As we’re finally moving from winter into spring, it’s nice to look back on some of our previous outdoorsy trips and begin making plans for this year.  One quick trip that we really enjoyed was a weekend camping trip in Julian Price Memorial Park, located in northwest North Carolina near Blowing Rock.

On day one, we hiked the Green Knob Trail.  It was a short, easy hike and we were able to start in the late afternoon and finish before dark.  It had beautiful, sunshiny fields and shaded woods.

It was a quiet trail, so we were able to let Ava walk sans leash for parts of the hike.

On day two, we went to the Moses Cone Manor.  This is a huge estate with several miles of old carriage trails.  We took the Flat Top Road past the Cone cemetery and up to a lookout tower.  Part of the hike is through pasture land with cows and rolling green hills.

As you get closer to the lookout tower, the trail becomes more wooded and steep.  Here is a shot of Ava and Mike waiting at the bottom of the tower.

On the way back, we tried to take a shortcut, but got lost in a magical-looking woodland.