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.

November especially is the time to listen to the outdoors. The seemingly constant breeze lets the trees, the grass, the plants tell their stories. Stories that began with a colorful birth in March, that celebrated the lazy days of summer, that grew melancholy come early fall and that ended, much like they began, in an explosion of color. The circle of life lived in just eight months. But what a story to be told at season’s end.

It’s a story told in one of three ways.

Long trails

If you’ve got the time, two coastal trails would love you stay a spell and listen.

• 

  Neusiok Trail, 22 miles, Croatan National Forest, Havelock. The Neusiok runs from the Pine Cliffs Recreation Area southeast to Oyster Point Landing. No need to rush: there are three shelters/camping areas along the way where you can camp and take the time necessary to experience the pine savannah, the bay woods, the bluff overlooking the mile-wide Neuse River, the boggy areas traveled (mostly) by boardwalk. It can also be hiked in sections, the most diverse of which is the northernmost 6.8 miles, from Pine Cliffs south and east to NC 306. Read more here.

• Weetock Trail, 11 miles, Croatan National Forest, Maysville. Such a tease, the Weetock. From its northern trailhead of N.C. 58 south of Maysville, it’s an open book for the first 6 miles. Maybe there’s a time or two where it plays coy and becomes discrete. But for the most part, no secrets. Then, right when you think you’ve got it understood, it crosses the gravel Jones Landing Road and spends the rest of its way trying to ditch you. This part of the Croatan has been ravaged by numerous hurricanes, the downfall covering large swaths of trail. Seemingly important swaths, because the only clues the trail shares from here on out are the unique metal-strip blazes (old newspaper printing plates) that catch the sun here and there. A challenge, but hey, who doesn’t love a good mystery? Read more here.

Easy beach hikes

Just as we love a good novel to read at the beach, so, too, do we love an easy winter hike — easy in the sense that it’s simple to follow but has a compelling plot. Some of our favorites:

• 

  Carolina Beach State Park, 9 trails, 9 miles, Carolina Beach. Carolina Beach is the Reader’s Digest condensed version of exploring the coast: in just 761 acres nestled between the Cape Fear River and Atlantic Ocean you’ll hike over forested dunes, through forests of turkey oak and live oak, around pocosins, past cypress swamps and through a carpet of carnivorous plants. The ecological sampling here is not to be matched. Learn more here.

• Fort Fisher Hermit Trail (a k a Basin Trail), 2 miles, Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, Kure Beach. Just down the road from Carolina Beach is a trail that exposes you to one of the more unique views in the state: water in nearly every direction. At the midpoint, the trail passes a World War II bunker, a sturdy concrete structure that, after housing ordnance in WW II, housed Robert E. Harrill, the Fort Fisher hermit who fled here in 1956 and stayed until his unexplained death in 1972. More info here.

• 

  Cedar Point Tideland Trail, Croatan National Forest, Cedar Point, 1.3 miles. No need to get your shoes mucky—an elevated boardwalk traverses much of the 1.3-mile Cedar Point Tideland Trail, in the wetlands where Dibbling and Boathouse creeks dissolve into the White Oak River (then, shortly, into Bogue Sound). In addition to keeping you dry, the boardwalk gives you get a bird’s-eye view of the fiddler crabs and other marsh life below. It is also an especially good spot for birding. More info here.

• Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve, 4 miles, Kill Devil Hills. At 1,100 acres, Nags Head Woods wrote the book on maritime forests. It’s one of the best examples of such along the East Coast, hence the reason The Nature Conservancy elected to save it beginning in the 1970s. Nearly four miles of trail take you through densely vegetated terrain that includes 11 separate species of oak alone. Also calling the preserve home are 5 species of salamander, 14  species of frogs and toads, at least 50 nesting birds, assorted turtles, lizards and snakes. More info here.
• Patsy Pond Nature Trail, 4.5 miles, Newport. Before the European invasion, about 90 million acres of the Southeast were covered with longleaf pines. Today, that number is closer to 3.3 million. Which makes walking the Patsy Pond Nature Trail like diving into a good history book. A good history in that the forest isn’t just about the longleaf, but also about its supporting characters, including the red-cockaded woodpecker, Carolina gopher frog, bladderwort, sundew and a cast, literally, of thousands. Learn more here.

