Editor’s note: Every year around this time — the time of cooling temperatures — we revisit some of our favorite coastal hikes. This year, we revisit last year’s list, with a tweak or two.
We generally refrain from hiking at the coast from late March through October. But once Halloween has passed and the flitting and slithering things that give us pause re subdued, our thoughts turn to the coast and some of our favorite hikes in the state. To hikers, this is the region’s real peak season. Pack a camera, a notebook, a handful of nature guidebooks. Camp, stay in cheap motels. Cook dinner over a camp stove, linger over breakfast, eat lunch on the go. And listen.read more
Just as a retailer’s thoughts turn to Christmas once Halloween has passed, our thoughts turn to the coast once the fall color starts to fade here in the Piedmont. While I love a summer’s day at the beach, the coast — and coastal plain — are at their most alluring in late fall and winter. A week at a vacation beach house is swell over the summer, but a week at the coast in winter leaves memories that aren’t soon forgotten.read more
Your best shot at weekend adventure this weekend: do it Saturday because Sunday it looks like you might be iced in. More about Sunday in a moment. First, a thing or three to do Saturday:
Hike to Tory’s Den, Saturday, 1 p.m., Hanging Rock State Park, Danbury. We did this hike for the first time a couple months back and were struck by the contrast to the top of Hanging Rock. Whereas the top of the mountain is dominated by rock outcrop and dazzling views, the same rock outcrops here at the base are festooned in rhododendron and mountain laurel, making for a most intimate hike — and place to hide, as British Loyalists did during the American Revolution. A ranger tells all. Learn more and sign up here.read more
Come late fall and winter, temperatures in the Piedmont slip into the 30s and 40s. At the coast, though, they remain comfortably in the 50s, even 60s. It’s cool enough to keep mosquitoes and no-see-ums at bay, and perfect weather for a hike.
Two of our favorite coastal hikes will be included in our GetHiking! Classic Escapes Weekend on Nov. 2-4.read more
Mel writes: “I am the Hiking Merit Badge coordinator for Troop 395 in Raleigh and we are looking to put together our hiking itinerary over the next 12 months. As you may know, to earn this MB the Boy Scouts have to do five 10+ miles hikes and one 20+ mile hike.”read more
