Joshua Kinser is a writer and musician based in Chimney Rock, North Carolina, east of Raleigh-Durham, but he spends much of his free time anchored in the Research Triangle that he covers in this book. He grew up on the beaches of Pensacola, Florida, and developed a passion for the outdoors and hiking during the many summers he spent backpacking in North Carolina. His love of travel and enthusiasm for new experiences has led him to some of the coolest jobs in the world. They include travel writing for magazines and guidebooks, exploring national parks and forests as a backcountry wildlife biology research technician, and professional drumming in cruise ship bands. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Montana's Glacier National Park, and the forests surrounding Yosemite National Park count among his job sites. His cruise-ship gigs have taken him to Caribbean islands, Australia, Japan, China, New Zealand, Borneo, and South Korea. Joshua wrote Moon Handbook's Guide to the Florida Gulf Coast, 3rd edition, and he has published more than 200 articles online for websites such as Trails.com, Ehow, and USA Today Travel. He has worked as a staff writer for Gannet with the Pensacola News Journal, and has contributed to publications that include Sail, Times of the Islands, Bonito and Estero, and Northwest Florida Business. He earned a degree in journalism from Pensacola State College in December 2010.

• Overview MapOverview Map KeyDedicationAcknowledgmentsPrefaceRecommended HikesIntroductionRaleigh1. Blue Jay Point County Park Loop2. Clemmons Educational State Forest3. Falls Lake Visitor Assistance Center: Falls Lake Trail4. Fayetteville Street and City Market Walk5. Fred G. Bond Metro Park: Lake Trail6. Fred G. Bond Metro Park: Paw Paw and Pine Cone Trails7. Harris Lake County Park8. Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve9. Historic Oak View County Park10. Historic Oakwood Neighborhood Walk11. Historic Yates Mill County Park12. Lake Johnson Park: East Loop of Walnut Creek Trail13. Raven Rock State Park: Campbell Creek Loop Trail14. Raven Rock State Park: Raven Rock Loop15. Shelley Lake: Sertoma Park16. Swift Creek Bluffs Nature Preserve17. William B. Umstead State Park: Oak Rock and Pott’s Branch Trails18. William B. Umstead State Park: Sal’s Branch TrailDurham19. Chapel Hill Franklin Street and Campus Walk20. Downtown Durham Walk21. Duke University: Al Buehler Cross Country Trail22. Eno River State Park: Bobbitt Hole Trail23. Eno River State Park: Cox Mountain Trail24. Falls Lake State Recreation Area: B.W. Wells Recreation Area25. Jordan Lake State Recreation Area: Blue Trail26. Jordan Lake State Recreation Area: Old Oak Trail27. Jordan Lake State Recreation Area: Seaforth Pond Trail28. North Carolina Botanical Garden29. Occoneechee Mountain Loop Trail30. Sarah P. Duke Gardens31. West Point on the Eno: Nature TrailAppendix A: Outdoor RetailersAppendix B: Hiking ClubsIndexAbout the AuthorMap Legend

Joshua Kinser is a writer and musician based in Chimney Rock, North Carolina, east of Raleigh-Durham, but he spends much of his free time anchored in the Research Triangle that he covers in this book. He grew up on the beaches of Pensacola, Florida, and developed a passion for the outdoors and hiking during the many summers he spent backpacking in North Carolina. His love of travel and enthusiasm for new experiences has led him to some of the coolest jobs in the world. They include travel writing for magazines and guidebooks, exploring national parks and forests as a backcountry wildlife biology research technician, and professional drumming in cruise ship bands. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Montana's Glacier National Park, and the forests surrounding Yosemite National Park count among his job sites. His cruise-ship gigs have taken him to Caribbean islands, Australia, Japan, China, New Zealand, Borneo, and South Korea. Joshua wrote Moon Handbook's Guide to the Florida Gulf Coast, 3rd edition, and he has published more than 200 articles online for websites such as Trails.com, Ehow, and USA Today Travel. He has worked as a staff writer for Gannet with the Pensacola News Journal, and has contributed to publications that include Sail, Times of the Islands, Bonito and Estero, and Northwest Florida Business. He earned a degree in journalism from Pensacola State College in December 2010.

