[piano intro] - Next on North Carolina weekend.

Join us from Umstead State Park, as we explore Parks And Trails for Health.

We'll pedal the Surry Scenic Bikeway, paddle Pettigrew State Park and go horseback riding in the mountains.

Coming up next.

- [Narrator] Funding for North Carolina weekend is provided in part by Visit NC dedicated to highlighting our State's natural scenic beauty, unique history and diverse cultural attractions.

From the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky mountains across the Piedmont to 300 miles of barrier island beaches.

You're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our State has to offer.

- Welcome to North Carolina Weekend everyone I'm Deborah Holt Noel, and this week we're heading out to explore pads and trails around our State.

If you've ever felt better after going for a walk you'll know that spending time outside, especially in green spaces is one of the fastest ways to boost your health and happiness.

In this episode, we'll look at different ways to get outside inspired by a new initiative called PATH or Parks And Trails for Health.

We'll learn more about it throughout the show but first let's head to Surry County, where our cycling buddy Rick Sullivan says, "the ride is as awesome as the scenery."

[gentle upbeat music] - [Narrator] Surry County's natural beauty is on par with any location in North Carolina and cycling is one of the best ways to experience it.

The most visible and famous geological feature is Pilot Mountain.

It can be seen from most, any high spot within 20 miles.

But the county has a over 500 miles of roads that it calls scenic bikeways.

Roads that are favorable for scenic and or challenging bike rides.

- I think Surry scenic bikeway really stemmed from the fact that cycling has been a huge pastime for a lot of people in Surry county.

I moved here 17 years ago, became passionate about cycling joined up with a lot and made a lot of new friends through cycling.

- [Narrator] The county decided to hire Dave Petri a marketing consultant, cyclist and local resident to make bike riding in Surry more navigable and practical, something that might attract more bike riders to the area.

- I think the County recognized that it had a great asset for cyclists to come and ride in rolling hills, flat roads, climbs up to the Blue Ridge Parkway - [Narrator] Petri, put his marketing and bike skills to work, making Surry Scenic bikeway.com a more powerful website tool for cycling anywhere in the county.

- I set out and created GPS tracks for all the Surry Scenic bikeway routes.

There's four loops and three spurs.

I digitized them created downloadable garment tracks.

Google maps with the routes on them and had the information that you could do the route either clockwise or counterclockwise.

- [Narrator] These are Petri's video clips from his travels on the Surry Scenic bikeway.

At the website, you can download digital maps for the bikeway, or you can order a free hard copy map.

Points of interest are notated.

- Breweries and wineries and restaurants and places you could stop and rest.

- In fact, stopping in Surry county, doesn't even have to be about the rest.

Visiting any one of the dozens of wineries and breweries now populating the area, is a frequent routine for local and visiting riders.

- Sauratown, Hanging Rock-- - [Narrator] Jan Kriska owns Thirsty Souls brewery in Mount Airy.

He's also riden some of the most popular bike destinations in the world.

- We have more, it's just all these sites have just one thing which are great at, but we've got roads.

[bike growling] We've got wine, we've got breweries, we've got urban stuff.

We also have natural stuff.

You got 12 months of riding, which, you don't get that when you go north and you don't get that when you go south because it's too hot.

And if you really feel like it's hot, you just climb up the mountain and it's seven to 10 degrees less.

- I would consider Surry County world class destination.

I think what's unique about Surry County for cycling is it has everything a cyclist I think would want to challenge them.

It has flat, straight flat ways, where you can really get up a good sprint.

It has rolling hills where you're changing your speed and your technique for riding, as well as the opportunity to do some serious climbing here at Pilot mountain.

You can climb up to the top of the Pilot mountain.

It's about a 1200 foot, 1300 foot climb with 9%, 10% grades at certain points.

If you wanna go riding and see this beautiful rural countryside, this is a place to go do it.

- [Narrator] For anyone who takes the bikes to Surry county for a day trip, you'll find lots of valuable information to make your ride more safe and more fan fantastic by going first to the bikeways website.

But if you're making an overnight visit here's an insider tip for lodging.

Most every winery has onsite lodging and is located near a Surry Scenic bikeway.

- The Surry Scenic bikeway covers over five miles of cycling fun in and around the Yadkin valley.

For maps and more information go to surryscenicbikeway.com.

Towering cypress tree surrounding a crystal clear lake with a white sandy bottom sounds like a tropical paradise, doesn't it?

But it can be found at a State Park in Northeastern North Carolina where you'll find boating, hiking, fishing and more.

