Forms? 

You know, the 5 major forms of mountain water:

1. Mountain pool form
2. Wading form
3. Hiking in form
4. Short Hike In form
5. Falling form

Today, we share one of our favorites in each of these 5 categories. And the envelopes, please …

Favorite Mountain Pool(s)

Gragg Prong / Mountains-to-Sea Trail

Wilson Creek area, Pisgah National Forest, Mortimer 

The Wilson Creek area, where much of the runoff from that massive massif Grandfather Mountain drains, is rife with great water options. Drive up Brown Mountain Beach Road on a hot summer’s day and you’ll be hard pressed to find parking to access Wilson Creek proper. But veer off the main road (it’s gravel) and your odds of finding solitude and water together are pretty great. That’s what makes Gragg Prong so awesome: the hike in on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is for experienced hikers only, but the payoffs are oh-so-numerous. For 2 miles or so Gragg Prong tumbles, pools, tumbles, pools, tumbles … well, you get the idea. Cold mountain swimming holes rimmed by smooth granite slabs make for the perfect afternoon of sun, splash, repeat.

Learn more here

Favorite Wading area

Carolina Hemlocks Recreation Area

South Toe River, Pisgah National Forest, Burnsville. Could there be such a thing as a tubing and swimming hole resort? There could and there is: the Carolina Hemlocks Recreation Area, which sits on a stretch of the South Toe River that has a ridiculous number of great places to wallow in the bracing waters that drain from the Black Mountains, the highest mountain range in the East with elevations approaching 6,700 feet. Wander through the Carolina Hemlocks Campground (36 campsites) and the majority will sport tubes and other gear suited to days on end spent frolicking in this mountain creek. A lot of people, true. A lot of options as well. 

Learn more here

Favorite Water for Hiking in

North Mills River Recreation Area

Mills River to Big Creek, Pisgah National Forest, Pisgah Forest

We did a trip here in 2016 that had us spending most of our time in the mercifully cool waters of burbling North Mills River and Big Creek. Our 5-mile hike from the campground up to Little Pisgah Mountain on the Blue Ridge Parkway spent all but the last mile splashing as much as hiking (the last mile was a bearish climb to the summit). It also included a pass by the Hendersonville Reservoir (probably not for taking a dip). A great hike in the right water shoes.

Learn more here

Favorite Short Hike In

Hunt-fish Falls

Wilson Creek Area, Pisgah National Forest, Mortimer

Hate to have two so close to each other (they actually connect), but Hunt-fish Falls is a no-brainer. It’s not quite as remote as Gragg Prong (see Favorite Mountain Pool(s), but being a lengthy gravel road drive from much of anything is a big attraction for the solitude-seeking. Then, it’s just a 0.7-mile hike down (and back up, upon your return) to one of the best pools around. Hunt-fish is encased in granite, including a nice smooth slab perfectly situated for sunning. On every visit, the water has been frigid; fortunately there’s a nice wade-in section. There’s also a spot to jump into its deep waters (I’ve never hit bottom). You’ll have some company — but not much.

Learn more here

Favorite Waterfall

Schoolhouse Falls and various other falls

Panthertown Valley, Nantahala National Forest, Cashiers. 

You have to hike in about a mile-and-a-half for this hole, but what a hike it is, past towering hemlocks and rock outcrops in an area described as the Yosemite of the East. The payoff is sweet: Schoolhouse Falls is a picturesque curtain of water dropping 20 feet into a luxurious pool, at the far side of which is a sand beach. Those of you who apply to the gradual immersion school will be especially pleased by the gentle incline that introduces you to the cold. Fed by the Tuckasegee River, it’s possible to walk behind the falls at lower flows. Panthertown has a number of other falls to round out your visit.

Learn more here.

The post 5 of our favorite summer hikes with water appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Labor Day weekend is still nearly four weeks off, which leaves plenty of time to get in an adventure unique to summer. Here are 10 suggestions:

1. Hike a high mountain trail. It may still be summer at lower elevations, but atop 6,684-foot Mount Mitchell, home to the highest hiking east of the Black Hills? Earlier today, while the Piedmont was simmering in 90-degree heat, the temperature atop Mitchell was a crisp 68.6 degrees (after dropping to an overnight low of 56.7). Hike the three-quarter-mile Balsam Nature Trail, hike the 4.3-mile Deep Gap Trail taking you over three 6,000-foot peaks. 

