Meet the MULES

Deep River Trail This highly recommended run originates out of the Piedmont Environmental Center, hugs the west bank of High Point Lake then loops back inland and catches the paved...

(Note: Information is pegged to Bur-Mil Park on Lake Brandt, at the epicenter of the Watershed Lakes Trails.) You’re to be forgiven if, when looking at a map of the...

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...

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,...

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...

Ebenezer Church boat ramp Of the six major public boat ramps on Jordan Lake, you might ask why put in a canoe or kayak at one of the busiest? It’s...

Goose Creek is a destination short on distance, long on wildlife viewing opportunities. From the put-in off Dinah’s Landing Road (SR 1365) there’s not much more than a mile of...

Add University Lake to the many ways the University of North Carolina has enhanced the livability of Chapel Hill. Constructed by the university in 1932, the lake is Chapel Hill’s...

Robeson Creek boat access For the most part on Jordan Lake, if you want a quiet paddle you need to stick to the small fingers that explore off the main...

Farrington Point boat access The best flatwater paddling in the state lies Down East, in the various blackwater rivers and swamps that snake through the coastal plain and into the...

Swepsonville River Park to Saxapahaw This dammed 5.8-mile stretch of the Haw River is good, reliable paddling year round, but it may be best in summer. Put in at Swepsonville...