Let's join clay Johnson at Pettigrew State park.

[water rumbling] - I grew up here in Creswell, North Carolina and I started coming to Pettigrew State Park early on as a child.

[gentle music playing] [water rumbling] My granddad, he liked to fish and we would sit and fish me and my brother and sister, and we'd always pack I call it the Eastern North Carolina picnic lunch which could be comprised of Vienna sausage or Potted meat, honey buns, Pepsi Dot Paper, - Crackers?

- and crackers, Soda crackers.

[water rumbling] And we would sit and eat that and fish and he would tell us all these old stories from way back when he was a young man Those memories are precious.

- Pettigrew State Park and home to the Lake Phelps which is the second largest natural lake in North Carolina.

It's 16,600 acres, but it's also very shallow.

It's got an average depth about four and a half feet.

Considered one of the series of bay lakes that were formed up and down the coast.

Although there's still some debates about actually how they were formed but this lake is thought to be about 38,000 years old.

- It's crystal clear most of the season if you're in to canoeing or kayaking or paddle boarding you will definitely enjoy lake Phelps.

- He's the one who introduced me to this place and I love it.

I like to go out to the pier and fish.

I can sit out there all day long whether they're biting or not.

I like to fish here, cause it's crystal clear.

You can see them swimming in the water.

It's just peaceful and quiet.

I just love coming out here.

- I spend a lot of time just hiking and seeing what type of wildlife I could see here.

If you want to see black bear I highly recommend you come near the months of May and June June in particular.

Deer can be seen all throughout the year while Turkey as well.

We have plenty of raccoons, possums, box turtles, mapping turtles.

We have a variety of wildlife.

If you're into waterfowl.

Then the winter months of December, January, February are very good for seeing Tundra Swan, a variety of ducks and other waterfowl.

In the summertime, it's songbirds.

Really kind of awkward beaten path.

So it's not heavily visited, so it tends to stay quiet.

We also have about nine miles of hiking trails which are also, you can bike on as well.

It's a good place to hike and ride a bike because the trails are easy to access.

They're real basic trails.

They're not technical by any stretch of the imagination.

The youngest to the oldest can walk and hike these trails.

They're well maintained.

There's a lot of very large Cypress.

There's also some very large sycamores.

Many of these trees, when you look at them some of them are close to 500 years old and that helps put life in perspective sometimes.

For me coming to the park is at a spiritual level, in some ways.

I often come here simply to decompress from the daily grind of life, to sit in a quiet place and just contemplate and listen to nature.

You're able to come to a nice, quiet natural area where you can decompress from your daily stresses.

- It's just beautiful.

It's just quiet and it gives you time to think.

- And that's what I enjoy about Pettigrew State Park.

It's just a place to come and recharge your batteries and reconnect with the natural world and I think all of us needs that.

[birds chirping] [lighthearted rhythmic music] - [Noel] Pettigrew State Park is at 2252 Lakeshore road in Creswell.

and like all of our State parks, it's open every day, except Christmas.

For more information, give the Park Office a call at [252] 797-4475, or go to ncparks.gov.

[gentle music playing] Fresh air, sun, trees.

Nature is a magical thing.

Spending time outside is one of the easiest ways to improve your mental health and wellbeing.

It can improve mood, lower blood pressure and reduce stress.

It allows you to take a breath, relax and reset with a better frame of mind, whether a park, beach or forest.

Nature offers a calming effect.

Over the last two years, North Carolinians have begun to spend more time outdoors as a healthy and safe option for recreation, physical fitness and entertainment.

And our State's parks are responding with more opportunities for everyone.

Secretary Reid Wilson of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources told me more about how the state is encouraging people to get outside.

So Reid, where are we and what do we do at a booster energy?

- We are in William Umstead, State Park in Raleigh and we're taking a hike on a beautiful path here.

- Gosh, what is it about being outdoors?

That's just so good for us.

- It's so good for us in so many ways.

[slow lighthearted music] People come out into our State parks, local parks, greenways, for better physical health, better mental health and just to renew that connection with nature that I think rejuvenates all of us.

That's why we've had so many people visiting our state parks this year.

- Is that sort of the reason for PATH?

What is PATH?

- PATH stands for, Parks And Trails for Health.

That is an initiative of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

And there's many facets to it but the point is to get more and more people outdoors for healthy exercise, whether it's a local Greenway or a State Park or a National Park trail, doesn't matter.

We just want to draw more people out outside so that they and their families can be healthy.

- What are some of those ways to actually get people into more parks and outside?

