June 9, 2018 Stone Mountain S.P. is located in the middle of nowhere. Nestled in between Alleghany and Wilkes counties in the northwestern portion of North Carolina, it took us nearly an hour and a half of back roads driving to find it. I remember going to the park about 15 years ago, but that … More Stone Mountain State Park
June 8, 2018 There are a number of trails located at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, off the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) outside of Blowing Rock, N.C. I would classify most of them as very family-friendly. They are nice, gradual uphill hikes, the trails are essentially wide carriage trails and the views are outstanding. The … More Flat Top Mountain Trail
October 1, 2017 The countdown to finishing the Pisgah 400 (all the trails of the Pisgah Ranger District in North Carolina) has begun. Emily and I concocted a great plan: we would stay for the week at her family’s house in Hendersonville and I would spend the days hiking, and then spend the nights with … More Biltmore Campus Trail, Forest Festival Trail, Forest Discovery Trail
July 4, 2017 We chose to forego the parades and fireworks and sales and consumer-driven madness this 4th for the refuge of nature. Nature’s soothing calmness knows not of the hubbub of societal flow. Its pathways and forests are a refuge for us. The Profile Trail at Grandfather Mountain State Park is a wonderful path. … More Grandfather Mountain State Park – Profile Trail
May 14, 2017 Since my last posting, my family and I have undergone quite a change. For years we lived in Sylva, N.C., about an hour west of Asheville. A great job opportunity became available in Boone, N.C. and after long hours of talk, we decided to move three hours north. We found a wondrous … More Elk Knob State Park – Summit Trail
January 1, 2017 Starting the new year off right, I continue to hike all the trails of the Pisgah Ranger District. Bent Creek is located just outside Asheville and is a popular spot for hikers, bikers and horse riding. The trails tend to be of a level grade and fairly short, thus appropriate for familes. … More Bent Creek Experimental Forest: Part 1
May 8, 2016 The first Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot described Pink Beds as a “great bowl with mountains for the rim.”[1] Indeed it is nestled in the basin between Rich Mountain, Black Mountain to the south and east and the Blue Ridge Parkway and Frying Pan Mountain to the north and … More Pink Beds Loop Trail, Pink Beds Connector Trail
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