2. Hike a high Piedmont trail. Don’t have time to drive to the mountains? Piedmont residents can hike a higher, and a little cooler, trail close to home at Pilot Mountain State Park (elevation  2,421 feet), Hanging Rock State Park (2,579 feet), or Crowders Mountain State Park (1,706 feet). Details at ncparks.gov.

3. Hike, then swim. One of our favorite summer hikes is the 4.7-mile Moore’s Knob Trail at Hanging Rock State Park north of the Triad. Hiked clockwise from the bathhouse there’s a long climb up a rocky spine through Virginia pine to the summit and great views to the south (Winston-Salem), west (Pilot Mountain and the Blue Ridge beyond), and north (Virginia’s George Washington and Jefferson National Forests). But it’s what awaits at the end of the hike: a refreshing 12-acre lake with a sand beach. A great carrot to motivate you through the heat.

4. Hike a mountain trail while it’s still accessible. We love the Shining Rock area: 18,500 acres of wilderness, more than twice that much surrounding non-wilderness in the Pisgah National Forest. The best way to access Shining Rock is via a mile-high section of Blue Ridge Parkway, a section of the parkway often closed by snow and ice come winter. It’s a great time to visit. More info here.

5. Explore Wilson Creek. We were at Wilson Creek this past weekend: it was everything you’d want in a summer adventure. Trails with multiple stream crossings (North Harper Creek Trail), trails with lots of pools to swim in (Hunt-fish Falls via Gragg Prong), trails that end in a waterfall (South Harper Creek Falls), trails with incredible views (Big Lost Cove Cliffs Trail). Tip: avoid Wilson Creek proper, which becomes overrun on a hot summer weekend.

6. Go car camping in the mountains. Warm days, cool nights, access to great hiking, rafting, mountain biking, fishing — you’ll find it all from your basecamp in a mountain campground that will likely close for the season soon. Check out some of our favorites here.

7. Hike a waterfall on the cusp of the coastal plain. One of the last things you’d expect to find in the flattest part of the state is a geologic feature associated with the state’s most mountainous sections. Yet there, on the north bank of the Cape Fear River at Raven Rock State Park is JumpingFish Falls, where Avents Creek makes a 5-foot drop, forms a pool, then drops another 3 feet before forming a second pool. Lots of rock, lots of cool water and rocks to dry on. Check it out here.

8. Follow the water to a piece of history. At Doughton Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway, avoid the crowds along the ridge by starting at the base, from the Longbottom Road Access. Hike Grassy Gap Road for 1.5 miles, then pick up the Basin Creek Trail which follows its namesake creek for 3.6 miles to the Caudill Cabin, one of the few structures in the canyon to survive a devastating flood in 1918. Think about that as you walk about the one-room structure, and think about the fact that a family of 13 once shared the cabin. Check out the hike here.

9. Hike high, hike flat. Like the idea of a mountain hike but not so much the elevation change? Elevation isn’t an issue on the 5-mile trail circumnavigating the Pink Beds area of the Pisgah National Forest. Located in a rare Southern Appalachian bog, Pink Beds does a great job of avoiding the mush (well-placed boardwalks help), while taking a surprisingly flat route through an area that flirts with the 4,000-foot elevation mark. Learn more here. 

10. Smell the mountains in the Piedmont. Sometimes one sense can fool another. Take the case of Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, where if you stop on the Eno River stretch of the Mountain Loop on a hot summer day, close your eyes and inhale deeply — you might swear you’re in the mountains. That’s because you’re inhaling the skunk aroma of galax, a ground cover rarely found outside the Southern Appalachians. It’s found here because the 30-foot, north-facing cliff wall sheltering it keeps the ground and air cool enough to support this fair-weather plant (mountain laurel and rhododendron, too). Learn more about Occoneechee Mountain here.

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GetHiking! Southeast Podcast

This week on the GetHiking! Southeast Podcast we talk Basecamp Backpacking, a trail reopening, waterfall repair and await an 82-year-old’s completion of the Appalachian Trail. Check it out here.

The post August: summer’s home stretch appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Despair not!

We’ve got some great adventures planned for August that will salvage the summer and then some. Put on your adventure face, it’s time to get out and play!

