This week we look at 8 backpack trips we hope to take in 2021 (we had planned to do them in 2020, but, well, viruses happen). We talk a bit about each hike and they're particular attraction, from a couple of quick overnighters that are surprisingly close to home, to a couple or shorter thru hikes. We also look at recent land acquisitions that have boosted North Carolina State Parks' land and water holdings past the quarter million acre mark, including expansions for the Deep River State Trail and the Salmon Creek Natural Area.

8 Backpack trip resources

For more information on the 8 backpacking trips discussed:
Mount Rogers National Recreation Area / Grayson Highlands State Park:

• Sherpa Guides overview of the area
• Mount Rogers National Forest Service website
• Grayson Highlands State Park website

North Carolina Bartram Trail

• North Carolina Bartran Trail Society website

Middle Prong Wilderness Area

• Middle Prong Wilderness Area National Forest Service website
• Middle Prong Wilderness on Wilderness.net

Neusiok Trail

• Neusiok Trail National Forest Service website
• Neusiok Trail on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail website

Deep Creek Loop / Great Smoky Mountains National Park

• "Backpacking North Carolina," trip No. 20, page 22

Panthertown Valley

• Friends of Panthertown website
• Panthertown Valley Backcountry Area National Forest Service website
• "Backpacking North Carolina," trip No. 28, page 157

Appalachian Trail in Virginia: James River to Punchbowl Mountain

• Hiking Project: Punchbowl Mountain to James River

Birkhead Mountain Wilderness Area

• "Backpacking North Carolina," trip No. 35, page 193
• Birkhead Mountain Wilderness National Forest Service website
• Hiking Upward: Birkhead Mountain Wilderness

For more on these hikes, check out our blog, at GetGoingNC.com.

In the news

Find more information on the two areas mentioned in the News segment here:

Deep River State Trail

Salmon Creek State Natural Area