Wander Report: Raven Rock State Park - Lillington, NC & Aviator Brewery - Fuquay Varina, NC

Raven Rock State Park

Just a short trip down Hwy 421 from Greensboro, NC is a wonderful little gem in the North Carolina State Park System. Raven Rock State Park is located in Lillington, NC. We had a group of approximately 30 people ages 2 and up. It was an unusually warm Saturday for February and the parking lot was close to full when we got there around 9:45 AM.

The park is not a far drive from Raleigh, so I can imagine it is a popular destination for day hikers to get away from the city for a little while.

We hiked the Raven Rock Loop Trail which is listed as a 2.6 mile loop. The mileage is accurate and we added the trail down to the fish traps as well. Total mileage ended up at 4 miles.

The hike is a great hike for kids of all ages. The trail is not difficult and in the beginning follows a creek through the forest. About a mile into the hike, you reach the stairs down to Raven Rock on the shore of the Cape Fear River. There, you can explore the area around the 150 foot rock wall and marvel at the beauty of the trees, rocks and river. There had been some significant rain the week leading up to our hike, so the river was very high and muddy. On a normal day there would be more fishing on the river, but conditions were not favorable this day.

Our kids really enjoyed the rock and we spent most of our time around this feature.

Unfortunately, there is some graffiti around Raven Rock, but luckily it is not terribly noticeable until you get up close.

After you climb back up the stairs and head further up the trail, you reach the overlook. A beautiful vista of the Cape Fear River and it's surroundings. This is a good photo opportunity here.

Raven Rock Overlook

We added the Fish Traps section on to our hike, but there was really nothing down this trail. The trail leads you back down to the river, and I imagine there is usually fishing going on. Again, I think it was due to the high waters that no one was fishing.

There are some great backcountry camping opportunities in the park and I look forward to returning and getting a chance to experience this.

Route: Raven Rock Loop Trail with Fish Traps Trail added
Distance: 4 miles
Elevation Change: 300 Feet
Difficulty: Easy, some stairs
Date: 2/20/16

Longleaf Pine in Raven Rock State Park

We finished our hike in about 2-1/2 hours and headed to Fuquay Varina to try Aviator Brewery.

Aviator Smokehouse

Aviator Brewery is located in the mid town section of Fuquay Varina. There is the brewery on one side of the street and across the street they have a smokehouse restaurant. We chose the Smokehouse since we had quite a few children in our group and they were very accommodating to our group of 25.

The food was excellent, but the beer was what we came for. I started off with the Saison de Aviator with Habanero. It was a typical farmhouse style but the habanero was the star of the show. I am partial to heat so I enjoyed this brew, but without the pepper it would have been quite underwhelming.

Next, the Wide Open Red was poured. This was a delicious hoppy red ale that looked as good as it tasted. Color was a brown with hint of red and a good head. The taste of malts, caramel and bitter hops blended nicely with a crisp finish.

Finally, I ended on the Frost Nipper. I really dig winter ales, and this was a nice offering. It was a nice deep red color. There was some spice in the ale, but nutmeg seemed to dominate the taste. It wasn't my favorite winter ale, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Wander Report: Crowder's Trail - Crowders Mountain State Park, NC

One of the many boulders on Crowder's Trail.

Route: Crowder's Trail from Park office to Backside trail
Distance: 6 miles total (out and back)
Elevation change: 686 ft.
Difficulty: Moderate (mainly due to the distance of the hike)
Date: 1/9/2016

Crowders Mountain State Park is located just south of Charlotte in Gaston County. This was our first trip to this state park. The weather was overcast with a dense fog. Temperatures were around 50 degrees.

The area had received quite a bit of rainfall in the week leading up to our hike, so we were a little worried about the trail conditions. Thankfully, there was not an issue with mud and/or slippery conditions on the trails we navigated.

The hike began at the park office and begins with a small drop in elevation for the first quarter mile. The climb up Crowder's Trail is a rolling climb that is very subtle. There are a couple of foot bridges over small creeks in the first mile and we met some volunteers in this first mile that were doing trail maintenance on a connecting trail. Crowder's trail does cross a state road around the one mile mark.

