Raleigh Archives - I'd Rather Walk

Tour Apple Hill Farm near Grandfather Mountain!

Most recently updated July 7th, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 13 minutes

I found Apple Hill Farm – a working Alpaca textile farm – when I was hiking out in the Grandfather Mountain area few weeks ago.

I was looking for an activity to take a break from hiking (uphill!) in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, but was still outdoors.

Apple Hill Farm was the perfect find! It’s a working textile farm on the site of an old apple orchard that offers farm tours, and even has a fiber gift shop on site.

The farm was started in 2002 by a single Mom (and cancer survivor) with just 2 pregnant female alpacas and one young male.

Today Apple Hill Farm is home to 9 kinds of animals: alpacas, llamas, angora goats, zebu cattle, horses, pigs, donkeys, chickens, and livestock guardian dogs.

The farm site includes 15 fields, 4 barns, and a farm store on 43 acres of land.

They’re still a working textile farm, and lucky for us, they now also give visitors educational tours of the farm all year round.

Read on to learn about my tour, and how you can visit too.

Continue reading Tour Apple Hill Farm near Grandfather Mountain!

Hike to the Flat Top Observation Tower on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Most recently updated November 6th, 2022

Estimated Reading Time: 16 minutes

I’ve been driving the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) in North Carolina and Virginia to get between places for more than 25 years.

But, I have to admit – until the last couple of years – I have completely neglected Blue Ridge Parkway hikes!

Then last year, a hiking friend introduced me to the Rock Castle Gorge trail near Rocky Knob on the BRP. Ever since then I’ve kept an eye peeled for new Parkway hikes I could try.

Tunnel beneath the BRP on a carriage road at Moses Cone Memorial Park.

And this summer… I found some! 🙂

This past season, I hiked some trails in and around Grandfather Mountain State Park (more on that later) and found myself driving the Parkway more than once to get from my lodgings in Banner Elk, NC to nearby trailheads and attractions.

One afternoon I finished a hike earlier than planned, and spotted Moses Cone Memorial Park on the way back.

It was a beautiful day, and I still had a couple of hours until sundown so I stopped to check it out.

Hike the carriage roads to the Flat Top Observation Tower.

I found beautiful grounds with 25 miles of hikes along old carriage roads, including a 5-mile RT hike to the Flat Rock Observation Tower!

Read on to learn more about the Flat Top Tower hike in Moses Cone Memorial Park and all of the other beautiful bridle and hiking trails you can experience there, too.

Continue reading Hike to the Flat Top Observation Tower on the Blue Ridge Parkway

New River Gorge National Park – 5-Day Hike Guide

Most recently updated October 19th, 2022

Estimated Reading Time: 18 minutes

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia is our nation’s 63rd – and newest – National Park.

Rock wall along the Rend Trail in the Thurmond area.

The park encompasses over 70,000 acres of land along 53 miles of the New River from Bluestone Dam to Hawk’s Nest Lake.

In spite of it’s name, the New River is one of the oldest rivers on Earth, and has carved the deepest and longest river gorge in the Appalachian Mountains – dropping 750 feet over 50 miles!

More than a million people visit the gorge each year to kayak, canoe, and fish in the river or hike, bike, and camp on the land.

For the past two years, I’ve been one of them!

Each Summer, my family has a reunion in Indiana over the July 4th holiday.

One of the smaller Falls and Sandstone Falls in the Park. — One of the smaller Falls at Sandstone Falls in the Park.

It’s a long drive, so on the return trip I’ve stopped at New River Gorge National Park to break up the drive and check it out.

The first year, I only had a day at the Park, but this time I scheduled 4 whole days! I was NOT disappointed 🙂

Read on to find out about the hikes I found there, and how you can go, too! Continue reading New River Gorge National Park – 5-Day Hike Guide

Explore the Rolesville Batholith at Mitchell Mill State Natural Area

Most recently updated July 23rd, 2022

Estimated Reading Time: 13 minutes

I’ve been exploring and hiking on trails in North Carolina for more than 20 years, but one thing I’ve neglected – partly because they don’t have many long hiking trails – are the State Natural Areas.

