Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    North Carolina Adventure Weekends: A Traveler's Guide to the Best Outdoor Getaways
    North Carolina Adventure Weekends: A Traveler's Guide to the Best Outdoor Getaways
    North Carolina Adventure Weekends: A Traveler's Guide to the Best Outdoor Getaways
    Ebook374 pages3 hours

    North Carolina Adventure Weekends: A Traveler's Guide to the Best Outdoor Getaways

    By Jessie Johnson and Matt Schneider

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    North Carolina Adventure Weekends makes it easy for campers, hikers, cyclists, paddlers, and climbers to plan weekend after weekend of memorable outdoor trips. It’s written for both novice and experienced adventurers who enjoy―or aspire to enjoy―a variety of outdoor pursuits but don’t have time to spend hours researching the best destinations or can’t get away for a long trip. Most outdoors enthusiasts enjoy a variety of activities, and this is the ideal resource for hikers who love to climb, paddlers who also pedal, and everyone who wants to get the most adventure out of a weekend. It’s also ideal for couples, families, or groups who love sharing a weekend getaway but want to do different things.

    Many guidebooks focus on one specific activity, such as hiking, paddling, or camping, and North Carolina Adventure Weekends eliminates the need for weekend warriors to spend hours thumbing through multiple guidebooks and websites, trying to find the best options for their multisport weekend trips. Furthermore, regional guidebooks might offer suggestions on different outdoor activities but not pinpoint the best options for adventurers who only have a weekend to explore. With North Carolina Adventure Weekends, readers have numerous action-packed weekend itineraries at their fingertips.
    They’ll know not only where to stay to be closest to the action, but also which adventures―hike routes, bike rides, paddle trips, climbing areas, etc.―are weekend-worthy. Each chapter highlights a focused geographic area and includes detailed directions, so readers can spend more time playing and less time driving from place to place. Adventurers will also learn where to stock up on supplies, what to do on a rainy day, and where to go to rehash the weekend’s adventures over an epic-worthy meal and a beer.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMenasha Ridge Press
    Release dateNov 7, 2017
    ISBN9781634040938
    North Carolina Adventure Weekends: A Traveler's Guide to the Best Outdoor Getaways

    Related to North Carolina Adventure Weekends

    Related ebooks

    United States Travel For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    Related categories

    Reviews for North Carolina Adventure Weekends

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      North Carolina Adventure Weekends - Jessie Johnson

      ASHEVILLE

      Asheville . . . in a weekend? Yes, it can be done if you plan ahead. But you might as well bookmark this chapter because you’ll definitely be coming back for more! We’ve carefully curated the perfect pocket of Asheville’s outdoor adventures so that you can maximize your weekend playtime. Get ready to enjoy majestic views from 5,000-plus feet on Mount Pisgah, mountain bike and hike straight from your campsite in the Bent Creek Experimental Forest, paddle Class I–II rapids past Gilded Age history, and soar through treetop canopies at 65 miles per hour.

      Areas included: Lake Powhatan Recreation Area, Bent Creek Experimental Forest, Pisgah National Forest, North Mills River Recreation Area, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina Arboretum, local parks

      Adventures: Camping, mountain and road biking, hiking, trail running, whitewater paddling, ziplining, aerial park, indoor climbing

      Bent Creek Experimental Forest is a haven for mountain bikers.

      LODGING

      TOP PICK

      LAKE POWHATAN CAMPGROUND (CRADLE OF FORESTRY IN AMERICA) 375 Wesley Branch Road, Asheville; 828-670-5627; cfaia.org/lake-powhatan-recreation-area-campgrounds-in-north-carolina. $22/night (cash or check only), open March–November, 97 sites, reservations accepted for some sites, picnic table, fire ring, tent pad, lantern pole, flush toilets, hot showers, some sites share central water, some sites with water and electric (additional fee), firewood and ice available for purchase, swimming beach

      Lake Powhatan (pronounced Poe-uh-tun) is a popular place. If you haven’t reserved a site in advance (reservations are recommended, as the campground often fills up), you’ll be assigned a site at the camp office upon arrival. Sites on the outside of the Hardtimes Loop back up to the woods and offer more privacy than sites on the inside of the loop. Entering the Big John Loop, you might be tempted to turn around at the sight of electrical hookups and big RVs, but persevere—around the back of the loop, sites 6–18 are spacious, wooded, and a world away from the hum of climate control. If site 27 or any surrounding sites in the Bent Creek Loop are available, take them and run! You’ll have tons of space for your camp toys and lots of solitude. Lake Powhatan is located in the Bent Creek Experimental Forest, and you can ride or walk to the trails from your campsite in minutes. You’ll also have the French Broad River, North Carolina Arboretum, and Blue Ridge Parkway within a 10–20 minute drive, so what are you waiting for? Time to get out there!

      Spacious campsite at Lake Powhatan

      Directions From the south Take I-26 west to Exit 37. Turn left at end of ramp onto NC 146 West. In 0.5 mile, turn right onto Clayton Road and travel 1.3 miles to junction with NC 191. Turn right onto NC 191 and travel for 1.6 miles. Turn left onto Bent Creek Ranch Road. Stay left in 0.3 mile on Wesley Branch Road. Travel for 2.1 miles on Wesley Branch Road. Campground is straight ahead.

      From the north, west, and east Take I-26 East to Exit 33 and turn left at the end of the ramp onto NC 191. Travel 2 miles south on NC 191 and turn right onto Bent Creek Ranch Road and follow directions above.

