Going further afield: These popular North Carolina hiking trails require a longer drive
The mountains get a little taller and the critters get a little stranger the further a hiker is willing to drive from the Triangle.
But barring a full-on Appalachian Trail hike — a four-hour drive or more — here are some options closer to the Triangle but still a bit of a drive.
Hanging Rock State Park, Danbury
At just over a two-hour drive from Raleigh, massively popular Hanging Rock offers a view like little else in the Piedmont. The steep, rough-stepping way up the park’s namesake trail covers only 1.3 miles, but rangers suggest budgeting an hour each way.
Budget at least that much for the top of the quartzite summit, which provides ample seating along the rock’s jagged edge. Parents will want to keep a tight leash as the drops are severe, but the views stretch clear to ... well, our next entry.
Pilot Mountain State Park, Pinnacle
Only 20 miles from Hanging Rock, Pilot Mountain’s signature knob may as well be North Carolina’s official emblem. Visible for miles, it juts out of the Piedmont as its own advertisement, and the view intensifies on a hike up the 3.5-mile Grindstone Trail.
At the top, you’ll share the view with flocks of raptors, especially hawks, but also eagles and ospreys. Then enjoy the road back down.
Carolina Beach State Park, Carolina Beach
Just across the Snow’s Cut Bridge, this park somehow remains removed from the beach crowd, tucked safely on the Intracoastal Waterway side.
Hiking here combines swamps, marshes, dunes and coastal forests, and the odds for wildlife spotting are better than even. Pelicans and frogs abound, and small crabs will sometimes skitter across the trails. Once in a while, an alligator makes an appearance.
Remember: Venus fly traps, North Carolina’s official carnivorous plant, are illegal to collect.
Medoc Mountain State Park, Hollister
This park’s name is something of a misnomer considering the highest point is only 325 feet, but this isolated patch of woods 70 miles northeast of Raleigh is worth a trip just for exploring a seldom-trodden path.
Roughly 10 miles of trails wind through the Halifax County park’s borders, enough woods that hikers feel they have gone somewhere without going very far.
This story was originally published April 13, 2022 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Going further afield: These popular North Carolina hiking trails require a longer drive."