Blog
Brown Mountain/Rocky Mountain Double Loop
Shenandoah National Park 21.7 miles 2 days Don’t be deceived by the mileage: 8.4 miles is done as a day hike (which is where the second loop comes in). As...
Corbin Cabin/Old Rag loop
Shenandoah National Park 28 miles 2-3 days Here’s a loop recommended by Backpacker magazine a few years back that includes the grail of Shenandoah hiking and much more. Start with...
Frazier Discovery Trail
Beware the roadside trail advertised as short (1.3 miles) and that starts out paved. For one, National Park Service trails of a certain vintage begin with deceptively calming blacktop before...
White Rock Falls Circuit
Nothing like the allure of a waterfall to encourage you to pull to the side of the road and take a hike. White Rock Falls may not be the most...
South River Falls Circuit
Walking along South River, you get the feeling something big is about to happen. Though the descending trail is easy enough to navigate, the river to your right is zigging...
25 Top Hikes in the Charlotte Area
Looking for a good place to hike in Charlotte or the surrounding area? You don’t have to look far.A great resource about hiking in Charlotte is the Mecklenburg County Park...
White Oak River (Section 3)
Talk about a paddle trail personality change! This trip starts on a small quarry lake and spends its first couple miles navigating a series of the same. The lakes are...
Bachelor Creek
We like the Neuse River and its assorted tributaries upstream from New Bern in part because a day behind the paddle can be followed — apres paddle, if you will...
Bennett’s Millpond / Rockyhock Creek
Think millpond and paddling in eastern North Carolina and thoughts immediately turn to Merchants Millpond, popular anchor of a state park bearing its name in Gates County. Merchants Millpond is...
Lumber River
Two sections of the Lumber River have been designated Wild and Scenic by the National Park Service: from Black Swamp downstream to the South Carolina state line and the first...
Contentnea Creek
Considering Contentnea Creek runs 100 miles, from northeast of Raleigh to the Neuse River in Craven County, it’s a surprisingly well-kept paddle secret. This despite the fact it has its...
Oak Island/Holden Beach Paddle Trails
You get a beach house for a week over the summer. On Day 1, you sit in the sun. On Day 2, you sit in the sun. On Day 3...
Milltail Creek
The 152,000-acre Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is a wild island oasis between the North Carolina mainland and the Outer Banks. You will find all manner of wild critters here:...
Dan River, Section 1 (Kibler Valley)
This dam-controlled river is most popular on Saturdays in July — the one time the minimum flow required (see “Minimum flow”) is pretty much guaranteed. There are other releases but...
Wilson Creek: Section B
A certain degree of bragging rights goes along with paddling Wilson Creek, which forms on the east face of Grandfather Mountain and quickly tumbles down the Blue Ridge Escarpment through...
Yadkin River, Section 14 (upstream)
Yup, you read that right: “upstream.” You got a problem with that? You won’t when you realize that this close-to-town option is a character builder. Or if not a character...
Cape Fear: Section 2
There are several runs of rapids on this stretch of the Cape Fear, the first coming amid several islands less than a mile after the put-in. This run of Class...
Haw River, Section 8 (from Wilmington)
A popular run, especially for intro classes. The stretch is popular for several reasons. For one, when water levels in the region start to drop it’s one of the last...