Coastal plain

There’s nothing plain about these hikes, other than their coastal plain setting.

• 

  Jones Lake State Park, 4 miles, Elizabethtown. Every time I’ve hiked here it’s been: 1) in winter, 2) 40 degrees, 3) under cloudless skies. In short, perfect. Such a great experience has hiking the 4-mile Bay Trail been that I go back every couple of years to experience the open pine forest on the west side of Jones Lake, the dense bay forest on the east side. A Jekyll and Hyde hike with a total elevation gain of 3 feet. And if I’m hungry for more I can hop across the road (N.C. 242) and continue hiking at Turnbull State Educational Forest. Learn more here.

• 

  Merchants Millpond State Park, 9 miles, Gatesville. Every time I visit I think of the 1950s schlock sci-fi flick, “Creature from the Black Lagoon.” Although there might be alligators here, there have been no confirmed Gill-Man sightings at Merchants Millpond, despite the eerie similarity in swampy surroundings. The park may be known for canoeing on its 760-acre millpond, but the hiking here exposes you to some of the same treats, including bay woods and cypress and tupelo gum swamps. A great day trip. Learn more here.

• Pettrigrew State Park, 4.2 miles. Creswell,. When it comes to hiking you can go for distance or you can go to be awed. At Pettigrew State Park on the shores of Lake Phelps, the Morotoc Trail will certainly awe you with a collection of some of the oldest and largest trees of their kind in the state. Among the ancient oddities are various bay trees, sweet gums, persimmons, and pawpaws; the trunks of some bald cypress trees measure up to 10 feet in diameter; and, poplar trunks exceed six feet. “Vines as wide as human thighs wind their ways up trees as tall as 130 feet.” You’ll also see Atlantic white cedars that reach heights of 100 feet. Prepare for the slowest 2.8 miles of hiking in your life. Learn more here.

*  * *

Explore with us!

We’re ending 2022 with a hike that embodies the best hiking has to offer: carefree passage through peaceful terrain and bushwhack-driven way-finding through lush woods … .

GetHiking! Exploring the coastal Weetock Trail, Friday, Dec. 30, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. This trip includes:

• Zoom planning session to make sure you’re prepared for the hike
• 7-page eguide for the hike including custom map, route description, what you’ll need and general information about the hike and the forest.
• Lunch
• Trail snacks
• The hike

Read the trail description above; then go here to learn more and to sign up.

The post Coastal hikes beckon, with cooler weather appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

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. 

November especially is the time to listen to the outdoors. The seemingly constant breeze lets the trees, the grass, the plants tell their stories. Stories that began with a colorful birth in March, that celebrated the lazy days of summer, that grew melancholy come early fall and that ended, much like they began, in an explosion of color. The circle of life lived in just eight months. But what a story to be told at season’s end.

It’s a story told in one of three ways.

Long trails

If you’ve got the time, two coastal trails would love you stay a spell and listen.

• 

  Neusiok Trail, 22 miles, Croatan National Forest, Havelock. The Neusiok runs from the Pine Cliffs Recreation Area southeast to Oyster Point Landing. No need to rush: there are three shelters/camping areas along the way where you can camp and take the time necessary to experience the pine savannah, the bay woods, the bluff overlooking the mile-wide Neuse River, the boggy areas traveled (mostly) by boardwalk. It can also be hiked in sections, the most diverse of which is the northernmost 6.8 miles, from Pine Cliffs south and east to NC 306. Read more here.

• Weetock Trail, 11 miles, Croatan National Forest, Maysville. Such a tease, the Weetock. From its northern trailhead of N.C. 58 south of Maysville, it’s an open book for the first 6 miles. Maybe there’s a time or two where it plays coy and becomes discrete. But for the most part, no secrets. Then, right when you think you’ve got it understood, it crosses the gravel Jones Landing Road and spends the rest of its way trying to ditch you. This part of the Croatan has been ravaged by numerous hurricanes, the downfall covering large swaths of trail. Seemingly important swaths, because the only clues the trail shares from here on out are the unique metal-strip blazes (old newspaper printing plates) that catch the sun here and there. A challenge, but hey, who doesn’t love a good mystery? Read more here.