• Overview MapOverview Map KeyDedicationAcknowledgmentsPrefaceRecommended HikesIntroductionRaleigh1. Blue Jay Point County Park Loop2. Clemmons Educational State Forest3. Falls Lake Visitor Assistance Center: Falls Lake Trail4. Fayetteville Street and City Market Walk5. Fred G. Bond Metro Park: Lake Trail6. Fred G. Bond Metro Park: Paw Paw and Pine Cone Trails7. Harris Lake County Park8. Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve9. Historic Oak View County Park10. Historic Oakwood Neighborhood Walk11. Historic Yates Mill County Park12. Lake Johnson Park: East Loop of Walnut Creek Trail13. Raven Rock State Park: Campbell Creek Loop Trail14. Raven Rock State Park: Raven Rock Loop15. Shelley Lake: Sertoma Park16. Swift Creek Bluffs Nature Preserve17. William B. Umstead State Park: Oak Rock and Pott’s Branch Trails18. William B. Umstead State Park: Sal’s Branch TrailDurham19. Chapel Hill Franklin Street and Campus Walk20. Downtown Durham Walk21. Duke University: Al Buehler Cross Country Trail22. Eno River State Park: Bobbitt Hole Trail23. Eno River State Park: Cox Mountain Trail24. Falls Lake State Recreation Area: B.W. Wells Recreation Area25. Jordan Lake State Recreation Area: Blue Trail26. Jordan Lake State Recreation Area: Old Oak Trail27. Jordan Lake State Recreation Area: Seaforth Pond Trail28. North Carolina Botanical Garden29. Occoneechee Mountain Loop Trail30. Sarah P. Duke Gardens31. West Point on the Eno: Nature TrailAppendix A: Outdoor RetailersAppendix B: Hiking ClubsIndexAbout the AuthorMap Legend

Joshua Kinser is a writer and musician based in Chimney Rock, North Carolina, east of Raleigh-Durham, but he spends much of his free time anchored in the Research Triangle that he covers in this book. He grew up on the beaches of Pensacola, Florida, and developed a passion for the outdoors and hiking during the many summers he spent backpacking in North Carolina. His love of travel and enthusiasm for new experiences has led him to some of the coolest jobs in the world. They include travel writing for magazines and guidebooks, exploring national parks and forests as a backcountry wildlife biology research technician, and professional drumming in cruise ship bands. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Montana's Glacier National Park, and the forests surrounding Yosemite National Park count among his job sites. His cruise-ship gigs have taken him to Caribbean islands, Australia, Japan, China, New Zealand, Borneo, and South Korea. Joshua wrote Moon Handbook's Guide to the Florida Gulf Coast, 3rd edition, and he has published more than 200 articles online for websites such as Trails.com, Ehow, and USA Today Travel. He has worked as a staff writer for Gannet with the Pensacola News Journal, and has contributed to publications that include Sail, Times of the Islands, Bonito and Estero, and Northwest Florida Business. He earned a degree in journalism from Pensacola State College in December 2010.

• Overview MapOverview Map KeyDedicationAcknowledgmentsPrefaceRecommended HikesIntroductionRaleigh1. Blue Jay Point County Park Loop2. Clemmons Educational State Forest3. Falls Lake Visitor Assistance Center: Falls Lake Trail4. Fayetteville Street and City Market Walk5. Fred G. Bond Metro Park: Lake Trail6. Fred G. Bond Metro Park: Paw Paw and Pine Cone Trails7. Harris Lake County Park8. Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve9. Historic Oak View County Park10. Historic Oakwood Neighborhood Walk11. Historic Yates Mill County Park12. Lake Johnson Park: East Loop of Walnut Creek Trail13. Raven Rock State Park: Campbell Creek Loop Trail14. Raven Rock State Park: Raven Rock Loop15. Shelley Lake: Sertoma Park16. Swift Creek Bluffs Nature Preserve17. William B. Umstead State Park: Oak Rock and Pott’s Branch Trails18. William B. Umstead State Park: Sal’s Branch TrailDurham19. Chapel Hill Franklin Street and Campus Walk20. Downtown Durham Walk21. Duke University: Al Buehler Cross Country Trail22. Eno River State Park: Bobbitt Hole Trail23. Eno River State Park: Cox Mountain Trail24. Falls Lake State Recreation Area: B.W. Wells Recreation Area25. Jordan Lake State Recreation Area: Blue Trail26. Jordan Lake State Recreation Area: Old Oak Trail27. Jordan Lake State Recreation Area: Seaforth Pond Trail28. North Carolina Botanical Garden29. Occoneechee Mountain Loop Trail30. Sarah P. Duke Gardens31. West Point on the Eno: Nature TrailAppendix A: Outdoor RetailersAppendix B: Hiking ClubsIndexAbout the AuthorMap Legend