Robbie O'Donnell

Pisgah National Forest, in my opinion, is one of the best national forests in the United States. Being just a short drive from Great Smokey Mountain National Park it has all the feel of being in the smokies with more to explore. Pisgah has anything you could want to see or do from tens of waterfalls throughout the park to mountain biking, hiking, fishing, and so much more. Davidson River Cam...

Bears Den is a collection of rocks and boulders that overlooks the Shenandoah Valley in northern Virginia, just off the Appalachian Trail. You have two options to access this overlook: park at the bottom of the mountain and hike up to the overlook via the trail, or drive to the top and access the overlook from the trail located at the trail center. Hike to the top: Hiking to the top of Bears D...

Green Swamp Nature Preserve is a coastal forest and swamp about 45 minutes outside of Wilmington, NC in the town of Supply, NC. There are two parts to the preserve, the main body that Route 211 runs through just outside of Supply, NC and then the smaller part next to Lake Waccamaw. This post will focus on the larger part of the preserve.Green Swamp encompasses around 17,000 acres in Brunswick...

Carolina Beach State Park is a great day trip for anyone visiting the east coast of North Carolina or in town on vacation at the many beaches in the area. The park is located right next to Carolina Beach just across the bridge that spans Snows Cut (look for the big Carolina Beach State Park sign). A great visitors center is just off the road once you enter the park so stop by there for any que...

Chimney rock is a beautiful slab of weather granite that is visible from miles around. To get to this hike you'll want to head to Lake Lure in North Carolina, a beautiful lake located in the mountains of western North Carolina. Follow the signs for Chimney Rock and take the switchback road up the mountain to the entrance to the park. Make sure that you have cash or credit cards on hand as th...

Carolina Beach is a long and broad beach in North Carolina, just south of Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington. Camping is allowed only in designated areas (there are 21 campsites). Reservations must be made in advance, camping is $50 per night. A daily access pass or season pass is also required to drive on the beach. Freeman Park is located on the northern end of the beach and the entrance can ...

The great part about this adventure is that you can start anywhere on the island at any time of day. The island is four miles long, running from Mason Inlet to the north down to Masonboro Inlet to the south.The best fishing can be found on the north end of the island from Public Access 1 to the Johnny Mercer Fishing Pier. For surfing, the best spots are on the south end of the island near Cryst...