Destinations

Buffalo Creek Preserve, a 393-acre preserve in Cabarrus County. Acquired by the Catawba Lands Conservancy in 2011, this location serves as a home to a restored piedmont oak savanna, several...

Bakers Mountain Park, located in Hickory, NC, is comprised of nearly 200 acres of scenic views and wildlife. This park offers the perfect observational platform to take in the views...

Bald Head Island is a local North Carolina treasure. The relatively remote island is the perfect beach getaway, with plenty to explore. Bald Head Island is accessible by ferry and...

Bear Island, located in Onslow County, can be reached by ferry, kayak, canoe, and at one point-- pirate ship! This park has a story to tell. The best way to...

Bodie Island is commonly known as a place to pass through when visiting the Outer Banks. Whether you're visiting this area from the land or the sea, it has a...

The Broad River Greenway is truly the place for all seasons. It's also proven to be the place for all outdoor enthusiasts with a variety of trails for mountain bikers,...

The Cape Henry Lighthouses sit at none other than the Cape Henry, guarding the Chesapeake Bay. Cape Henry is known as the "First Landing." The first lighthouse was built in...

For experienced paddlers, this is the lighthouse to visit. Besides being the most challenging (due to the open water and distance) it is the most dramatic. From your launch point...

Virginia Beach has a number of Clark Kent-to-Superman access points: drive through a mild-mannered neighborhood, pull to the side of the road and moments later emerge as Kayak Guy! (or...

Carolina beach State Park is filled with every coastal hikers dream-- Water access, flat trails, active wildlife, and more. This park was North Carolina's 14th state park, formerly known as...

This 414-acre park’s got it all: mountain biking, canoe rentals, two 18-hole disc golf courses, fishing, and hiking. Low hills, wetlands, a creek — even a waterfall!

Here’s a loop recommended by Backpacker magazine a few years back that includes the grail of Shenandoah hiking and much more. Start with a little history by hiking from Skyline...

When you do finally reach the 1.7-mile mark and the top of Upper Falls, decking crosses the stream (which is surprisingly small), allowing you to stand on the precipice and...

This 5-miler begins from the Visitor Center through a hardwood forest, crosses busy Sparrow Springs Road, then disappears back into the woods. You’re in for another mile and a half...

Currituck is only lighthouse in NC to look this way. Each NC lighthouse has a distinct paint pattern, allowing sailors to know which lighthouse it is, and thus know where...

The two-state Ridgeline Trail, joining Crowders Mountain State Park to the north in North Carolina with Kings Mountain State Park in South Carolina, offers a 12-mile training run that’s just...

Davis Creek Park is tucked away in the outskirts of Wilmington in a little town called Navassa, NC. Want a quiet place to put in your kayak and explore the...

A gorgeous hike capped by a dip in the Eno Quarry at midpoint. Officially, swimming in the quarry, which yielded rock for road construction a half century ago, is frowned...

First Landing is such a gem: with 19 miles of foot-friendly trail and with loops short and long, it’s the ideal escape from the hectic holidays. A good option: the...

The panorama includes views of Big Flat (3,389 feet), Trayfoot (3,374 feet), Austin (2,658 feet), Rockytop (2,856 feet) and Rocky (2,864 feet) mountains. If it’s winter you may well see...

Part of the allure here is giving your visitors the opportunity to return home and boast that they penetrated the Great Dismal Swamp, an area so wild it befuddled many...

With more than 40 miles of trail to chose from along lakes Brandt, Townsend, and Higgins, why this one? It’s flat and very beginner friendly, for one. But mainly, the...

Hanging Rock’s 18 miles of diverse trail make it a hiker’s paradise, especially for campers. Rock climbing is allowed in the park; there’s scenic paddling on the Dan River, which...

What a great use of 91 linear acres. No more than 100 yards wide, the park runs along a small creek and offers remarkable insulation from the urban world beyond....