GetBackpacking! Linville Gorge Intermediate Skills, backpacking, Linville Gorge, Aug. 10-12. Three days in one of the wildest, most scenic spots in the East will salvage any summer. Our 22 miles in the gorge starts at Table Rock on the East Rim. The first night is spent  atop Shortoff Mountain, with sweeping sunset views of the gorge. On Saturday, we’ll descend to the Linville River for our first river crossing, then head up over rocky terrain interrupted only by behemoth downed trees (this being a designated Wilderness Area, the management strategy is to leave ’em where they lay). Sunday’s hike out includes more traipsing in the wilderness. It’s a backpacker’s most excellent adventure.

GetHiking! A Transylvania Waterfall Weekend, Transylvania County (and surrounding environs), camping/hiking, North Mills River Recreation Area, Aug. 17-19. Appropriately, for the dog days of August, we spend this mountain camping trip in appreciation of water. From a base camp at the North Mills River Campground, we’ll do three hikes: On Friday, we start at Gorges State Park with a hike along the Horsepasture River to Rainbow and Turtleback falls; on Saturday, we’ll explore the waterfalls—some of them swim-friendly!—at DuPont State Forest; and on Sunday, we’ll hike along—and in, at some points—North Mills River to the Hendersonville Reservoir. And, to make things even more carefree for you, we’ll provide all the food.

GetBackpacking! Overnight Sampler, backpacking, Eno River State Park, Aug. 18-19. Here’s your chance to have some fun and sow the seeds for a whole new life of adventure. If you’ve been curious about backpacking, this is your chance to see whether spending the day on the trail and the night in the backcountry is for you. It’s a minimal investment — not even 24 hours, and we provide the backpacking gear — that could alter the trajectory of your exploring life. We’ll get you fitted in a pack and get you packed, then hike in a couple miles, set up camp, cook and hang out. We spend the night in the great outdoors, then cook some more and hike out. Just enough of a taste to let you know if backpacking is for you; if you decide it is, you’ll get 25 percent off our more extensive GetBackpacking! Intro to Backpacking class in September.

GetHiking! Classic Escapes: Standing Indian Area, west of Franklin in the Nantahala National Forest, camping/hiking, Aug. 24-26. When it comes to summer adventure, nothing does it for us like days filled with challenging, scenic hiking, followed by lounging around camp and trading stories. That’s what this Classic Escape is all about: Saturday, we hike an 11-mile loop that includes a stretch on the Appalachian Trail and tops out on 5,498-foot Standing Indian Mountain, with a large view to the south and east of rolling ridges of rugged green. On Sunday we’ll fuel you with a pancake breakfast, then hike a shorter loop that includes the Appalachian Trail. In between, we’ll loll in the cool waters of Kimsey Creek, which runs through camp.  

Join us for a summer adventure to remember.

Happy trails,

Joe

More info

For details on the August adventures mentioned:

• GetBackpacking! Linville Gorge Intermediate Skills, go here.
• GetHiking! A Transylvania Waterfall Weekend, go here.
• GetBackpacking! Overnight Sampler, go here. Learn more about this class and our other GetBackpacking! programs here,
• GetHiking! Classic Escapes: Standing Indian Area, go here.

The post An August adventure (or four) to save your summer appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Today’s 90-Second Escape: Cool Mountain Escapes

This month, for our friends at Great Outdoor Provision Co., we’re blogging about August adventures that can save your summer. The one thing they must have in common? Incentive to beat the heat, be it from on high (preferably from cool climes above 5,000 feet) or in or on the water. So far, we’ve written about five cool Piedmont paddle trips and five cool Piedmont hikes (which involve water).

This week, we’ll be writing about five cool mountain hikes. To get in the spirit, we trot out this reel of clips from last year’s GetHiking! Classic Hikes series. They originate either from on high or in water. We trust they’ll help you through the latest heat wave and whet your appetite for our recommendations later in the week (which you’ll find here.)

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The post 90 Second Escape: Cool Mountain Adventure appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Today’s 90-Second Escape: Cool Water Hikes

May — it’s safe to start contemplating those hot weather / cold water hikes that make summer hiking special. Or simply possible.

Today, we visit one of our favorite wild places to explore on a hot summer’s day: the Wilson Creek area at the base of Grandfather Mountain. Take 90 Seconds to cool down and warm up to the idea of a wet summer’s hike.

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The post 90 Second Escape: Hot Weather, Cool Water Hiking appeared first on GetGoing NC!.