Easy beach hikes

Just as we love a good novel to read at the beach, so, too, do we love an easy winter hike — easy in the sense that it’s simple to follow but has a compelling plot. Some of our favorites:

• 

  Carolina Beach State Park, 9 trails, 9 miles, Carolina Beach. Carolina Beach is the Reader’s Digest condensed version of exploring the coast: in just 761 acres nestled between the Cape Fear River and Atlantic Ocean you’ll hike over forested dunes, through forests of turkey oak and live oak, around pocosins, past cypress swamps and through a carpet of carnivorous plants. The ecological sampling here is not to be matched. Learn more here.

• Fort Fisher Hermit Trail (a k a Basin Trail), 2 miles, Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, Kure Beach. Just down the road from Carolina Beach is a trail that exposes you to one of the more unique views in the state: water in nearly every direction. At the midpoint, the trail passes a World War II bunker, a sturdy concrete structure that, after housing ordnance in WW II, housed Robert E. Harrill, the Fort Fisher hermit who fled here in 1956 and stayed until his unexplained death in 1972. More info here.

• 

  Cedar Point Tideland Trail, Croatan National Forest, Cedar Point, 1.3 miles. No need to get your shoes mucky—an elevated boardwalk traverses much of the 1.3-mile Cedar Point Tideland Trail, in the wetlands where Dibbling and Boathouse creeks dissolve into the White Oak River (then, shortly, into Bogue Sound). In addition to keeping you dry, the boardwalk gives you get a bird’s-eye view of the fiddler crabs and other marsh life below. It is also an especially good spot for birding. More info here.

• Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve, 4 miles, Kill Devil Hills. At 1,100 acres, Nags Head Woods wrote the book on maritime forests. It’s one of the best examples of such along the East Coast, hence the reason The Nature Conservancy elected to save it beginning in the 1970s. Nearly four miles of trail take you through densely vegetated terrain that includes 11 separate species of oak alone. Also calling the preserve home are 5 species of salamander, 14  species of frogs and toads, at least 50 nesting birds, assorted turtles, lizards and snakes. More info here.
• Patsy Pond Nature Trail, 4.5 miles, Newport. Before the European invasion, about 90 million acres of the Southeast were covered with longleaf pines. Today, that number is closer to 3.3 million. Which makes walking the Patsy Pond Nature Trail like diving into a good history book. A good history in that the forest isn’t just about the longleaf, but also about its supporting characters, including the red-cockaded woodpecker, Carolina gopher frog, bladderwort, sundew and a cast, literally, of thousands. Learn more here.

Coastal plain 

There’s nothing plain about these hikes, other than their coastal plain setting.

• 

  Jones Lake State Park, 4 miles, Elizabethtown. Every time I’ve hiked here it’s been: 1) in winter, 2) 40 degrees, 3) under cloudless skies. In short, perfect. Such a great experience has hiking the 4-mile Bay Trail been that I go back every couple of years to experience the open pine forest on the west side of Jones Lake, the dense bay forest on the east side. A Jekyll and Hyde hike with a total elevation gain of 3 feet. And if I’m hungry for more I can hop across the road (N.C. 242) and continue hiking at Turnbull State Educational Forest. Learn more here.

• 

  Merchants Millpond State Park, 9 miles, Gatesville. Every time I visit I think of the 1950s schlock sci-fi flick, “Creature from the Black Lagoon.” Although there might be alligators here, there have been no confirmed Gill-Man sightings at Merchants Millpond, despite the eerie similarity in swampy surroundings. The park may be known for canoeing on its 760-acre millpond, but the hiking here exposes you to some of the same treats, including bay woods and cypress and tupelo gum swamps. A great day trip. Learn more here.

• Pettrigrew State Park, 4.2 miles. Creswell,. When it comes to hiking you can go for distance or you can go to be awed. At Pettigrew State Park on the shores of Lake Phelps, the Morotoc Trail will certainly awe you with a collection of some of the oldest and largest trees of their kind in the state. Among the ancient oddities are various bay trees, sweet gums, persimmons, and pawpaws; the trunks of some bald cypress trees measure up to 10 feet in diameter; and, poplar trunks exceed six feet. “Vines as wide as human thighs wind their ways up trees as tall as 130 feet.” You’ll also see Atlantic white cedars that reach heights of 100 feet. Prepare for the slowest 2.8 miles of hiking in your life. Learn more here.