Volunteers on Crowder's Trail

The meandering trail weaved through thick forest that included many rock outcrops and beautiful trees (even in winter time with no leaves). Our group included kids as young as 2 years old. The trail is a good hike for kids 5 and up to hike the complete trail. A few of the younger kids did need to be carried for portions of the trail.

At the end of Crowder's Trail, we met up with the Backside trail to the summit of the mountain. This was a short .4 mile hike up a gravel trail and ultimately 316 +/- wooden railroad tie steps. Along the gravel portion you can view the rock faces that many rock climbers tackle. With the wet conditions, we did not witness any rock climbing. This .4 mile section is the hardest part of the climb as you will gain about 420 feet on this portion alone.

stairs on Backside Trail

From the top of the mountain, I wish I could say the views were breathtaking and awe-inspiring, but with the dense fog, we had very limited views. I look forward to coming back in better weather to see the real majesty of this mountain.

A foggy summit at Crowders Mountain

From the summit, we returned back the way we came. Over all it took us 3 hours and 15 minutes, which is a pretty good pace for kids. If you are not sure if your group can handle the full 6 mile trek, you can park a car at the trailhead of Backside trail to cut the hike in half. The moderate rating is purely for the distance of this hike.

The trail is a popular trail for hikers and runners. Since the weather was a little daunting, I can only imagine how crowded this trail could be on a clear day. We were hiking on a Saturday and we started around 10:30 AM.

Skittles' favorite tree on the hike

Our group of kids at the summit with Buddy Bison

Not Every Hike is a Perfect Day - Morrow Mountain State Park

Let's get this year off on the right foot (and left). We awoke this morning to Skittles and the Doobs greeting us at the bed. "Are we going hiking today?" they said. This is the best feeling in the world, to have my two children as excited about getting on the trails as my wife and I are. Of course, it is the first day in about a week and a half that we have had a full day with no rain and it has been longer than we have gone all year since our last hike.

We had been planning this hike all week in preparation of the new year. Our State Parks System is celebrating it's centennial anniversary this year and many parks hosted First Day hikes this weekend in our state.

The family headed south to Morrow Mountain State Park. It is nestled near the Uwharrie National Forest area and is neighbored by the PeeDee River basin. It is about an hour and twenty minute drive from the Greensboro area. The family decided on the Morrow Mountain trail for our adventure.

As with many families consisting of children under 6, we had some delays and got to the park about 2:00 PM. We decided to start from the top of the mountain and use the Mountain Loop Trail as somewhat of a warm up to our hike. The Mountain Loop trail is about .6 miles and is a loop around the summit of the mountain. The views are amazing, but beware the trail is quite narrow and has a loose rock trail in many areas. I was on edge, literally, every time my 4 year old would try and jog to catch up with her sister and mother. The drop off is very steep in sections but the views are awesome.

Dad, Skittles and the Doobs on the Mountain Loop trail in Morrow Mountain State Park.

Then, we connected to the Morrow Mountain Trail and began the descent. The trail is listed as a 2.6 mile one way hike on the State Park site, but beware, some of the popular apps are incorrect in describing this trail as a loop. Near the top of the mountain, the beginning of our hike, it is quite steep and the trail does not flow in switchbacks. It is straight vertical and can be slippery in places. About half way down the descent, my kids were already telling me they were tired. 

So, here we were in a predicament. Not only were we fighting tired legs on the kids, daylight was now a factor. Knowing that we were going to be carrying our two young ones back up the hill, my wife and I begrudgingly decided to turn around and head back about a mile into the trail. So, our day was cut shorter than we had planned and hoped, but we were all excited to be back outside and on the trail even for a brief amount of time.

I cannot give an official review of this trail knowing that we did not complete it, but what I can tell you is that this trail is no joke for young children. I also would recommend starting low at the Museum on the Sugar Loaf trail and connecting to the Morrow Mountain trail and climb. Starting from the top is not the most exciting route in my opinion, but I am a big fan of getting rewarded with the view at the top after climbing (not at the start if the climb).

