wrightsville Beach typically marks the end of the standup paddleboard season at the coast — a late and chilly end, in most folks’ books. The two-day challenge features the 6.5-mile Surf to Sound Challenge and the 4-mile Harbor Island Outer Loop challenge on Saturday, and a new competition, the Surf SUP Competition on Sunday. If you’ve got the will and a wet suit, head on down to Wrightsville Beach.read more
You’ll need a wet suit to participate in Saturday’s second annual North Carolina Surf to Sound Challenge, you won’t need a firearm to go on Saturday’s gunless deer hunt at Lake Crabtree, and you will need skis or a board but not a lot of money to go skiing in the mountains.read more
Yup, thanks to Sandy your options for this weekend in North Carolina expand to the snow sports.
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.read more
We start the year by offering something for a variety of ability levels. Been on the sidelines for a while but have vowed to move more in 2012? We’ve got a mellow, one-mile guided hike at Goose Creek State Park that’s bound to make you want to get out more and stay out longer. Already active but ready to up your game? At South Mountains State Park there’s a 7.5-mile ranger-led hike over hilly terrain that will test your fitness level. And for the active and competitive, there’s NASTAR.read more
Gone for the winter (good news for your hike around Lake Waccamaw).
This weekend, avoid alligators, avoid trails, but don’t avoid the first big weekend of the Southeast ski season.
Coast
Remember the old Peter, Paul & Mary hit, “Where Have All the Reptiles Gone?” No, wait. That wasn’t PP&M in the 1960s. That’s Lake Waccamaw State Park this Sunday at 2 p.m., when a ranger explains why the park’s alligators are no longer on the prowl, why the turtles aren’t out catching some rays … basically why the entire reptile population is laying low. A great opportunity to learn a little something, then take a long (Lakeshore Trail, 5 miles) or short (Sand Ridge Trail, 0.75 mile) hike to look for the reptiles that aren’t supposed to be there.read more