*  * *

Explore with us!

We’re starting 2022 off with three January adventures at the coast:

• GetHiking! New Year’s on the Weetock Trail, Sunday, Jan. 2, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.. Technically, it’s the day after New Year’s Day, but a true first-of-the-year adventure all the same. Read the trail description above, then go here to learn more and to sign up.
• GetBackpacking! Winter Series: Neusiok Trail, Friday, January 14 to Sunday, January 16. This 2-night, 22-mile trip is the ideal way to start fulfilling your 2022 backpacking goals. The flat course make these early season miles doable. Learn more and sign up here.
• GetHiking! Winter Weekend Escape to Jones Lake, Friday, Jan. 28 to Sunday, Jan. 30. Jones Lake State Park, Elizabethtown. Two days of hiking and two nights of stargazing in minimally light-polluted skies of the coastal plain. Learn more and sign up here.

The post Coastal trails beckon for winter hiking appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

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.

Tunnel Trail Hike, Saturday, 10 a.m., Chimney Rock State Park, Chimney Rock. New trail alert! An effort is underway to build a continuous trail along the horseshoe-shaped rim of the Hickory Nut Gorge southeast of Asheville. A big part of that effort is the recently completed Weed Patch Mountain Trail on the north rim of the gorge. Saturday, the Friends of Chimney Rock State Park lead a hike from the west end of Weed Patch to Eagle Rock: the two-mile out-and-back includes passage through a naturally occurring tunnel. The hike is lead by the Friends of Chimney Rock State Park. A fee may apply. Learn more and sign up here. 

North American Wood Duck, Sunday, 3 p.m., Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, Southern Pines. We’ll throw in one Sunday event, in the coastal plain, which may avoid winter’s visit. This one-mile hike checkouts Weymouth Woods wetlands in search of this festively colored fowl. Learn more and sign up here.

Now, about that winter weather:

• State parks. If you’re planning a visit, North Carolina State Parks are good about posting weather-related closures on their website (they’ve already closed all mountain campgrounds for Saturday to Monday). If in doubt, check here first.
• Cross-country skiing. If you’re a northern expat and still have your cross-country skis, here’s where you might be able to use ‘em in the Piedmont. And find where to x-country in the mountains, here.
• Hiking. And because we don’t get to hike in the snow all that often, you might need a refresher in how to make that happen comfortably and safely. For that, head here.

About today’s video: We shot this week’s inspirational video on a scouting trip Thursday on the Weetock Trail in the coastal Croatan National Forest. The trail is among the wildest and most elusive we know. It’s also the location of our first big GetOriented! Finding Your Way in the Woods day trip, next Saturday, Dec. 15. Learn more about the Weetock and that trip, here.

The post GetOut! Your Friday Nudge for Weekend Adventure appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Two of our favorite coastal hikes will be included in our GetHiking! Classic Escapes Weekend on Nov. 2-4. 

• Nags Head Woods Nature Preserve, Nags Head. This 1,000-acre The Nature Conservancy property is home to one of the largest remaining maritime forests along the East Coast. About 5 miles of trail penetrate this diverse and dazzling preserve. Sandwiched between two of the largest active sand dunes on the East Coast are dense forests of oaks, hickories and beech trees (some dating back centuries), marsh and freshwater pools. More than 100 species of birds have been identified here, and it’s a nesting ground for about half of them. You’ll also see the remains of a once-thriving community of humans that lived here into the 1930s. Starting in November, you’ll see the influx of migratory waterfowl that spend the winter. It’s a great cool weather adventure.
• Pettigrew State Forest, Columbia. Part of Pettigrew State Forest is16,000-acre Lake Phelps, the second largest lake in the state. The lake is about 38,000 years old, experts say, and it is located, oddly, on one of the highest spots in the region. Human history dates back 10,000 years and has left behind, among other items, about 30 well-preserved dugout canoes, one of which is about 4,400 years old. Rimming the lake is ancient forest that includes bay trees, sweet gums, persimmons, and pawpaws that are among the largest of their species found anywhere. You’ll also find a stand of rare Atlantic white cedars with trunks three feet in diameter and canopies topping 100 feet. About 5 miles of trail lets you explore a great deal of what the park has to offer.

Looking for a longer hike? The longest trail at the coast is in the Croatan National Forest, and is the focus of a three-day GetBackpacking! trip Nov. 30-Dec. 2.

• Neusiok Trail, Havelock. The easternmost 16 miles of this 21-mile trail are pancake flat and explore a mix of pine savannah and boggy areas that are tamed by boardwalks. Come winter, the flying, buzzing and slithering critters that make this land inhospitable in warmer times of the year are sedated by the cold. The northern tip of the trail, from NC 306 north to the terminus at the Pine Cliff Recreation Area, is gently rolling, and while it generally reflects its geographic location, the occasional hiccups of holly and even galax hint of terrain far west of here. The stillness and quiet of these coastal woods alone is worth the visit.

And on December 15, we’ll revisit the Croatan, this time the southern end, for a GetOriented! journey on an 11-mile path that is, and isn’t, a trail …

• Weetock Trail, Maysville. At its northern trailhead, the Weetock has parking, a clear trailhead, even a kiosk. There’s easy-to-follow trail for the first few miles. But then you cross a dirt road and … is that the trail on the other side? Or does it head down the road for a spell? If so, which way down the road? Its uncertainty is one of the things we love most about this trail, making it perfect for a GetOriented! adventure, where you’ll learn to use map and compass to find your way through and out of the woods.

Come join us for these coastal adventures!

Happy trails,

Joe

Take action!

For more information on the trips mentioned above:

• GetHiking! Classic Escapes Weekend: the Outer Banks, Nov. 2-4. More info here.
• GetBackpacking! On the Neusiok Trail, Nov. 30-Dec.2. More info here.
• GetOriented! Intermediate Skills: Finding Your Way on the Weetock, Dec. 15. More info here. 

For more information on the places mentioned above:

• Nags Head Woods here.
• Pettigrew State Park here.
• Neusiok Trail here.
• Weetock Trail here.

And for information on additional hikes at the coast, check this post from February.

The post Warm up to a winter hike at the coast appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

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.”

Mel goes on to mention that he has my “100 Classic Hikes in North Carolina,” but that most of the hikes therein are shorter than 10 miles. Might I, he asks, have some recommendations on longer hikes, and might at least one of them be at the coast, three to four in the Piedmont, and one or two in the mountains?

I love a good, long hike, and do indeed have some thoughts on the subject. Since Mel has already opened the door to shameless plugs of my books, I will go ahead and add that many of the 43 trips in my “Backpacking North Carolina” (UNC Press, 2011) can be done as long hikes. I should also note that my soon-to-be released “Adventure Carolinas: Your Go-To Guide for Multi-Sport Outdoor Recreation,” available from UNC Press in May, does not have specific long hikes but does have a section on “Backcountry Exploration.”

Where were we? Oh, yes. Mel and the Boy Scout long-hike recommendations. I’ll start today with the Coast and Piedmont; I’ll add the mountains next week.

Without further delay, the nominees are:

Coast

There aren’t a lot of long trail options along the coast (unless you count the 301-mile “hike” along the beach from Virginia to South Carolina). But of the two long trails that do exist, both in the Croatan National Forest, both are good ones.

10 miles

Croatan National Forest: Weetock Trail
11 miles
Maysville
The Weetock, located on the south flank of the Croatan National Forest along the White Oak River, was blazed between 2001 and 2003 by the Carteret County Wildlife Club.  A significant portion of the trail was rerouted by the USDA Forest Service in 2007; the last time we tried to tackle the Weetock, the Weetock tackled us instead. The first few miles were good: a nice ramble through coastal forest on well-marked, well-maintained trail. But then the trail grew forgetful, frequently losing its place and meandering into the boggy woods or dumping us in a briary thicket. A recent report from Daniel with the coastal Fast Fox Running Co.,  however, suggests the Weetock has since gathered its thoughts. “The trail is actually in pretty good shape these days!” he reports. Good news, since we liked what we were able to see of the trail back in 2011: boardwalk passages through perpetually wet stretches, great sightlines through a mostly pine forest, creeks that carve surprisingly deep through the woods, and a bluff at one point along the White Oak River.
Trailhead: The easiest place to pick up the trail is from the Haywood Landing Boat Ramp off NC 58. Details here.
Preferred seasons: November to April, to avoid the bugs, slithery types and assorted other pests common in warmer times.
More info: Carteret County Wildlife Club.

