Meet the MULES

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...

Al Buehler Trail Are you a stickler for detail when you run? Do you like to know how your splits for your first, third and fifth quarter mile compare to...

This relatively new (2004) 391-acre park includes 7 miles of hiking trail and 7 miles of mountain bike trail. While the annual Little River Trail Run http://www.trailheads.org/lrtr/ includes the singletrack...

There’s a lot of opportunity in Duke Forest, which isn’t one forest, but six tracts comprising 7,060 acres in Durham, Orange and Alamance counties. While the main use of the...

Cabe Lands Access to West Point on the Eno city park This run has it all: length, variety, scenery, a fast finish. Length: At 8.6 miles one way, you’ll need...

For decades, the 750-acre woodland known both as the Horace Williams Tract and Carolina North, was the unofficial playground of folks from Chapel Hill and Carrboro. About 10 years ago,...

OLD 421 Park Access Not surprisingly, the Yadkin River has attracted humans since the first ones entered the region 12,000 years ago. Initially, the river’s waters meant survival. Today, recreation....

Section 2 You’ve been paddling for a little while now, entirely on flat water. You’ve gotten to where you feel comfortable on the water. Adventuresome, even. And you wouldn’t mind...

As of October 2012, all water-related activities at Salem Lake had been curtailed due to dam construction. That’s the not-so-good news. The good news is that construction isn’t forever, and...

The Dan poses an unusual problem for a Piedmont river: finding a stretch that’s placid enough to paddle. For the most part, the Piedmont is veined with streams that slowly...

Got a day to get lost (in the metaphysical sense) with your boat? Belews Lake northeast of town affords miles and miles of mindless paddling. The lake is massive at...

The Basin You’ll find true exploring within the Zeke’s Island area, a lagoon surrounded by Zeke’s Island, North Island, No Name Island, a beach, a barrier spit and fringing marshes...

Rice Creek Trail Like an intimate paddle? Really intimate? Town Creek starts up-close-and-personal: the first two miles is a snug paddle betwixt cypress and tupelo and, as Paul Ferguson of...

Every town has a “you-gotta-do-it” place to go. For paddlers in Wilmington, it’s Masonboro Island. The 8.4-mile-long Masonboro is the longest undisturbed barrier island along North Carolina’s southern coast. Its...

Section 5 The Black River may be the most beloved place to paddle in eastern North Carolina, and for good reason. One, it’s remote, making its way through the Down...

Only at the coast could you do a loop trail — on a river. This 16-miler begins at the Davis Creek Estuarine Water Access Area on Cartwheel Branch. After just...

This 520-acre flood control lake is especially popular with kayakers looking to get in a workout. In part, that’s because motor boats are restricted: nothing bigger than a 5 horsepower...

Here’s the joy of Lake Johnson: The beginners and casual paddlers who visit the park and decide on the spur of the moment to rent a canoe, a kayak or...