Blog

Want to try camping before you make a full-scale (read: financial) commitment? At McDowell Nature Preserve you can rent a tent site that comes with a tent! Once you’re settled...

Copperhead Island is a 14-acre retreat from hustle and speedboat bustle of Lake Wylie. With primitive camping only and separated from the mainland’s boat ramps, the island offers a nice...

Copperhead Island Kings Mountain State Park Lake Norman State Park McDowell Nature Preserve Morrow Mountain State Park

Ridgeline Trail A common lament for Piedmont trail runners is that it’s hard to find mountain training close to home. Actually, we should say that’s a common lament for trail...

Anyone familiar with competitive cross-country running in North Carolina — or in the Southeast, for that matter — knows about McAlpine Park. Amid the fishing pier, the gazebo, the horseshoe...

This well-marked trail network is a multi-use system popular with hikers and mountain bikers as well. You don’t see many of the former, and while you do the latter, their...

In 1995, Leroy Springs and Co. took over operation of the Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort Mill, S.C. Since then, among other things, the 2,300-acre ASC Greenway has grown...

Mountain Island Lake Mountain Island Lake, connected to the Latta Plantation Nature Preserve, was built in 1924 as part of a hydroelectric project and provides drinking water to Mount Holly,...

There’s a Jekyll-and-Hyde nature to the 31-mile stretch of the Catawba River below the Lake Wylie dam just over the South Carolina line. At nominal water flow, the stretch is...

Looking at a map of the Uwharrie region northeast of Charlotte, it’s easy to overlook Falls Reservoir. In part, that’s because of its more imposing neighhbors: Badin Lake to the...

National Whitewater Center The Catawba River, which begins its 200-mile journey in the foothills east of Asheville, flows free in spots, is dammed in others, creating a mix of paddling...

Cane Creek Lake is a great destination if you simply can’t decide what you want to do. Sure, paddling is at the top of your list, and the 315-acre lake...

Crowders Mountain and Rocktop trails This is a classic western “payoff” hike: pay your dues early on and your payoff is grand views from atop a rocky summit. This 5-miler...

Crowders Mountain State Park (N.C.) to Kings Mountain State Park (S.C.) Nothing like walking into work Monday morning and being able to boast, “Yep, did an epic hike this weekend...

Sugarloaf and Morrow Mountain trails It may sound funny to speak of a hike in the Piedmont that “bags” two peaks. But your legs won’t be laughing by the time...

Ever wonder what it might have been like to take a stroll through the Piedmont before the time of Columbus? Occasionally, you’ll find a spot where you can wander through...

Uwharrie National Recreation Trail Nestled in the heart of the Piedmont is the ancient Uwharrie Mountain Range and 51,000 acres of national forest. And nestled in the heart of the...