Blog - Page 8 of 14 - My Walk in the Woods

40 Hike Challenge: #33 Lejeune Memorial Greenway

Distance: 9.2 miles round trip

Degree of difficulty: Easy

Elevation Change: Gain, 100 feet; loss, 89 feet

Source: Great Day Hikes of North Carolina’s Mountains – to – Sea Trail

Hike 33 of the Mountains-to-sea 40 Hike Challenge extends along the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base in Jacksonville, NC. The trail is actually a paved greenway and begins at the Lejeune Memorial Gardens. If you are planning on completing this hike or if you are in the area, I recommend that you take some additional time to visit all of the memorials available here.

40 Hike Challenge: #32 Stones Creek Game Land

Distance: 3.5 miles one-way (My hike: 4.7 miles)

Degree of difficulty: Moderate

Elevation Change: Gain, 85 feet; loss, 85 feet

Source: Great Day Hikes of North Carolina’s Mountains – to – Sea Trail

The Stones Creek Game Land is actually a pine preserve, where the NC Wildlife Resource commission has been active to restore the forest and specifically the Long Leaf Pine. Several areas have been heavily cleared, but it is obvious where new plantings have occurred and the flora and wildlife are beginning to thrive.

40 Hike Challenge: #31 Burgaw Greenway Loop

Distance: 2.7 mile loop

Degree of difficulty: Easy

Elevation Change: Gain, 39 feet; loss, 39 feet

Source: Great Day Hikes of North Carolina’s Mountains – to – Sea Trail

Burgaw is a small town in Pender County, located in the Coastal Region and Segment 14 of the Mountains to Sea Trail. This hike around Burgaw is another great example of how trails and greenways can uniquely tie a community and many of it’s features together.

40 Hike Challenge: #30 Moore’s Creek National Battlefield

Distance: 0.9 mile loop

Degree of difficulty: Easy

Elevation Change: Gain, 20 feet; loss, 20 feet

Source: Great Day Hikes of North Carolina’s Mountains – to – Sea Trail

Hike 30 gives us history buffs something to really dive into. The trail itself is less than a mile, but it is well designed so that you walk away with a deeper realization of what happened in this very important point in history. Moore’s Creek was a crucial battle early in the American Revolution because it was the first clearly decisive victory for the Patriots over the Loyalists. It was also pivotal for North Carolina because just 2 months later, they were the first delegates at the 2nd Continental Congress to declare freedom. Thus the State motto: “First in Freedom”

40 Hike Challenge: #21 The Eno River

Distance: 4.4 miles (one-way) – Option 2

Degree of difficulty: Easy to Moderate

Elevation Change: Gain, 398 feet; loss, 463 feet

Source: Great Day Hikes of North Carolina’s Mountains – to – Sea Trail

Hike #21 begins just a couple miles from the start of Segment 10 on the Mountains to Sea Trail. The Eno River is prominent in the Piedmont Region of the MST, in fact it follows the Eno for over 20 miles. The Eno and the associated State Park are very convenient to Durham and they offer many trails and areas to get away from the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan area.