Blog

Shallow Ford Natural Area All these Greensboro lakes are great, but isn’t there a nice, mellow river around here to paddle? Of course. And with the upper Haw River, you...

If you’re looking at an old map and scratching your head over the whereabouts of Randleman Regional Reservoir, no, you are not going crazy: It may well not be there....

Greensboro is something of the Minnesota of the Piedmont: while it may not have quite 10,000 lakes, it seems to have a lot. Most of the attention is focused on...

City Lake Park High Point Lake is one of those bodies of water that seems much bigger than it is. By the measuring stick, it’s 340 acres of water surface....

Mountain Island Lake Mountain Island Lake, connected to the Latta Plantation Nature Preserve, was built in 1924 as part of a hydroelectric project and provides drinking water to Mount Holly,...

There’s a Jekyll-and-Hyde nature to the 31-mile stretch of the Catawba River below the Lake Wylie dam just over the South Carolina line. At nominal water flow, the stretch is...

Looking at a map of the Uwharrie region northeast of Charlotte, it’s easy to overlook Falls Reservoir. In part, that’s because of its more imposing neighhbors: Badin Lake to the...

National Whitewater Center The Catawba River, which begins its 200-mile journey in the foothills east of Asheville, flows free in spots, is dammed in others, creating a mix of paddling...

Cane Creek Lake is a great destination if you simply can’t decide what you want to do. Sure, paddling is at the top of your list, and the 315-acre lake...

Add University Lake to the many ways the University of North Carolina has enhanced the livability of Chapel Hill. Constructed by the university in 1932, the lake is Chapel Hill’s...

Robeson Creek boat access For the most part on Jordan Lake, if you want a quiet paddle you need to stick to the small fingers that explore off the main...

Farrington Point boat access The best flatwater paddling in the state lies Down East, in the various blackwater rivers and swamps that snake through the coastal plain and into the...

Swepsonville River Park to Saxapahaw This dammed 5.8-mile stretch of the Haw River is good, reliable paddling year round, but it may be best in summer. Put in at Swepsonville...

McIver Landing to Deep River Park Rare is the smaller river in the Piedmont that is nearly always runnable, but that’s the case with the Deep River. (The Deep, by...

If you love a good lake hike, you’ll like hiking at the Piedmont Environmental Center in High Point, a 376-acre preserve, a goodly portion of which is enveloped by High...

Stone Mountain Loop Trail Frankly, you won’t find the best hiking on the 16 miles of official hiking trail that prod this rugged 14,100-acre park at the base of the...

Ledge Spring/Jomokee Loop Trail Sometimes you’re so busy gawking and taking pictures you don’t have time to hike a great distance. When you’re exploring the top of Pilot Mountain State...

Moore’s Wall Loop On any given weekend, the mile-and-a-half trail from the Visitor Center to the top of Hanging Rock resembles an anthill, with the masses dutifully making their way...