A FREE Daily Visitor Guide for the North Carolina Mountains and 50+ NC Mountain Cities: guided hikes

Showing posts with label guided hikes. Show all posts

Monday, March 18, 2013

Great Smoky Mountain National Park Hiking Series

March 19 Friends of the Smokies Classic Hikes of the Smokies This hiking series is led by Danny Bernsteinwill and held on the THIRD TUESDAY of every month beginning in March. In honor of Friends of the Smokies' 20th Anniversary, each hike will highlight a project made possible through funding from Friends.

On the first hike of the season participants will hike to three cemeteries, three waterfalls over approximately 9 miles. There may be some early spring wildlife from frogs to flowers. To register contact Friends’ Waynesville, NC office at (828) 452-0720 or email outreach.nc@friendsofthesmokies.org.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Fall Leaf Color Hike at Chimney Rock Park

Fall color at Chimney Rock Park

Date: October 20 Off the Beaten Path Guided Hike: Fall Color Ridge Hike Hike to the top of the ridges of Chimney Rock Mountain and experience dramatic views surrounded by beautiful fall color. Your guide will be internationally renowned naturalist Ron Lance.

The hike proceeds more than 1,000 feet above the valley floor. Bring your camera—this is the most scenic Chimney Rock hike all year long! The 2-hour hike is moderately strenuous.

Find Chimney Rock Lodging and more local events on the Chimney Rock NC Visitor Guide.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Free Hike Fridays at Chimney Rock

August 3-31 Free Hike Fridays at Chimney Rock Park Free guided hike out to Hickory Nut Falls, the tallest waterfall on the east coast at an incredible 404 feet. While many recognize the falls from the movie The Last of the Mohicans, the Park trail guide will share with you lesser-known facts about the plant and animal found along the trail during summer, in addition to some interesting Park history.

Meet the trail guide for the hike in front of Cliff Dwellers Gifts at 11AM on Fridays in August. No registration required.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

April 28 Survival Skills Workshop: Wild Edibles - Series part 2 of 3 at Chimney Rock Park. Food and water are essential to wilderness survival. Abundant, nutritious edible plants grow in Western North Carolina each season, from berries and flowers to nuts and mushrooms. Be prepared to hike off the beaten path for about two hours identifying and learning about wild edibles.

Then Sheila Dunn, a longtime member of the Asheville Mushroom Club and a Buncombe County Master Gardener, will whet your appetite with a presentation on favorite edible fungi, such as chanterelles, morels and chicken of the woods. Listen closely when she discusses the few poisonous mushrooms that lurk in our hills! Bring a water bottle, wear long pants and bring a rain coat just in case. This is one workshop you won’t want to miss! The Survival Skills Workshop series continues with Shelter-Building on Sat., June 9

Get a link for the Survival Skills Workshop and other local information on the Chimney Rock NC Visitor guide.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Grandfather Mountain's Guided Hike Season

Four Featured Hikes headline Grandfather Mountain's 2012 Guided Hike Season. The Guided Hike Series, now in its second year, has four pre-planned hikes to showcase the wonderful scenery and wildlife of the mountain. The hikes are scheduled for May, June, July and August and offer opportunities to explore Grandfather’s backcountry while learning about the ecology and history of the Mountain.

The Series begins with the half day “Spring to MacRae” hike over 0.9 miles, using cables and seven ladders to gain almost 600 feet in elevation. The second hike, the “Ridgeline of Diversity”, is 2.4 miles, traversing large boulders, climbing ladders and gaining 700 feet in elevation. The “Grandfather’s Attic” hike is a challenging endeavor involving a trek to Attic Window Peak and Indian House Cave over the most rugged terrain on the mountain. The Series concludes with the “Nature on the Edge” hike, showcasing the resiliency of plants and animals in the adverse conditions of the mountain. Throughout the journey, interpretive rangers will discuss the needs for habitat and point out signs of survival.

Get more details about Grandfather Mountain's Hike Series and other mountain events HERE.

The Blue Ridge Parkway at 469 miles long is the nation's longest scenic rural parkway. Now 70 years old it is administered by the National Park Service and host to approximately 20 million visits annually. It connects the Shenandoah Valley National Park with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. Along the route are opportunities for lodging, dining, camping, hiking and simply enjoying breathtaking views from easily accessible overlooks and picnic areas. For additional information visit :The Blueridge Parkway Association

The River Arts District is open year around with the opportunity to meet artists in their studios. Schedules are available online. This unique area along the French Broad River is home to more than 165 artists with working studios located in 18 turn-of-the-century industrial buildings. The artists of the River Arts District welcome you into their studios to talk with them, see their latest artwork, watch demonstrations, and experience for yourself the magic hidden inside the time-worn factories and warehouses along the French Broad River.

Chimney Rock Park is named for a 500 million-year-old giant granite monolith overlooking Hickory Nut Gorge. Visitors are awed by the breathtaking view that spreads 1200 vertical feet beneath them and 75 miles across the Carolinas. The now state owned park encompasses 1,000 acres offers the best of the mountains in one place with spectacular 75-mile views, hiking trails for all ages, a 404-foot waterfall, a variety of special events and much more. Chimney Rock NC

The National Scenic Byways Program is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. The program is a grass-roots collaborative effort established to help recognize, preserve and enhance selected roads throughout the United States. Since 1992, the National Scenic Byways Program has provided funding for almost 1500 state and nationally designated byway projects in 48 states. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation recognizes certain roads as All-American Roads or National Scenic Byways based on one or more archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic qualities.

Tsali Recreation Area is an outdoors lover's paradise. Probably the most popular features of Tsali Recreation Area are the 39 miles of trails suited for mountain bikers and horse-back riders, as well as hikers. The 4-loop system offers a variety of landscapes. You can climb 1-foot wide rugged paths or travel flat, well-beaten roads. The four trails--Right, Left, Mouse Branch, and Thompson Loops--meander through mixed pine and hardwoods on a peninsula stretching into Fontana Lake. Near Bryson City NC and Robbinsville NC.