      BACKUP BASE CAMP

      North Mills River Campground (Cradle of Forestry in America) 5289 N. Mills River Road, Horse Shoe; 828-890-3284; cfaia.org/north-mills-river-recreation-area-campgrounds-in-north-carolina. $22/night (cash or check only), open year-round with limited facilities in winter, 31 sites, reservations accepted for some sites, picnic table, fire ring, tent pad, flush toilets, hot showers, shared water, one site with full hookup, firewood available for purchase

      This campground is located alongside the North Mills River in the Pisgah National Forest. Several popular sites sit riverside, but no matter where you put your tent you’re never far away from the water in this small campground.

      North Mills River

      INDOOR LODGING

      Bent Creek Lodge 10 Parkway Crescent, Arden; 828-654-9040; bentcreeknc.com. $110–$205/night, Wi-Fi, full, queen, and king beds, some rooms with whirlpools, decks/balconies with wooded views, breakfast included

      The beautiful and inviting oak-beamed living room (cut from trees on the property), unbelievably comfortable beds, and rocking chairs on the secluded back deck might tempt you to forgo your adventure weekend plans. Resist! The lodge is tucked in between the Blue Ridge Parkway and the French Broad River, and is an easy drive or bike ride to Bent Creek. Plus, you’ll want to work up an appetite for those reverse chocolate chip cookies.

      MOUNTAIN BIKING

      Bent Creek Experimental Forest, a 5,500-acre section of Pisgah National Forest, is used by the Bent Creek Institute to research sustainable forest management strategies. Even cooler, it boasts 40 miles of hike, bike, and equestrian trails. Mountain bikers of all abilities can find appealing routes at Bent Creek, although beginners might be thrown off (not literally, we hope) by some of the rock gardens, root-strewn trail surface, and steep terrain. You can hike anywhere in the forest, but not all trails are open to bikes, so pick up a free trail map at the Lake Powhatan Campground office; it has trail-use guidelines, mileage, and difficulty ratings. Most trails are well marked with colored blazes, but you will find an occasional hard-to-navigate section, so bring your trail map along for the ride.

      Bent Creek rocks

      Best of Bent Creek 14-mile loop, 2–3 hours, intermediate–advanced, creek crossings, steep ascents and descents

      To reach the trailhead, ride out of the campground and take the first left onto FS 479. Turn right onto Deer Lake Lodge Trail and stay left at the intersection of Deer Lake Road (doubletrack). Shortly after that, veer left onto Wolf Branch Trail and start climbing. Continue to stay left on Wolf Branch as it intersects the Ledford Trail on the right, and then turn left onto Ledford Branch Road, passing numerous forestry experiments. Hang a right onto Boyd Branch Road, and then turn right onto the Ingles Field Connector Trail. A quick left onto Ingles Field Gap Trail will bring you to what’s known as Five Points, where North Boundary Road intersects Little Hickory Top Trail, Ingles Field, and an unnamed fifth point to the northeast. It’s a great place to snack and soak in views. Take the second trail on the left, North Boundary Road, west along the side of Little Hickory Top Mountain, and continue climbing until you reach Green’s Lick Trail on the left. Turn left here, hang on tight, and prepare yourself for the best descent in Bent Creek.

      This trail is rocky, twisty, and somewhat treacherous, especially when wet. There are multiple jumps and drops that can be avoided, but only if you’ve scrubbed enough speed to spot them. At the bottom of your descent, splash through a few small stream crossings and turn left on Sidehill Trail, which climbs steadily to join with Little Hickory Top, where you’ll turn left to return to Five Points. Take a right on Ingles Field Gap Trail; when the trail meets the Ingles Field Gap Connector, stay left to continue on Ingles Field Gap Trail. At the intersection with Ledford Branch Road, take a quick right, followed by a left onto Wolf Branch, which points downhill this time. Retrace your tracks to the Ledford Trailhead, making sure to veer right on the Deer Lake Lodge Trail where it departs the power line access road.

      Jessie on the trail in Bent Creek

      Matt tackles the twisty trail at Bent Creek.

      Bent Creek for Beginners 5 miles, 1 hour, beginner–advanced, jumps

      Advanced riders can warm up on this loop and get their mountain bike legs underneath them, while new riders will enjoy the relatively smooth, well-built trails as they swoop through lush mountain forests. From the campground, ride south on the Powhatan Access Road toward the lake. Before reaching the lake, look for the Pine Tree Loop Trail on the right, and start your ride here. This ride is a modified figure eight, with both loops ridden counterclockwise.

      After about 0.5 mile on the Pine Tree Loop Trail, turn right onto Pine Tree Connector, then right again on the Explorer Loop. Very soon after, make a left turn to stay on Explorer. In about 0.75 mile, turn left onto FS 479H and ride past the Explorer Alternate Trail. Soon after this intersection, Explorer makes a left turn back onto singletrack for a short but somewhat steep climb to the top of the hill, where you’ll find the junction with Chestnut Cove Trail (hiking only). Here’s where the fun really begins. Start heading downhill, and at the junction with the Explorer Alternate Trail stay right to continue on the Explorer Loop.

      Stop and read the signs at Bent Creek.

      The trail here is fast and open, with water bars and rollers where you can (if you choose to) get some airtime. Otherwise, stay loose and sit back! As you fly down the mountain, you’ll pass Sleepy Gap Trail, a 2-mile out-and-back side trip option if you’d like to add more singletrack. Near the bottom of the hill, turn right on Pine Tree Connector, then right again onto Pine Tree Loop. You can take the Pine Tree Loop back to the Powhatan Access Road to return to the campground or turn right onto the Deerfield Loop for a little more time in the woods. If you decide on the latter, stay left on Deerfield, then rejoin the Powhatan Access Road. A left turn on the Powhatan Access Road will bring you back to the

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1