So, we will consider this our warm up for our hiking club outing next weekend. The park looks amazing and we will be back later in the spring to give it a little more attention. 

 

Wander Report: Piedmont Trail - Bur Mil Park, Greensboro, NC

Lake Brandt from the Piedmont Trail

It is the last weekend before school officially starts. Skittles is starting Kindergarten and The Doobs is in the 3 year old pre-K class. Friday, we asked "what do you want to do this weekend for your last summer hoo-rah." Both, to Mommy and Daddy's delight, said they wanted to go hiking on Saturday. We had gotten both of them new hiking shoes and they were dying to try them out.

We needed to stay fairly close to home due to a dinner engagement, so we headed over to Bur Mil Park in Greensboro, NC for a hike at Lake Brandt on the Piedmont Trail.

The trailhead for the Piedmont Trail

The trailhead was easy enough to find. We parked on Strawberry Road where the Greenway crosses, just off of 220 (Battleground Ave.) . The Piedmont Trail begins just up the Greenway about .10 miles.

Heading off into the Kudzu

 The trail begins with a narrow path through a field of Kudzu. The dragon flies greeted us as we trekked through the thick brush towards the woods surrounding Lake Brandt.

Just before heading into the trees, there is a great view of the lake. But, once we entered the woods nature took over and gave the kids a show they had not seen before on any of our previous hikes.

We were very fortunate to see quite a bit of wildlife on the trail this day. First, the ducks startled us as we walked close to the water to get a good view of the lake. A heron glided by us as it hovered inches above the water. We met a frog just off the side of the trail.

About a mile into the hike, we made our way around a bend to see a young deer standing right in the middle of the trail. To see the girls' faces was priceless as the deer just stood there and watched us in between bites of grass. As we crept softly closer, the deer just took a few leaps to get out of the way, but stayed close enough to see. Then when we thought we were clear of her, we look to the left and there was another young deer not 20 feet away from us.

The girls were so excited to see their first deer on a hike with us. But, a little further down the trail we got to see a black and yellow garter snake and then a 5 Lined Skink. The girls were in awe. They could not wait to tell everyone what all we were seeing today on the trail.

The trail is accented by some great wooden bridges and footpaths through some of the wetlands. It is a very flat hike and was fairly quiet for a Saturday. Just a few trail runners and hikers.

Wander Woman, The Doobs and Skittles

We were pleasantly surprised at the amount of distance The Doobs covered on her own two feet. She made it almost 3 miles on her own (way further than her 3 year old legs had ever carried her previously). Skittles (our 5 year old) championed the trail for over 4 miles and only needed to be carried for a brief stretch.

To be so close to home, we could not have imagined a better hiking day.

Wandering Notes:
Distance: 5.75 Miles
Elevation Gain: 67 Feet
Difficulty: This is an easy hike in regards to elevation, but I say moderate due to the length of the hike for kids. It is a flat, out and back hike that hugs the coast of Lake Brandt for the majority of the trek. Lots of roots in areas, but well blazed trail. Trail is hiking/running only - no bikes!

Wander Report: Eno River State Park - Durham, NC

A great hike for kids - Cox Mountain Trail

Just off Interstate 85 in Durham, NC, a hidden gem called Eno River State Park hides in the thick forest. Since my family had never been there, we did not know what to expect when we arrived to the park on Saturday, August 8th. Of course, we had done some on-line research of the park to plan our hike for the day and the good reviews that the park received on the websites were well deserved. We were set to hike the Cox Mountain Trail.

The weather when we met up Saturday morning was a little overcast and for August, cool at about 77 degrees. We were to meet at the Eno River Park office. Let me tell you, if you have a large group meeting - do not meet at the park office. Parking is not plentiful at the office. We had 34 total people (13 kids 8 and under) participate in our August club hike.

The trail head for the Cox Mountain Trail is located at the very end of the park's main road that feeds into a circular parking lot. There is plenty of parking down here and clearly marked signs showing the trails. For all of us parents, it is also important to note that there are full service restrooms here at the trail head as well.

