Exploring North Carolina

[UNC Rubicon]

You will really enjoy Cape Lookout. I haven't been in several years now but would love to get back out there. I second the motion on ferry reservations. Sometimes it's no problem and sometimes it is.

You can easily spend a week exploring the outer banks of NC. I also like the very northern section above Duck and Corolla. Pavement ends and you can drive the beach up towards VA. Wild horses roam up there also.

I remember taking the kids to the Wright Brothers Memorial in Kill Devils Hill when they were young. We stood at the memorial and watched fighter jets fly up the coast right over the beach. I just shook my head thinking how far we had advanced flight in about 100 years.

OBX is a fun place. We recently got back from a week in Carova. We saw the horses every day we were there.

Edit to add: please pardon my dad for giving the middle finger. Sometimes he’s worse than a child.

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[Creeker]

A couple of favorites in Western NC above Morganton NC.
For Hiking:
Hebron Falls Hiking off the Blue Ridge is a great family outing.
(There's a bunch of great hiking trails between Hwy 181 and Blowing Rock NC, either off the Blue Ridge Parkway or Hwy 105.)
Trails range from easy to strenuous
For strenuous, try the Profile Trail to the Swinging Bridge, (a personal favorite).

For Mountain Biking:
Wilson Creek Area (21 Jumps, Section House, Rip Shin)
Hwy 181 (Headly's, Greentown, Beehive, Cranberry, etc.)

For Wheeling:
Most of the stuff is gravel road from Wilson Creek Area to Hwy 181.

For Kayaking:
Wilson Creek (Ranging from Class 1 stuff to Class V (depending on sections)).

Another favorite area is below Asheville NC.
The Green River has amazing kayaking (3 sections: Upper: Class III - IV, Middle (Narrows) Class v+, Lower: Class I).
The Narrows of the Green Hike is strenuous, but amazing to see the waterfalls

Another area for easy/slightly challenging wheeling is west of Asheville NC, Hurricane Creek.

If more info or a guide is needed, please send me a PM.

 

[UNC Rubicon]

Bean Shoals Access was one of the first places I found exploring on my own - way before smart phones and GPS. I came across this place completely by chance some 18 years ago.

I went back today with the kiddos to find the gate locked “due to overcrowding and road damage.” We hiked in and met a State Ranger who said he believes the closure is permanent.

It seems today is the end of an era for me.

 

[mgroeger]

If you are in the Boone/Blowing Rock area I HIGHLY recommend Julian Price Park located on the BRPW just outside Blowing Rock. The views are amazing and you go through multiple different zones... river, meadow, pine forest, etc...
I recommend hiking it clockwise even though most do it counter-clockwise. Doing it clockwise you will start off headed towards and through the camp ground and then the last 1/4 mile of the hike is a nice flat cinder covered trail on the way out. Plan on 5 hours at a relaxing pace but you can speed it up or take a hammock and chill for hours by the river. It's a total of 5 miles in a loop.

 

[Tar Heel Wrangler]

I'd never make it hiking there. I grew up learning to fly fish in the streams when I was 9. I can't hike when there are trout to be caught.

How's your trip going?

 

[mgroeger]

I'd never make it hiking there. I grew up learning to fly fish in the streams when I was 9. I can't hike when there are trout to be caught.

How's your trip going?

Amazing. We wheeled half of West Rim Trail in Sand Hollow last night starting at 6PM and it was still 100 degrees out. We are blown away at the Jeep... 3.5" lift with 37s and lockers really puts it into the next level. My wife looked at me like I was nuts because of the one obstacle I wanted to do and it literally walked right up it. I'll be posting pics on a thread I will start soon. Here's an obstacle on that trail that beat us, it's called the Squeeze and appropriately so. We were just too wide to not take on damage and had to back out of it.

 

[rancej]

OBX is a fun place. We recently got back from a week in Carova. We saw the horses every day we were there.

Edit to add: please pardon my dad for giving the middle finger. Sometimes he’s worse than a child.

I REALLY want to do this trip in the near future!

 

[Tar Heel Wrangler]

I did a trip after UNC-R's trip. It was so much fun. Kids and wife want to go back.

We got caught in a storm on the beach without doors on (put soft top down, but we still got drenched).

 

[ThirtyOne]

Yep. I’ve been on Hurricane Creek twice. It’s a lot of fun. There are a couple camping spots along the trail. Last time we were thereC we stopped at a big spot adjacent to the creek, just south of the abandoned bus. I’ve heard from a guy on Facebook that area is on private property. I’ll have to double check that info next time I’m up there.

Max Patch has some amazing views and was a fun short hike. I’ll take my kiddos back sometime soon.

That campsite is on private property? That would be disappointing.

 

[JayJay]

Has anyone been on Hurricane Creek recently? From the looks on some of the YouTube videos shot last year it appeared that some stretches had about been loved to death. One of the videos of a group, from Ashville I think, showed several jeeps running up the creek instead of the trail.

Later,
Johnny

 

[UNC Rubicon]

Has anyone been on Hurricane Creek recently? From the looks on some of the YouTube videos shot last year it appeared that some stretches had about been loved to death. One of the videos of a group, from Ashville I think, showed several jeeps running up the creek instead of the trail.

Later,
Johnny

@ThirtyOne and I went over Labor Day last year and it was a lot more rutted out than when we were there in May. I’ve heard they’ve put up gates on both ends of the trail but they seem to be open most of, if not all the time.

I passed a large group of assholes that were trailblazing on the upper end of the trail (after the second fork in the road).

I’ll be going back up there 8/14-8/16 and I’ll let you know how it is

 

[ThirtyOne]

Has anyone been on Hurricane Creek recently? From the looks on some of the YouTube videos shot last year it appeared that some stretches had about been loved to death. One of the videos of a group, from Ashville I think, showed several jeeps running up the creek instead of the trail.

Later,
Johnny

We are going to lose that trail if people don't stay on the trail. It is surrounded by private land.

 

[JayJay]

@ThirtyOne and I went over Labor Day last year and it was a lot more rutted out than when we were there in May. I’ve heard they’ve put up gates on both ends of the trail but they seem to be open most of, if not all the time.

I passed a large group of assholes that were trailblazing on the upper end of the trail (after the second fork in the road).

I’ll be going back up there 8/14-8/16 and I’ll let you know how it is

Thanks Bret, it'll probably be this fall before we're up there. We like to go up to the Cataloochee area to watch the elk and I thought that this year we might check out the Buzzard's Roost overlook and Hurricane Creek. Mitchelle really hates deep, muddy ruts though. For some reason it gives her the creeps.

Later,
Johnny

 

[Zukifever]

Following.

 

[UNC Rubicon]

Spent the day at Bill Fever Lakeshore Trail in High Point, NC today. The Jeep did nothing other than take me from Kernersville to High Point but I got to explore a trail I’ve never been on.

The trail was roughly 2 miles and easy most of the way - some roots and elevation change were the extent of the “challenges.” Nonetheless, it was nice to get outside and see something new to me.

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