Though not great for hiking North Carolina State Natural Areas are good for exploring nature and different habitats in a fairly small space.

This kind of place can be an exciting outdoor adventure for small children, like your kids or grandkids.

Mitchell Mill State Natural Area in Northern Wake County is one such very unique spot to explore.

The 93-acre site is a Registered Heritage Area, and sits atop one of the largest granite domes on the east coast, called the Rolesville Batholith.

Plant life from lichens to full grown trees sit atop the Rolesville Batholith.

Mitchell Mill State Natural area protects this Paleozoic-era granite, and also houses a fragile and rare ecosystem, including native plant communities that can only grow in such a “granitic flatrock” environment.

Read more to learn how you can visit and explore this unique State Natural Area!

Continue reading Explore the Rolesville Batholith at Mitchell Mill State Natural Area

Hike the Mountains to Sea Trail at Rolling View in Falls Lake

Most recently updated June 23rd, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 11.5 minutes

The Mountains-to-Sea-Trail (MST) is a simple hiking trail that spans almost 1200 miles across North Carolina, from the Great Smoky Mountains in the West to the Outer Banks on the East Coast.

Even though I’ve known about the MST for a good while, I didn’t really start hiking it on purpose until this past year.

Lately more and more people have been moving to my local area, and the easy-to-get-to hiking trails have become really crowded – especially on the weekends.

So I’ve had to look a little bit farther away for new trails – and that’s how I started paying more attention to the MST.

As of January 2019, 669 miles of the trail were completed, and even more have been done since then.

That’s just over half of the planned MST miles that are now completed in multiple segments across the state!

With temporary routes (for the unfinished parts of the MST) on backroads and bicycle paths, hikers can now follow the MST all the way across North Carolina.

One of the longest finished segments goes ~60 miles along the Southern shore of Falls Lake, just to the North of Raleigh near Wake Forest.

Even 60 miles (out of 1200) is an epic hike to most of us – but never fear!

You can hike smaller sections of the MST to make it an overnight backpacking trip, a day trip, or even just a few hours on the trail.

Today, I’ll tell you about the MST, and how you can hike my favorite local MST section (so far): MST Day Hike #22 at Rolling View in Falls Lake Recreation Area.

Continue reading Hike the Mountains to Sea Trail at Rolling View in Falls Lake

8 Weeks to Awesome (Again) – Hike Training Plan

Most recently updated January 3rd, 2024

Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes

Somehow we’re back again to the time of year when everyone resolves to change their lives (or themselves) for the better.

That also means it’s time to get into my hike training plan “8 Weeks to Awesome” again!

It's time for New Year's Resolutions again! Or, just set some goals . — It’s time for New Year’s Resolutions again! Or, just set some goals .

So, that’s why this year I’m calling it: “8 Weeks to Awesome (Again)”.

Also, my hiking group and this 8 week hiking plan was recently featured in Cary Magazine, so I guess I gotta keep doing it 😉

Though I don’t really think New Year’s Resolutions work, I do believe you can set a goal and achieve it!

This hike training plan starts with setting your own individual goal – basically, deciding what you’re training for.

One of the fun T-shirts available in the IRW Merch shop.

Your goal may be to increase your ability to:

- - Hike a longer distance, or
  - Hike at a faster speed, or
  - Be better at elevation gain – or even, yes,
  - The dreaded weight-loss goal!

Or, your goal could be to complete an epic Bucket List hike on a planned (or dreamed of!) trip for the coming year.

If you’re looking for a way to get back into shape before Spring – even if you don’t have a big trip coming – this hike training plan could be just what you need!

Read more to learn how to set up a hike training plan for your own individual goals!

Continue reading 8 Weeks to Awesome (Again) – Hike Training Plan

Hike the Rock Castle Gorge Trail on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Most recently updated November 6th, 2022

Estimated Reading Time: 16 minutes

I’ve enjoyed driving the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) in North Carolina and Virginia for more than 25 years.