Crossing the suspension bridge

The trail begins with a stroll through the park picnic shelter area and quickly turns toward the river. The trail is marked by blue trail blazes. About a quarter of a mile into the hike, you reach the river and one of the coolest features of the hike is right here.  A 50 foot suspension bridge crosses the Eno and below is a great area to let the kids get their feet wet in the river. We brought water shoes and change of clothes for the kids just in case we got a little too wet.

After crossing the river, the trail's only real climb awaits you.  It is a rocky terrain with wooden railroad tie steps to help navigate the inclines. The trail is surrounded by hardwood forest here. Close to a mile and a half in to the trail you come back to the river and hike along side the river for about half a mile. It is a great place to view and listen to local wildlife. We were lucky to see turtles, butterflies, toads, Cherry millipedes, Stag beetles and a Northern Ring Neck snake. Thank goodness our resident expert Sam (8 years old) was there to identify every insect we came across.


The hike is a loop that circles back and let's you cross back over the suspension bridge to get back to the trail head and parking lot.

Wandering Notes:

Distance = 3.7 miles loop

Elevation Gain = 350-400 feet elevation gain

Difficulty = It is a great choice for hiking with kids. It is not too difficult terrain to traverse and there is plenty to keep their attention. It took us around 2.5 hours to complete the hike with a break in the middle for snacks and a couple of play/explore breaks around the river.

We paired our hike with a trip to FULLSTEAM Brewery in Durham, NC. A family-friendly, dog-friendly tavern that has a wonderful selection of craft brews and an arcade to make any 40-ish year old jealous. The adults had a little tasting party while the kids played board games and pinball.  

My personal favorite was the Summer Basil, a Farmhouse ale that was quite refreshing and had a unique blend of flavor. I normally lean towards the extreme hoppiness of the IPA's, but the Summer Basil had a good controlled hops flavor. Honorable mentions were Carver, a sweet potato lager and the Rocket Science IPA.

The Best Part of the Adventure.

I love the outdoors. I love hiking. I love going down a river. I love climbing. I love rolling up and down a good single track on my bike. Am I an expert at any of these? Absolutely not. Do I own the best gear? No (Heck, in many cases I don't own any gear). But, my lack of expertise and/or top gear will never keep me from going on an adventure. What brings me back to do another adventure? The experience, the people and the memories - my family.

My parents were not what I consider outdoor enthusiasts when I was growing up, but they succeeded in planting a seed that continues to grow. In fact, I can only really remember one "outdoor" trip as a family to hike to the top of Mt. Leconte in Tennessee. It was with a group of the families in our neighborhood that had kids and we all hiked up and spent the night in the cabins at the top before hiking back down the next day. That was all it took to firmly plant the seed.

Earlier this year, I had a discussion with some of my friends about how disappointed I was in the amount of time that is devoted to computers, cell phones and tablets today. Of course, we all talked about how much we played outside as kids and that our current neighborhoods looked like ghost towns because all of the kids are always inside. I told them about how much my kids had enjoyed hiking with my wife and I (and how much we enjoyed them being with us). A couple of my friends mentioned they would enjoy going with us sometime.

Thus began the High Point Adventure Society. Our first trip had 5 adults and 5 kids. In 4 short months, we have grown. We had 12 adults and 9 kids (ages 2 mos. through 40+) at our last adventure. The foundation of our club is getting outside with our kids and families and being active while creating memories. It is hard to find something as rewarding as a walk in the woods with your family. Talking without distractions, watching them interact with the other kids, and learning what peaks their interest in nature will stay with me forever.

Now, don't get me wrong. I like to push my limits and head out for the multi-day adventures that may be a little advanced for the kids (ages 3 and 4), but my greatest thrill is invoking my passion for the outdoors into my children and experiencing the adventure with them. I will never tire of hearing "Dad, where are we going hiking this weekend?"

Camping is Cool: Tips and tricks for a successful first outing

This is a really good article for families looking to enjoy a camping adventure. Thanks Outdoor Family Magazine!

Click here: Camping is Cool: Tips and tricks for a successful first outing

(Photo Courtesy of Brad Mendenhall)