North Carolina

This is one of my favorite quick "getaway" loops in the Pisgah Ranger District. Turn onto Black Balsam Knob Road (Mile Marker 420 on the Blue Ridge Parkway) go until you reach a dead end and park at the parking lot. You'll see the Sam Knob trail to the right of the public bathrooms. From there, i...

Escape the NC heat at the quarry at Eno River State Park. Access the Eno Quarry via Cabe Lands Access Point (parking lot off Howe Street). Follow the Cabe Lands Trail (red blazes) from the parking lot. About 80 yards down the path you'll see a trail split off to the left or right. Keep going on ...

Pisgah National Forest, in my opinion, is one of the best national forests in the United States. Being just a short drive from Great Smokey Mountain National Park it has all the feel of being in the smokies with more to explore. Pisgah has anything you could want to see or do from tens of water...

Boone Fork Bridge and creek is situated at the base of Grandfather Mountain, on the Blue Ridge Parkway, milepost 299.9. Elevation 3905'.The trailhead is at the left side of Boone Fork Creek parking area and the trail is a gentle meander through Rhododendrons and a hardwood forest.As you head tow...

The great part about this adventure is that you can start anywhere on the island at any time of day. The island is four miles long, running from Mason Inlet to the north down to Masonboro Inlet to the south.The best fishing can be found on the north end of the island from Public Access 1 to the J...

Start the loop by hiking the Juney Whank Falls Trail to Juney Whank Falls. The footbridge across the creek makes an excellent place to rest and take in the falls. Follow the trail across the bridge and up the bank. After about 300 feet take a right and follow Deep Creek Horse Trail towards Deep C...

Carolina Beach is a long and broad beach in North Carolina, just south of Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington. Camping is allowed only in designated areas (there are 21 campsites). Reservations must be made in advance, camping is $50 per night. A daily access pass or season pass is also required to...

NC 288 was constructed in the 1920's, but did not last long with the construction of the Fontana Dam as the resulting lake covered the highway. The U.S. government entered an agreement in which they would provide a replacement road, but to this day it has not been completed and is know by locals ...

Camping on Ocracoke is allowed at the National Park Service Ocracoke Campground. Ocracoke Island is accessible via the North Carolina Ferry System. The ferry from Cape Hatteras is free and runs all day.The campground has 136 campsites spread out over the grounds. They can accommodate RV's, camper...

We passed by Jordan Lake on the way home from a soccer match, and the kids asked if we could camp there before summer's end. We lucked out and found a spot available online to reserve Labor Day weekend, so we packed up and headed out for a couple of relaxing days by the lake.The camping offerings...

Lake Crabtree is a 215 acre park that sits right next to a 520 acre flood control lake, known as Lake Crabtree. The park is open year round and offers a plethora of different activities. Hiking trails are accessible to hikers and runners while bikes are also permitted on multi-use trails. The par...

At the end of River Road Park Rd. there is a small pier to fish off of or to just lounge on. On both the right and left side of the pier there are trails in the forest to wander through. The trails on the right walk you on the edge of the water and open up to a large field of wild grass. This ...

After parking at Great Bend Park, follow the trail about 100 yards to a bridge which provides you access to a 5-acre island that overlooks the dam's waterfall. While the Haw River is easy to wade, the island offers a number of bank fishing spots for those who would prefer to keep their feet on so...

A treasure in North Carolina that doesn't get as much attention as it should, Doughton Park has some of the best trails around. It is the largest park operated by the Blue Ridge Parkway and has over 30 miles of trails available.  The parking area for the Basin Creek Trail is small, but rarely cro...

The hike to this waterfall is very short and well worth it. The waterfall is about 40 feet tall and has a large volume of water.  This makes for a great place to swim. The bottom of the pool is about 15 feet deep and offers cool mountain water. To get there it is just outside of Cashiers, North C...

Fawn Lake sits on the backside of DuPont State Forest, about a 15 minute drive from the High Falls Parking/ Visitor Center as well as Hooker Falls parking lots. With easy access and easy terrain, this is a must see to add to the list. While sometimes the main parking lots and trails of DuPont can...