- Well, one of the ways that Parks And Trails for Health, PATH is trying to reach people is to make sure that we are reaching out to communities that maybe don't have a lot of those outdoor recreational opportunities.

Here in the triangle, there are lots of parks and trails and Greenways, but in a lot of part of the State, especially in rural areas, communities don't have nearby access to outdoor recreation.

So one of the things we're trying to do is direct our resources towards those communities, so they can have the funds to build parks and trails and Greenways.

Our overall goal, everybody in this State should be within 10 minutes of outdoor recreation - Reid, what are some of the resources that people can use like tools and features of pack?

- Well, we have a PATH Explorer pack that are available on libraries throughout the State that family can check out to acquaint themselves with parks and nature.

We also are very active on social media reaching out to people who are interested in parks or maybe aren't even interested in parks yet to try and get them out.

We also have in our parks division a program called Schools in Parks, where we are training elementary school teachers to bring their class out to a State Park for a day of learning.

The class is co-taught by a Park ranger and the teacher to get children out in nature so that they develop that lifelong love of the outdoors.

- [Noel] Our parks do offer a lot.

Tell us about some of the activities that you'll find in our parks.

- You can do a lot of things in a State Park.

You can walk, hike, and depending on the trails you can ride a bike, ride a horse.

Some of our state parks have lakes where you can swim or paddle.

You can learn about nature at our visitor centers or in a program with a Park Ranger.

And one of the things I like to do, and I see a lot of other people do it is just go sit by a creek and either think big thoughts or think nothing at all.

It doesn't really matter, but you can be still or you can be very, very active in the State Park.

- Well Reid, let's go check out more of this PATH.

- Nothing I'd rather do.

[bright music playing] - To find out more about the Parks And Trails for Health initiative or PATH, go to ncdcr.gov.

There you'll find a list of parks, trails and wellness ideas.

Maps.

Look, there really are maps in here.

Now suppose you wanna combine your next big hike with a really fun place to stay.

Well, Rick Sullivan found a place that's just north of downtown Asheville and it is super retro.

[upbeat music] - [Narrator] Before you get the wrong idea.

Here's a disclaimer, the recreational vehicles at JuneBug Retro Resort are not for driving around.

But why would you wanna drive one away from this Oasis?

JuneBug Retro Resort has 10 rentable, permanently positioned, mid 20th century RVs.

It's the creation of Tom and Charlene Pagano.

- About five years of ago, I woke up and thought, I have this idea and maybe we should open up a retro park.

We would just put a bunch of these vintage campers out in the field and people could kind of go and escape modern times.

- I thought he was crazy.

Literally whenever he first came up with the idea, I was like, okay sweetie, kind of patted him on the back.

- [Narrator] But Tom was persistent and Charlene was patient.

- [Charlene] I get it now.

But sometimes in the beginning it took me a little bit longer to grasp the actual idea of what he was talking about.

- Always loved the 1950s campers just the artistic aspect of them.

They're just beautiful rolling pieces of art.

- [Narrator] Tom's family actually did the RV thing for vacations as he grew up - As children, we traveled a lot from New York down to Florida and up to Nova Scotia in the back of one of those slide-ins the kind you put in the back of a pickup truck.

I liked it when the family all got together I just have good feelings about campers and and transporting yourself back in time and things like this.

- [Narrator] The retro RVs at JuneBug do transport us back in time.

They are actual vintage dwellings, refurbished, and loved with brand names like Shasta, Trotwood, and Yellowstone.

They can sleep from one to five people.

They're air conditioned with running water and bathrooms.

There's also a central bathhouse with modern shower facilities.

A pavilion for events like wedding, a newly constructed Treehouse that can hold 25 people at a time and it's all surrounded by sky, water and plenty of green landscape.

- So we're on 50 acres.

There's a half mile of creek that goes through the property called flat creek.

There's 30 acres of wooded property and 20 acres on the flat.

Right now, we're just utilizing the land on the flat and we have about one acre of organic farm that we still farm to this day.

And it's been farmed for as long as people around here know of.

- [Narrator] Recreational vehicles, these days are tightly engineered machines that are designed to save gas, fit a lot into a little space and to use lightweight products.

Old time RVs came from an era that had different priorities.

- Back in this day, I think that they got the artist involved first and then they had the engineers weigh in.

- Because towing this thing from Indiana on the back of his truck, like his Tundra pickup truck like he couldn't find places to get gas.

On the Treehouse is way up in the-- - [Narrator] But Tom, with a certain amount of permission from Charlene, continues to shop for more RVs.