But, I have to admit – other than some quick roadside waterfall viewing – I have completely neglected Blue Ridge Parkway hikes!

But recently I found out what I’d been missing when I was invited to hike the Rock Castle Gorge Trail at Rocky Knob 🙂

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty.

Flower-lined trail at Shenandoah National Park

It’s America’s longest linear park, running 469 miles through Virginia and North Carolina, linking Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Combined with Shenandoah’s Skyline Drive, the Blue Ridge Parkway is also a favorite twisty-windey motorcycle adventure through some beautiful scenery, especially in the Fall.

Read on to learn more about the Parkway and Rocky Knob Recreation Area hiking trails – including the famous Rock Castle Gorge Trail!

Continue reading Hike the Rock Castle Gorge Trail on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Hike Stone Mountain State Park

Most recently updated January 18th, 2022

Estimated Reading Time: 19 minutes

I’ve been visiting Stone Mountain State Park in North Carolina for almost 20 years, either with kid in tow, with That Man, or on my own.

My most recent visit was just a few weeks ago – and the mountain was still just as beautiful as I remembered 🙂

Located on more than 14,100 acres in Wilkes and Alleghany counties in North Carolina, Stone Mountain State Park offers cascading waterfalls, cool mountain streams, and quiet forests to explore.

And of course, the massive 600-foot granite dome of Stone Mountain itself.

There are more than 18 miles of hiking and riding trails, and 20 miles of designated trout waters available in the park.

Can you imagine living in the shadow of the dome on Stone Mountain ?

You can also go rock climbing (with a permit) on the towering granite face of the landmark mountain.

Climbers on the dome look down over the Hutchinson Homestead, a restored mid-19^th century mountain farm that rests in it’s shadow.

Read on to learn about the park and area history, hiking trails, and great views just waiting for you to visit!

Continue reading Hike Stone Mountain State Park

Hike Rose River and Cedar Run in Shenandoah National Park

Most recently updated June 5th, 2022

Estimated Reading Time: 18 minutes

I went back to Shenandoah again this Spring, to hike the Rose River Loop, the Cedar Run Circuit and maybe add some more to my list.

It wouldn’t be hard to do, since Shenandoah National Park offers some of the best hiking in Virginia!

I took a break from hiking to explore the Barboursvillle ruins.

I had spent a great week there a couple of years ago, but the trip was over before I had a chance to complete my list of “must do” hikes – including the Rose River Loop.

And of course the iconic Old Rag hike.

So I had to go back and try again!

Where is Shenandoah National Park?

Shenandoah National Park is only 115 miles from Washington, D.C., 95 miles from Richmond VA, and 250 miles from Raleigh NC.

That’s close enough for a great long weekend or longer family vacation, without the expense of air travel!

My previous Shenandoah visit was for a whole week. This trip was a quick visit of only 3 nights – which was still enough time to get in a couple of great hikes and see some local sights 🙂

Continue reading Hike Rose River and Cedar Run in Shenandoah National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park – 5 Great Hikes in 4 Great Days

Most recently updated October 5th, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 35 minutes

For years, I’ve been driving from my home near Raleigh, NC past the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) in Tennessee for work, but never had a chance to stop and explore.

It was very frustrating… 🙁

The Pulpit rock cairn marks the end of the Bullhead Trail.

But finally, this past summer, I was able to spend a few days hiking in the GSMNP.

It was everything I hoped it would be!

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) was the most visited national park in 2019, with over 12.5 million visitors.

That’s nearly twice as many tourists as the Grand Canyon had that same year!

The Park covers 522,419 acres in North Carolina and Tennessee, making it one of the largest protected areas in the eastern United States.

It also straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain.

And as if that’s not enough to warrant a visit, the Appalachian Trail also passes through the center of the park on its route from Georgia to Maine.

Read on to learn about the park layout, history and the amazing trails that I hiked during my visit… and how you could hike them, too!

Continue reading Great Smoky Mountains National Park – 5 Great Hikes in 4 Great Days