Meet the MULES

Greensboro’s three watershed lakes north of town — Brandt, Townsend and Higgins — offer 42 miles of natural surface trail, trail that exposes hikers to all manner of flora and...

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...

There are precious few hiking opportunities in northern Durham and Orange Counties counties, which is unfortunate. The Piedmont hills here rise a little higher, the air temperature a wisp cooler...

There’s hiking in the Piedmont and there’s hiking along the Haw River. But wait, isn’t the Haw in the Piedmont? Technically, yes. Look at a map and there it is,...

OCCONNEECHEE MOUNTAIN LOOP TRAIL You’ll find more ecological escape packed into this 190-acre preserve on the outskirts of Hillsborough than anywhere else in the Triangle. Occoneechee Mountain has five distinct...

Difficulty: Strenuous (length) Distance: 30 minute drive from downtown Chapel Hill Time to complete: 3 to 4 hours Address: 6101 Cole Mill Road City: Durham State: N.C. Zip: 27705 Latitude:...

Johnston Mill Nature Preserve is like a “best-of” of hiking in the western Triangle. It’s got the requisite rocky creek: a 2-mile stretch of New Hope Creek penetrates this 296-acre...

Company Mill Trail (see related entry) may be Umstead State Park’s most popular trail but largely because of a lack of competition. From the park’s Harrison Avenue entrance off I-40,...

Company Mill has long been the most loved trail at Umstead State Park, and for good reason. In part, because it begins from the park’s popular main entrance off Harrison...

There’s something very preserv-y about this preserve. There’s the Stevens Nature Center that greets you, complete with educational facilities and a gift shop. There’s the tastefully cultivated gathering area near...

How quickly you’re able to hike this trail depends upon how susceptible you are to letting a tree bend your ear (and you know how those beeches can be when...