January 19, 2026 I moved to Morganton in 2010, fresh out of law school. I had no money, didn’t know a soul in the area, only a quiet determination to practice law in the mountains. I had hiked some growing up and loved backpacking, but the outdoors wasn’t yet a daily rhythm of my life. … More South Mountains State Park
January 10, 2026 Raven Rock State Park sits along the Cape Fear River, an hour south of Raleigh and close enough to Fayetteville to make a morning arrival easy. It’s one of those parks that didn’t need marketing hype to become popular. It simply offered good trails, real scenery, and easy access. People noticed. The … More Raven Rock State Park
January 10, 2026 Most people come to North Carolina for mountains or coast. Carvers Creek State Park lives in the in-between. Just north of Fayetteville and across the street from Fort Bragg, it stretches out in quiet waves of longleaf pine, wiregrass, and shallow ponds. The terrain is flat. The trails are gentle. The experience … More Carvers Creek State Park
January 10, 2026 Before roads, towns, or farmland, longleaf pine forests stretched across more than 90 million acres from Virginia to Texas. It was an open woodland, sunlit and spacious, maintained by frequent natural fires. Wiregrass shimmered beneath tall pines. Red-cockaded woodpeckers drilled their nesting cavities. Fox squirrels bounded through the branches. It was one … More Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve
January 4, 2026 Geologically, Crowders Mountain is what’s known as a monadnock. A lone peak made of tougher rock that refused to erode when everything around it softened and wore away. While rivers rearranged themselves and forests advanced and retreated, Crowders stayed put. Patient. Unimpressed. At just over 1,600 feet, it’s not tall by mountain standards, … More Crowders Mountain State Park
January 1, 2026 There’s something poetic about walking the shores of Jordan Lake: calm waves lapping at sandy beaches, osprey overhead, and miles of trail winding through forest and field. But beneath this modern outdoor haven lies a deep, multi-layered history that reaches back thousands of years and through the hopes, hardships, and transformations of the people who … More Jordan Lake State Recreation Area
January 1, 2026 Some trails are just okay. Some parks have interesting history but dull paths. Falls Lake State Natural Area is the rare exception; it works on your senses. If Eno River left me wanting more, this place gives you more: lush woods, dreamy fern groves, and views that make a rugged morning feel like a soft invitation … More Falls Lake State Natural Area
January 1, 2026 When you picture a state park, the first things that come to mind are tranquility, mossy paths, and whispery tree canopies. What I found at Eno River State Park was a lot less bucolic and a lot more bedlam from last year’s storms. I knew Eno had taken a beating. In July 2025, Tropical Storm Chantal unleashed … More Eno River State Park
January 1, 2026 Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area is one of my favorite places to hike outside the mountains, and it remains wildly underrated. Tucked just outside Hillsborough, it offers something rare in the Piedmont: real elevation, real trail, and a deep sense that the ground beneath your boots has been important for a very … More Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area
December 30, 2025 Haw River State Park is not a place you visit for long, leg-burning hikes or hidden waterfalls. If you come expecting trail magic, you’ll leave a little underwhelmed. The trails are short, utilitarian, and sparse. This is not a park that asks you to wander. It asks you to gather. And that … More Haw River State Park