20 miles

Croatan National Forest: Neusiok Trail
21 miles
Havelock
Whereas the Weetock Trail may have once lost its way, the Croatan’s other major trail, the Neusiok, has done a good job of staying the course since its creation, also by the Carteret County Wildlife Club, in the early 1970s. The trail runs from the Pine Cliff Recreation Area along the southern shore of the Neuse River, southeast to its southeast trailhead off Mill Creek Road. The northernmost seven miles are the most diverse, passing beneath a bluff overlooking the Neuse, then heading through a pine savannah. You’ll find the scrubby pine forests and swampy spots expected of a southern coastal forest, but you’ll also encounter a rolling stretch where holly, galax and other flora more commonly associated with the southern Appalachians are found. Signs of the area’s colorful human past (rusted stills) also dot the trail. The southern two-thirds of the trail are flat and more typical of a coastal forest, with long stretches of boardwalk through marshy stretches.
Trailheads: To pick up the trail on the south end, at Oyster Point: From the town of Newport, take Chatham Street for 2.8 miles to Market Street and turn left. Take Market to Mill Creek Road (SR 1154); go 7. 1 miles on Mill Creek to Oyster Point Road (FR 181) and turn right. Go one mile to the trailhead. To get to the northern trailhead in the Pine Cliff Picnic Area: From Havelock, go left on NC 101 for 5.3 miles. At Ferry Road (NC 306), turn left and go 3.3 miles to
FR 132. There, go left for 1.7 miles to the Pine Cliff Picnic Area at road’s end.
Preferred seasons: November to April, to avoid the bugs, slithery types and assorted other pests common in warmer times.
More info: Check out the USDA Forest Service brochure here.

Piedmont

A Boy Scout needn’t leave the Piedmont to earn his long-hike stripes: the region is full of long hikes. Some are pieced together with two or more trails. The longest, the 60-mile Falls Lake Trail, is long on its lonesome.

10 miles

Umstead State Park: Company Mill Trail with Sycamore Loop
10 miles
Raleigh
A figure-eight double lollipop loop that exposes you to the best of Umstead. Starting from the Harrison Avenue entrance to Umstead (a k a the Reedy Creek entrance) on the Company Mill Trail, cross three small ridges on your way to Crabtree Creek. Cross the green metal bridge (dropped in years back by an Army BlackHawk helicopter) and go right. You’ll follow Crabtree for a spell, climb to the bike and bridle trail that bisects the park and continue. Shortly, you’ll hit a kiosk indicating a short spur to the Sycamore Trail; follow it to another B&B trail, go left and over the bridge, then pick up Sycamore just past the bridge, to the right. There’s a half-mile stretch along Sycamore Creek (quite lively just after or during a rain), then the trail climbs through the hardwood Piedmont forest prevalent throughout before crossing another B&B. Within a quarter mile, the trail Ts. To get in your full 10 miles, go right to yet another B&B crossing, then turn and complete the opposite side of the Sycamore-Company Mill figure-eight. Lots of up-and-down, but nothing sustained. No water along the way (don’t risk filtering these urban creeks), so pack plenty, especially in summer.
Trailhead: Harrison Avenue at I-40 in Cary.
Preferred seasons: Fall, winter, spring
More info, including a map, at the Umstead State Park website.

