Doggin' The Carolina Coasts: The Best of the Best

 

As the temperatures drop, you may notice your dog getting friskier. Autumn is the best time of year to get out and exercise with your dog on Carolina trails. The Carolina coasts can be a great place to hike with your dog. Paw-friendly sand trails, shady maritime forests, some of the most historic grounds in the South, the estates of America s wealthiest families and some of the country s dog-friendliest beaches all beckon to your canine adventurer.

BEST PLACE FOR YOUR DOG TO SWIM: Ocracoke Island. The former refuge of Blackbeard in Cape Hatteras National Seashore may be the best place in America for your dog to swim in the ocean.

BEST ONE-HOUR WORKOUT FOR YOUR DOG: Jockey's Ridge State Park. Climbing up the highest natural sand dune system on the Atlantic coast, your dog will only be going 80-100 feet up but it will feel like ten times that.

PRETTIEST HIKE FOR YOUR DOG: Magnolia Gardens. These formal gardens that date back over 300 years are not only dog-friendly but if your best trail companion gets weary he can ride the tour tram back to your car.

BEST BEACH TO HIKE WITH YOUR DOG: Fort Fisher Recreation Area. For a long solitary walk on the beach with your dog it is hard to beat the seven miles of tail-friendly white sand beaches south of Wilmington.

BEST HALF-HOUR HIKE WITH YOUR DOG: Audubon Newhall Preserve. There are wide, paw-friendly trails through eight small areas of exploration, any of which will delight your dog.

MOST HISTORIC HIKE WITH YOUR DOG: Moores Creek National Battlefield. A winning combination of park and historical trail, a surprise Patriot victory here helped tilt the balance of power in the South during the American Revolution.

BEST OPEN-FIELD HIKING WITH YOUR DOG: ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge. For a day of pure hiking with your dog in solitude come to the South Edisto River and the fields of the old Crowe Plantation.

BEST PLACE TO CIRCLE A LAKE WITH YOUR DOG: Merchants Millpond State Park. The marquee Lassiter Trail moves around the 760-acre millpond that harbors ancient bald cypress and tupelo gum trees.

BEST PLACE TO LOSE YOURSELF IN THE WOODS WITH YOUR DOG: Edisto Nature Trail. This is the best interpretive trail on the Carolina coasts where subtle elevation changes enable the giants of northern forests to mix with the live oaks and softwoods emblematic of the Low Country.

Find out about these and other destinations for your dog in DOGGIN' THE CAROLINA COASTS:THE 50 BEST PLACES TO HIKE WITH YOUR DOG ALONG THE NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTH CAROLINA SHORES, $11.95. So what are you waiting for? Your dog will want to visit a 4,000-year old shell midden (page 31), hunt for Fulgurites (page 29), hike among insectivorous plants (page 37), hike through a movie set from Forrest Gump (page 21), hike to mysterious Carolina Bays (page 69), hike with your dog to the home of the Fort Fisher Hermit? (page 33)...

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