- Yes.

Yes we are.

- She told many years ago I have to stop buying campers, but then when I show her the pictures I go look at that one, and then she says, okay.

[man murmuring in the background] - But it's one of those things where you don't realize the value until you're in it.

- [Narrator] A perfect example is Charlene's experience booking weddings for the resort - Brides and grooms, they come and take a tour.

I give so many tours.

So the brides and grooms come and take the tours and they're so excited because they wanted, the idea is to blow their guests minds.

So they show up and they're like, wait, you're getting married at a trailer park, come on, we're just hilarious.

But at the same time they show up and they're just completely blown away.

[gentle music playing] - JuneBug Retro Resort is at 355 Clarks Chapel Road in Weaverville and they're accepting reservations now from May through October.

For or more information give JuneBug a call at [828] 208-1979 or visit them online at junebugretroresort.com.

Not all trails are met for feet, at least not human feet.

At Leatherwood Mountains Resort, John and Theresa Lisky found you can wind your way through the Blue Ridge mountains on horseback.

[soft playful music] - The mornings at Leatherwood mountains resort are a magic time.

It is for the nature lover, for the horse lover, for the mountain lover.

One of the most serene experiences that you could ask for.

- We are basically in equestrian community on our property down here we have all of our horse facilities, a restaurant and a campground good place for families to get away in the mountains in North Carolina.

- I don't know, it's kinda hard to say.

It's just kind of a little jewel out in the middle of North Carolina that we don't advertise it a lot but when people come here, they love it.

- [Narrator] Leatherwood Mountains Resort is located in Wilkes county close to Boone and Blowing Rock.

It's the perfect weekend mountain destination.

- Oh, this is amazing place.

We've heard about it from friends who's been up here before riding horses.

We have horses as well, and we decided for our honeymoon to come up here.

And from the first time we got in to the first daylight of the next day, it's been amazing.

- Leatherwood offers a little bit of everything you can stay for the weekend in one of the rental houses, hot tubs with fuse, most of the cabins do offer hot tubs.

- Fly fishing.

Oh, it's excellent.

There's are many, many spots just within a five mile drive of here that the state of North Carolina stocks those creeks regularly.

- There's a campground, if you wanna bring your horse and stay in your horse trailer and camp.

It offers a little bit of everything for everybody.

- There are so many activities at the resort to take advantage of.

But it's the horses that truly symbolize the heart and soul of Leatherwood Mountains Resort.

- There's many people that come to Leatherwood drawn to the equestrian lifestyle meaning they love to look at beautiful horses.

Maybe they own horses.

Maybe they want to bring their kids for riding lessons.

It is not an absolute necessity to be a horse lover and come to Leatherwood.

But for those of us that do have an affinity for horses there's nothing like Leatherwood mountains for that.

- They come out here and they say, we didn't know this place was available in North Carolina.

You just get here and you feel like you're in a different world.

- So we offer one and two hour guided rides.

Our horses are safe enough for beginners all the way up to experienced riders.

The one hour ride goes through the meadow which has rolling hills, crosses his stream.

The two hour takes you up all the way to the top of the mountain and rides the ridge and comes back down - After a long day of exploring in and around the resort, a stopover at the Saddlebrook grill is the perfect way to relax before you retreat to your cabin.

- We have got a wonderful little weekend place that people can come down and enjoy.

We're known for our barbecue and our burgers and then we also feature live music throughout the season.

That's a real popular thing.

[lighthearted guitar music] - Leatherwood mountains gets in your soul because it is place where you can bring your family, you can bring your loved ones and experience unspoiled beauty.

You can remove yourself from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and you can really connect with what's important in life.

- When people come here, they're on a vacation, they're on a break from their regular world.

It's just the attitude and feeling that I think the people bring to Leatherwood mountains.

- Leatherwood Mountains Resort is at 512 Meadow Road in Ferguson.

To book your cabin, give them a call at [800] 462-6867, or go online to leatherwoodmountains.com.

Well, that's it for tonight's show.

We've had a great time out here at Umstead State Park.

It's just one of many wonderful State Parks that we have in North Carolina and we're gonna be showing them to you in the weeks ahead with NC PATH and if you've missed anything in today's show just remember, you can always watch us again online at pbsnc.org.

Have a great North Carolina weekend everyone.

[fast paced rhythmic music] ♪ - [Narrator] Funding for North Carolina weekend is provided in part by Visit NC dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions.

From the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky mountains across the Piedmont to 300 miles of barrier island beaches.

You're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our State has to offer.

[piano outro]