Cove Creek Hike

On Sunday, we savored a hearty breakfast before setting off for the Blue Ridge Parkway. Along NC-151, we paused to admire a charming roadside waterfall.

From the parkway, we wound down US-276 and turned onto Yellow Gap Road, reaching a small parking area about a mile in, where vibrant yellow wildflowers brightened the scene.

Just up the road, we joined the Barnett Branch Trail, turning left to ascend.

More wildflowers were blooming along the trail.

In less than half a mile, we reached the serene Barnett Branch Trail Falls, a hidden gem on a tributary of Barnett Branch.

Its beauty was striking for such an easy hike.

We lingered, clambering over rocks to snap photos before heading back.

Next, we drove to Davidson River Road and parked at Cove Creek Group Camp.

We hiked up the gated road, soon encountering a stunning small waterfall on Cove Creek just before the campground.

From there, we followed Caney Bottom Trail, then connected to Cove Creek Trail. In under a mile, a spur trail led us to Cove Creek Falls.

A light rain fell as we arrived, prompting me to shed my boots and wade for a better view.

Back on the main trail, we let Harper stretch her legs and hike a bit.

About a mile later, we crossed Cove Creek via a bridge and paused for a scenic lunch.

Some mushrooms were popping along here.

Continuing, we looped back via Caney Bottom Trail.

Roughly a mile in, we passed Caney Bottom Falls, but with no safe way down, we settled for a view from the trail.

There was a nice cascade on Caney Bottom Creek downstream of the falls.

The trail led us back to the campground, and we hiked the road to our car just as the rain intensified.

We capped the day with a cozy dinner at Stone Ridge Tavern before returning to the cabin to start packing.

Secret Falls in DuPont

On Saturday, we kicked off Labor Day weekend with a mountain adventure, bringing Harper and Amaroq to DuPont State Forest. Our first stop was Guion Farm Access, where we gathered our gear and set out on Tarkiln Branch Road, descending gently through the forest.

After a long car ride, Harper was eager to stretch her legs and explore. About a mile in, we veered onto Wintergreen Falls Trail, following it to its end. The final stretch was a bit challenging, so Harper hopped into her backpack carrier for safety. Wintergreen Falls was beautiful, though the bright sunlight made photography tricky.

We clambered over rocks to snap a few pictures before continuing. From there, we took an unofficial trail from the bike rack, tracing Grassy Creek upstream. The narrow path was easy to navigate, even with a toddler in tow. In about a quarter-mile, we reached Upper Grassy Creek Falls, a stunning cascade that stole the show.

We took turns scrambling over the rocks for photos, catching fleeting moments of cloud cover for better shots.

After a quick snack break, we retraced our steps to the main trail.

Harper hiked nearly the entire return journey, delighting in collecting leaves, sticks, and other trail treasures.

Along the way, we admired vibrant wildflowers dotting the path.

Back at the car, we drove to Sideways Farm Brewery for dinner. The kid-friendly atmosphere was a hit, with Harper gleefully exploring the property and playing on the playground. Afterward, we headed to Mountain Springs Cabins, settling into our cozy home base for the weekend.

Rich Mountain Hike

Saturday, we headed to cooler weather in the mountains for Amaroq's fourth birthday.  Parts of the parkway are still closed, so we had to drive to Boone and take the alternate route to Moses Cone Memorial Park, where the carriage roads are stroller friendly.  Parking along Shulls Mill Road, we took the spur up to Rich Mountain Road in an open field.

Following the road up Rich Mountain, we passed the Mountains-to-Sea Trail as the road circled around the summit.

As it looped around, there was another open area where we could see the top despite the clouds.

The circles became tighter as we approached the summit.

A short rocky path led up to another open area at the top, where Amaroq had a snack and Harper ran around for a bit.

After a break, we started heading down.  There were some Indian pipe along the trail.

Harper was very interested in some of the cows we saw grazing along the trail, but threw a temper-tantrum when we didn't let her pet them.  We spotted some more summer wildflowers along the trail on the hike down towards Trout Lake.

Yellow false fox-glove had really pretty flowers.

Near Trout Lake, the arrowwood was producing bright red berries.

We continued around Trout Lake and headed to the Manor House before finishing our hike.

On the way home, we stopped at Booneshine for a late lunch.

Crowders Mountain Ridgeline Hike

For President's Day, I took Amaroq for a day hike at Crowders Mountain State Park.  We parked at the Boulders Access Area and took the short spur trail past the picnic area.

In about a quarter-mile, we turned right on Ridgeline Trail and soon came to the first road crossing.

Past here, a short spur led out to the Boulders Overlook.  I didn't climb with the dog but we walked around and got come pictures.

Continuing on, the trail followed the ridgeline with lots of ups and downs but nothing too steep.  In a couple miles, we crossed NC-161 and then Pinnacle Road after that.  It was a pretty steady climb from that point up to the Pinnacle, the highest point in the park.

This area was pretty crowded though we hadn't really seen anyone else on the hike up.  We took a break up here and enjoyed the views then started making our way back.  Back at the start, we continued on Ridgeline Trail to the South Carolina state line as it was less than a mile.

There was a clearing here to denote the boundary and the trail continued into Kings Mountain State Park.  We took a short break and then headed back.

Late Fall Hike at Medoc Mountain

Saturday, I headed east for a couple of hikes in Halifax County.  I left early and first stopped at Brinkleyville Game Land.

The gates were opened and I hiked down some of the open and gated roads.

It was a pretty but cold morning and I went a couple miles before turning back.

By this time, the park was open and I headed to Medoc Mountain State Park.  The day-use area was closed so I parked at the visitor center and hiked the bike trails to Little Fishing Creek.

I took the trails close to the creek, passing the closed area and when the trail approached Medoc Mountain Road, I crossed to head to the equestrian section of the park.  Hiking down the Main Trail, I turned on Pine Connector Trail.

This trail connected with Pine Loop and several other trails to make a couple loop hikes around the area.

Finishing up the bridle trails, I re-crossed the road and finished up the hiking trails to head back to the start.

On the way home, I stopped for a beer at Tar Banks Brewing in Louisburg.

Cane Creek Mountains Hikes

Sunday, we took Harper and Amaroq to Cane Creek Mountains Natural Area in Alamance County for a hike.  The Oak Hill section of the park is new so we first parked here.  There was a big orbweaver spider at the restrooms.

At the split, Lookout Trail was closed so we had to stay on Pioneer Camp Trail.

There were a lot of mushrooms along the forest floor.  One downed log was completely covered in puffballs.

Soon we came to the observation deck.  A spur led to Lookout Trail but it was closed.  An old pond was here from when this area was a camp but it looked like the dam was failing.

Continuing on the trail, we saw many more mushrooms.

I spotted a little snake on the trail.  At first, I thought he was dead because his head and neck were flattened, but this was a hog-nose snake.  He stuck out his tongue, so I knew he was alive.

Near the end of the loop, there was a picnic area at the ruins of the camp dining hall.

After finishing the hike, we headed to the Pine Hill Trailhead just up the road and hiked Northern Approach Trail.

Near the top, we could see the observation tower was about half constructed.  I think it will have real nice views when complete.  Completing the loop, we stopped at the pollinator meadow near the parking area.

There were a lot of bees, some were really big.

The cosmos were really pretty in this area.

After our hike, we headed to Saxapahaw for lunch at the Eddy.  Amaroq was very well behaved for his first time at a restaurant.