Uwharrie National Forest: Birkhead Mountain Wilderness lollipop loop
11.8 miles
Asheboro
This one clocks in at 11.8 miles and you’ll appreciate every step of the extra credit. Starting from the trailhead off Tot Hill Road, you’ll hike the Birkhead Mountain Trail south for two miles before hitting the popular loop that Boy Scouts, among others, have been using for years to cut their backpacking teeth. Where the Robbins Branch Trail enters from the right, continue straight on the Birkhead for two miles. Note along the way that despite the fact this is a designated wilderness, the trail is well blazed. After two miles, go right on the Hannahs Creek Trail, where, for the first time, you abandon ridgelines in favor of passages along holly-clogged creeks. After a mile and a half, go right on the Robbins Branch Trail, which climbs a rocky (for the Piedmont) ridgeline before dropping to its namesake creek and rejoining the Birkhead after 3.2 miles. Go left for the two-mile return to your car. You can filter water from Hannahs Creek and Robbins Branch, though both run low in summer and during dry weather.
Trailhead: There’s a gravel lot and kiosk on the south side of Tot Hill Road. Tot Hill Road is a paved loop off NC 49 west of Asheboro; if you take the eastern Tot Hill turn, start looking for the kiosk on your left when you see the golf course on your right.
Preferred seasons: Fall, spring, winter
More info here.

Hanging Rock State Park: Moore’s Knob and Indian Creek trails
11.5 miles
Danbury
Starting from the Visitor Center, the 4.3-mile Moore’s Knob Loop Trail makes a dandy warm-up. It starts innocently, passing the lake and bathouse, then probing a tunnel of holly. About a mile in, it’s time to get down to business, with a long ridge ascent to Moore’s Knob. It’s a bit relentless, this climb, getting rockier and ridgier the higher you get. The payoff: great 360 views from the observation tower atop Moore’s Knob. Continue the loop back to the Visitor Center for Round 2. The Indian Creek Trail descends, along with scores of hikers, to Hidden and Window falls. It’s here were the men are separated from the Boy Scouts, with the men sitting winded wondering how they’ll climb back up to their cars while the Scouts continue another three miles to the Dan River. And back. Yes, this hike also goes over the 10-mile limit (it’s 11.5), but isn’t going above and beyond what being a scout is about?
Trailhead: Visitor Center, Hanging Rock State Park
Preferred seasons: Year-round
More info here.

Crowders Mountain State Park/Kings Mountain State Park (S.C.): Ridgeline Trail
12 miles
Gastonia
This hike is two miles over the 10-mile limit. But it’s downhill. The 12-mile Ridgeline Trail joins two state parks (Crowders Mountain and Kings Mountain) and the Kings Mountain National Military Park, plus it involves two states, which gives you added bragging rights. Starting from the Crowders Mountain Visitor Center, hike to the base of Kings Pinnacle and don’t pass the opportunity to take the short spur to the top for great views. Back on the Ridgeline Trail, continue south through rolling Piedmont countryside. Near the south end of Crowders Mountain State Park, you’ll see a sign for the Boulders Access area. If you’re in need of a rock climbing merit badge, check out this popular bouldering area. Otherwise continue on. If the hills have taken a toll on your legs, keep sights set for the South Carolina state line: once the trail hits the Palmetto State, it is dead flat for the remainder. (Buggy, too, in warm weather so you might save this for a cool season option.)
Trailhead: Visitor Center, Crowders Mountain State Park. You’ll need to set up a shuttle from Kings Mountain State Park — unless you elect to make this your 20-mile badge.
Preferred seasons: Fall, winter, spring
More info here.

Eno River: Mountains-to-Sea Trail
10.2 miles
Durham and Orange counties
As the Mountains-to-Sea Trail grows in the Triangle, this 10.2-mile stretch has become a favorite. Assuming you hike this in warm weather, we’ll start upstream at the Pleasant Green Access. (There’s a reason for starting here, which we’ll get to momentarily.) Hike under Pleasant Green Road bridge, up a bluff overlooking the Eno, around an abandoned quarry, through surprising stretches of steep climbs and sharp drops. Pass under Cole Mill Road and the trail mellows, heading through flood plain forest and occasionally taking a more upland route. At Guess Road you hike up to the bridge, stay on your side of the road, cross the bridge, then curl under the bridge to continue downstream. A little over a mile downstream, and less than a mile from the end of the hike, you run into Sennet Hole, a pool on the Eno above the mill pond where even on the hottest of summer days you can find cool water 10 to 15 feet down, and plenty of rocks to sun on when you get out. You begin in an ample parking lot, you end in one as well.
Trailheads: Off Pleasant Green Road to the west, at West Point on the Eno City Park to the east. All the info you need to find these spots is here.
Preferred seasons: Year-round
More info: Find detailed descriptions of the four sections making up this stretch on the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail website.

