GetHiking! Sunrise, Sunset Summer Hiking Series

PRETTY IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a fee event; do not sign up for this series on this site. Follow the directions below.

We’re not big fans of heat and humidity, but we are big fans of hiking. So when summer rolls around, we refuse to abandon the trail. Instead, we adopt a warm-weather hiking philosophy that can be summed up in two words: no sweat!

Welcome to our GetHiking! Sunrise/Sunset Tuesday Hike Series. For eight Tuesdays, starting July 7 and ending August 25, we’ll be hiking the best times of day to be outside: at dawn and at dusk. The coolest part of the day typically occurs shortly after sunrise, while in the evening we’ll be hiking at a time when the temperature can drop 10 degrees or more. Plus, these trails have significant tree cover; a lush canopy overhead can shave about 10 degrees from the temperature on a sunny day. Plus, we’ve selected trails that are especially good at letting you savor the first rays of the day, or the last, trails with minimal understory to blog out waning or waxing sunlight.

Details

When: Tuesdays, beginning July 7 and running through August 25. Sunset hikes are 7-9 p.m., sunrise hikes are 6:30 – 8:30 a.m.

Distances: Hikes range from 2 to 6 miles

Limited to: 8 hikers

Program includes:

Guide to hiking at dawn and dusk
Detailed map and route information for each hike (so you can come back and hike the trail on your own).
“Explore Your Neighborhood: A Guide to Discovering the World Immediately Around You,” to help you explore your own neighborhood, especially in the early morning or evening.
Eight hikes (six at dusk, two at sunrise).
Loaner headlamps available
Your safety

Our overriding concern on all GetHiking! hikes is your safety. That’s especially important as we resume hiking together during the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s what we’re doing to insure your safety when you’re with us:

Face masks are required at the trailhead. Once we begin hiking, you may take them off — but keep them handy in case we encounter other hikers on the trail.
Keep a minimum of 6 feet apart on the trail. Physical distancing isn’t hard on the trail — but we will gently remind you if you forget.
Each hike is limited to 8 hikers.
The hikes

Here’s the hike schedule:

July

7 — Seven-Mile Creek Natural Area, Hillsborough. 7-9 p.m. 3 miles. Highlights: Enjoy the setting sun filtered through a hardwood forest with minimal understory. A relatively easy 3-mile hike.

14 — Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Red Mill Road to Eno Overlook and back. Durham. 6:30-9 a.m. 6 miles. Highlights: an easy ramble through a mostly bottomland forest, then a short rise to a bluff above the Eno.

21 — Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Red Mill Road to Eno Overlook and back. Durham. 7-9:30 p.m. 6 miles. Highlights: The same hike as our June 8 sunrise hike, only at sunset.

28 — Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Hickory Hill Boat Ramp to Redwood/Tom Clark roads and back. Raleigh. 6:30-8:30 a.m. Highlights: Sunrise along Falls Lake, morning light filtered through a bottomland forest.

August

4 — Eno River State Park: Buckquarter Creek/Holden Mill trails. Durham. 7-9 p.m. 4.2 miles. Highlights: This figure-8 loop lets you take in the setting sun from both the river and the ridge lines above.

11 — Duke Forest Korstian Division: Gate 25, Durham. 7-9 p.m. 3.1 miles. Highlights: most of this loop hike is on single track trail that drops down to a series of cascades along New Hope Creek.

18 — Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Barton Creek Boat Ramp. Raleigh. 7-9 p.m. 4.2 miles. Highlights: This hike ducks in and out of coves, and flirts with Falls Lake on its passage through a maturing hardwood forest.

25 — Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Hickory Hill Boat Ramp east to Hereford Road and back. Raleigh. 7-9 p.m. 5.5 miles. Highlights: Sunset along Falls Lake, night sky viewing at the Hickory Hill Boat Ramp.

Cost for this series: $95

To sign up, go here: https://getgoingnc.com/shop/sunrise-sunset-summer-hiking-series-tuesday-edition/