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. 

 

Obstacles Our Children Face with Our National Parks?

Half Dome in Yosemite National Park

There has been a lot of talk lately in many of my circles about engaging the Millennial generation in our National Parks. Is it too late to reach this generation? This generation certainly has it's share of obstacles. From technology addiction to limited jobs and income, it all factors into the equation of this problem. Here are 5 issues I see as relevant to the success of National Parks in future generations.


1. Time
I suggest that the problem is derived much earlier in childhood. Parents in general do not make getting outside a big enough priority in life. Many times, it is because they can't. Let's face it, vacation travel is a large endeavor for most families in America and time is a precious commodity for the majority of households. Society has changed dramatically with the advancement of technology. We can work from anywhere in many jobs thanks to cell phones, wifi, laptops and tablets, etc.

This adds to many parent's struggle with work life balance in today's society. Prioritizing nature and the outdoors is hard to do for parents when you are constantly worried if you are near wifi or if you can check email. What kind of example does this show our kids?

Unfortunately, I have to add that many kids are splitting weekend time between two families due to divorce as well. It has had a snowball effect on the youth and I fear the perfect storm has rolled in on the Millennial generation.


2. Education  
Recently, I was distraught to learn that many of the Recreation, Parks & Tourism programs in the University of North Carolina system were being phased out. The reasons are many, but less interest in the field must be a key factor in this. Where does this passion for learning more about our parks and wild areas come from?

Right now, it seems it is completely up to us as parents to introduce our children to both State Park systems and National Park systems. Right now, all 4th graders in the US are entitled to a Every Kid to a Park Pass. This is a free pass for the 2015-2016 year to EVERY National Park in the US. While I believe this should extend to every child under 16, it is a good start. That being said, I am curious to know how many families even know about this. From my personal conversations, not many people in my community have ever heard of this.

It is one thing to extend a program like Every Kid to a Park, but how do we educate the public on this program and others and get these kids and their parents to actually visit the parks?


3. Accessibility
We live in an "on demand" world. Accessibility in the digital world of internet, texting and social media has spoiled us. We expect information to be brought to us with as little effort on our part as necessary. So, how do we bring the National Parks to the community in a tangible and relevant way to engage further desire to learn?

I would love to see better partnerships between National Parks, State Parks and Municipal Parks. I feel this is one avenue that is grossly under utilized considering the majority of our population has immediate access to some State or Municipal park. Maybe a local park could host a National Park Day with Rangers present. It has to start somewhere, right?

Getting to know the ranger at Hanging Rock State Park

4. Visibility/Exposure
Luckily, we have the 100 year anniversary of our National Parks in 2016 to drum up publicity. The National Park Foundation has done a decent job with the #findyourpark campaign. But, what happens after that?

There is a great show broadcast on the CW on Saturday mornings called Rock the Park. Jack and Colton are visiting every National Park and are sharing their experiences on this program. It is a fantastic program for kids and adults to learn more about our National Parks System. How do we expand upon this?


5. Money
Let's face it. All of the problems listed above boil down to the same factor, not enough money. More exposure and more involvement can lead to more people getting involved monetarily with our parks. More involvement makes our voice a little louder to government when deciding on spending for our National Park System.

We can always contribute on our own through charities like the National Park Foundation, but many feel (and they are correct) they already contribute every year on April 15th when they pay their taxes.

Money is going to be a driving influence on any program or initiative that is put into action. The key is to initiate involvement and interest in our National Parks. I have heard this more than once, but it is so true..."Just get them to the park and let nature take over".