20 miles

Mountains-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake
21.8 miles
Wake and Durham counties
The Mountains-to-Sea Trail runs 60 miles along the south shore of Falls Lake through the Triangle. With the trail broken down into 18 day-hike sections, ranging in length from just under a mile to nearly seven, there are plenty of 20-mile(ish) permutations. Here’s a favorite. Starting from the Falls Lake ranger station off NC 50, hike west. Immediately, you are in the most remote stretch of the MST along Falls Lake, a nearly seven-mile run where signs of your fellow humans are rare (save for the remains of an old tobacco barn and what appears to have been a commercial chicken coop). The trail ducks in and out of coves on the lake, loses sight of it occasionally, has some boardwalked, swampy passages. At Little Lick Creek there’s an impressive pedestrian footbridge followed by an impressively narrow and long boardwalk. From there, it’s more hiking typical of a Piedmont hardwood forest. This 21.8-mile stretch concludes at the Hickory Hill Boat Ramp: no facilities but lots of parking. There is no water along the way; be sure to pack in plenty.
Trailheads: The ranger station off NC 50 (the start) is marked from the highway; the take-out at the Hickory Hill boat ramp is well marked from Redwood Road. Find all the directional information you need here.
Preferred seasons: Fall, winter, spring
More info: For more information on navigating this stretch and for scouting your own 20-mile hike on the MST at Falls Lake, go here.

Uwharrie National Forest: Uwharrie National Recreation Trail
22.9 miles
Troy
The Uwharrie National Recreation Trail has long been the default long hike for Boy Scouts in the Piedmont. In part, that was because it was the only game in town — and what a game it was, extending 50 miles at one point in the 1970s. The trail shrank in the 1980s and 1990s, but has since rebounded and is back up to about 40 miles. This stretch remains the classic Uwharrie Trail. Starting from the trailhead off NC 24/27, the trail heads north through what was once a mighty mountain range, with peaks topping 20,000 feet. Today, nothing along the trail reaches 1,000 feet, and while the climbs aren’t Appalachian, they’re more sustained than any you’ll find elsewhere in the Piedmont. It’s a good workout, and great training for backpackers prepping for a mountain trip. Several small waterways cross paths with the trail and can be filtered — when they’re running.
Trailheads: The southern trailhead is 9.3 miles west of Troy on NC 24/27; the northern trailhead is off Flint Hill Road (SR 1306), 1.8 miles east of Tower Road.
Preferred seasons: Fall, winter, spring
More info: Find a detailed trip description of this hike in “Backpacking North Carolina” (UNC Press, 2011).

Sauratown Trail
Between Pilot Mountain and Hanging Rock state parks
21.6 miles
Though part of the statewide hiking-centric Mountains-to-Sea Trail, the Sauratown Trail originally was built for equestrians. As a result, it often exhibits a slightly more rugged feel. For instance, instead of a footbridge over every wet spot, you have running creeks that are rock-hopped. Also, horses apparently have less of a problem with direct assaults on climbs, adding a vigorous ascent or two. All of which underscores the particular allure of this trail: its naturalness. The trail is never hard to find, but you’ll know you’re not on a finely groomed state park trail. Starting from Pilot Mountain, the trail heads east, tracing the north flank of Sauratown Mountain. There are some particularly scenic passages, including a waterfall or two that would seem more appropriate about 75 miles to the west, along the Blue Ridge escarpment. There’s a doozy of a climb when the trail reaches Hanging Rock State Park, but you’re rewarded with great views from atop Moore’s Knob. End your hike at the Hanging Rock Visitor Center. Note: Much of this trail is on private land, access generously granted from local landowners. Occasionally, land changes hands and the new land owner may not be as keen about a public trail. Thus, trail rerouting is common, and is well documented on the Sauratown Trails Association website.
Trailheads: Pilot Mountain State Park ranger station to the west, Hanging Rock Visitor Center to the east.
Preferred seasons: Fall, winter, spring
More info: Check out the aforementioned Sauartown Trails Association web site.

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