Hike: Natural Communities of Jockey’s Ridge, Saturday, 9 a.m., Jockey’s Ridge State Park, Nags Head. When most of us think about Jockey’s Ridge, we think of the sand dunes, which can reach as high as 60 feet above sea level (which is a stone’s throw to the east). In fact, on the sound side there’s a diverse community consisting of American beachgrass, and thickets of wax myrtle, bayberry, red cedar, live oak and red bay. Learn more about the diverse ecology of this Outer Banks park on this recurring hike. Learn more about the event here. 

Nature Hike, Saturday, 11 a.m., Mount Mitchell State Park, Burnsville. From 60 feet above sea level (Jockey’s Ridge, above), to nearly 6,700 feet above sea level — that’s the difference between one of North Carolina’s lowest state parks and its highest. That difference will be highlighted on this 3/4-mile hike on the Balsam Nature Trail, where the focus will be on a rare Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest. Starts and ends at the gift shop! Learn more here.

Stream Safari, Saturday, 3 p.m., Stone Mountain State Park, Roaring Gap. Getting wet on a summer hike in the Piedmont doesn’t necessarily equate with cooling off. But that starts to change when the Piedmont butts up against the Blue Ridge Escarpment, in this case at Stone Mountain State Park, where the numerous water encounters are all refreshing. That includes Saturday’s Stream Safari, the chance to wade into a creek, cool your dogs and learn about the water ecology. Learn more here.

Canoe Hike, Sunday, 6 p.m., Carvers Creek State Park, Spring Lake. Like to wring the most out of your weekend, to explore until the very end? Then cap it with this half-mile paddle through a Cypress swamp. Great for beginning paddlers and those of us who love a good swamp. Free, but pre-registration is required, by calling 910.436.4681. Learn more here.

Self-Guided Hike: Horseshoe Road Nature Preserve, Tar River Land Conservancy, Creedmoor. Our friends at the Tar River Land Conservancy today are opening a new preserve and you’re welcome to hike it! The 241-acre preserve near Creedmoor has 2.4 miles of trail: the linked 1.1-mile Pine Trail and the 1.3-mile Beaver Trail. According to the conservancy, the trail explores hardwood and pine forest, crosses several creeks, visits a wetland. Since last fall more than 110 bird species have been ID’d at the preserve, earning it a birding hotspot designation by Cornell University’s eBird program. Learn more about the new preserve and find a trail map here. 

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Hike Solo, with GetHiking!

No one to hike with this weekend and you’re leery of hiking alone? Our new GetHiking! Hiking Solo program aims to make you a confident, competent, and comfortable hiker. We start with a Zoom session to go over how to prepare for a solo hike and what to expect, then take you on a  “supervised” solo hike to ease you into hiking alone. What’s a “supervised solo hike,” you ask? You’ll have to check out the course description here to find out. Our first session is July 16 at Eno River State Park.

The post GetOut! New trail among weekend’s options appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Learn about the salt marsh on a paddle at the coast, watch the sun set on the weekend from the Art Loeb Trail, or discover a “new” gorge where the Piedmont and coastal plain meet.

Coast

The Bald Head Island Conservancy does an exemplary job of promoting the environment through public education. This weekend, for instance, there’s Birding BHI, Touch Tank Time and Reptile Roundup on Saturday, and Island Nature Tour and Kayaking the Creeks on Sunday. We’re especially intrigued by Kayaking the Creeks. Lead by a member of the Conservancy, you’ll head out in tandem kayaks to explore and learn “about the beauty and importance of the salt marsh.”

PFDs, paddles and kayaks provided, you supply the water, sunscreen, bug spray, hat and clothes and shoes you don’t mind getting muddy and perhaps slightly wet.

Logistics: Kayaking the Creeks, Sunday, May 7, 5 p.m., Bald Head Island. $55, $40 for CHI members. More info here.

Sunday forecast: Mostly sunny, high of 59.

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Looking ahead: Can’t make this weekend’s BHI events? They run throughout the year; find more info here.

Piedmont

Not much we like more than a new place to explore. Such a place opened to the public in February, the Ledge Creek Forest Conservation Area less than an hour north of the Triangle. Ledge Creek is the result of efforts by the Tar River Land Conservancy to protect land — and thus, the watershed — of the Tar River Basin. The 300-acre preserve is especially intriguing because of its location where the Triassic Basin and the Carolina Slate Belt meet. The hike begins in nondescript farmland, but quickly drops into a heavily-forested gorge, dropping away 200 feet to protected Ledge Creek.

We’re offering this hike through our GetHiking! program and through our affiliation with Hike NC!, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina initiative to get more people on the trail. Learn about this unusual meeting of geology and discover a great place to explore on even the hottest summer day.

Logistics: Hike Ledge Creek Forest Conservation Area, Saturday, May 6, 10 a.m., Ledge Creek Forest CA, Stem. Learn more and register here.

Saturday forecast: High of 67 with a chance of afternoon thunderstorms.

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Looking ahead: Hike NC! Eno River State Park, Cole Mill Access: Pea Creek and Dunnagan Trails, Friday, May 12, Durham. More info and sign up here.

Mountains

A sunset hike from the roof (or is it the ceiling?) of North Carolina: hard to beat that! Unless you have a forecast that calls for cloudless skies and temperatures in the 50s.

That’s how things are lining up for Sunday’s Sunset Hike on the Art Loeb Trail at Black Balsam. One of our Hike NC! Hikes, hike leader Joy James, from Appalachian State University, will lead hikers on a one-mile hike on the Art Loeb Trail, kissing the 6,000-foot-elevation mark. The landscape here is rare in North Carolina: a mountaintop setting with balds, open meadows and unparalleled views, including to the west, to the setting sun.

Logistics: Sunset Hike on the Art Loeb Trail at Black Balsam, Sunday, May 7, 7:15 – 8:45 p.m., Black Balsam access off the Blue Ridge Parkway. For more information and to register, go here.

Sunday forecast: Clear skies, highs in the 50s.

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Looking ahead: Get Outside Mountain Relay, 208-mile mountain run, June 2, Glade Valley. More info here.

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

Coast

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The post This weekend: Adventure from sea level to 6,000 feet appeared first on GetGoing NC!.