mi·cro - ad·ven·ture: noun 1. an unusual and exciting experience or activity of short duration, achievable by normal people with busy lives 

Climb Lake Raleigh Boulders

Itching to get on real rock, but don't have the time to head West? Get immediate satisfaction at the Lake Raleigh Boulders. They aren't super tall, and only have a handful of problems, but they're a fun way to spend an afternoon.

Getting There

Park at Centennial Campus Middle School in the far corner by the woods. Go into the woods and turn left on the forest 'road.' About 100 feet down that path, you'll see an obvious trail on your right heading into the woods. Follow that trail downhill and to the right to eventually meet up with the Lake Raleigh Trail. Once you hit the Lake Raleigh Trail, turn left and follow it until it dead-ends at the boulders and Walnut Creek. 

You'll need to bring your own crash pad and spotter. One of the routes has a large pointy rock underneath, so multiple crash pads make the landing safer. If  the weather has been rainy recently, the rock is likely to be too wet to climb. Here is a link to the info on Mountain Project. *NOTE: Don't follow the 'getting there' directions on MTN Project as of 4/9/19, follow the directions above

Float the Neuse

The Neuse river is a (usually) slow moving river winding its way through Wake County. You'll float at a leisurely pace to the sound of songbirds. We spotted beaver, deer and osprey on our 3 hour float in early June.

Getting There
We only had a short afternoon for our float, so we chose a small section. Wal-mart had cheap floats for $10 each that we grabbed right before we headed out. They even had a float for the cooler! I used my sea kayaking tow line to keep our three floats connected. It took us about 3 hours to float the 2.5 mile section from the Poole Road Canoe Launch to the bridge at Auburn Knightdale Road. The city of Raleigh has a handy list of access points here. You'll need two vehicles or a friend to help with shuttling.

Need to know
Never float this river at flood stage- it is full of submerged trees that turn into dangerous strainers and the river is deceptively fast and powerful at that height.  You can check the river levels online by typing "Neuse River water levels" and the town you plan to float near into a Google search. The Neuse is notoriously dirty, so avoid floating after heavy rains. It is a good idea to wear shoes instead of flip flops as there are often sharp rocks when getting in and out. Avoid super low levels, as you'll just drag your butt the whole time.

Wild Swim in Sennet's Hole

While there is always something to harvest year-round in North Carolina, opportunities for foraging are more plentiful beginning in the Spring. Expect to forage for leaves and flowers in the spring, fruits in the summer, and nuts in the fall. Other learning opportunities include learning to ferment, can, and pickle.

Find out about upcoming Piedmont Picnic Project events below: