Thank you to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) & Hike NC! for partnering with me on this post! All content and opinions are 100% my own. 🙂 

I was a Girl Scout growing up and have always LOVED being outdoors. Regular exercise routines have always been a struggle for me, but just getting outside and going for a walk or a hike has always been something I love. We take nightly walks after dinner as a family… and if I get a chance to be alone, I love just going for a walk and clearing my head.

One thing that I LOVE about living in North Carolina is how beautiful this state is and how close you can be to nature no matter what part of the state you live in. BCBSNC actually created an AWESOME site called “Hike NC!”  that is making it super easy for people to find a hike near them and just GET OUT and enjoy nature and the beauty around them!

Ultimately, Hike NC! is an initiative that really is aimed at making hiking an easier, more approachable experience for people across the state. It is also the next step in BCBSNC’s Get Outside North Carolina (GO NC!) community program, which was created in 2012 to encourage people just to get outside and get active. SO important.

Even though I’ve been hiking in the mountains of NC (which is beautiful!), I love that there are some gorgeous hikes (easy, moderate, AND difficult hikes) right here in the Triangle area.

It was an absolutely GORGEOUS fall day last week, so a few girlfriends, our kids, and I met up for a picnic lunch and then hit up one of my favorite hikes in the area – Occoneechee Mountain in Hillsborough, NC! This hike is AWESOME because there are a few different trails that you can take and you can really select the one best for you. There’s a difficult hike that’s a little over three miles and really is a work out. I actually did a blog post on this hike four and a half years ago… haha don’t judge the old pics!! And there’s an easy one that was perfect for taking the kids on.

Before we headed up the mountain, a park ranger stopped and talked to the kids about leaves. It. Was. Adorable.

The kids even got honorary Park Ranger badges! Lilly was pretty excited.

Then we got ready to head up on our hike! 

Hiking up the mountain with my babies!

Sweet friends. <3 

All smiles! 

On up the mountain. The easy route on the Occoneechee Mountain hike is also great because it’s gravel and open…

Getting to the mountain summit!!

That view!!!! I love that this is SO close to where we live.

On the rock overlooking the view!

Love these sweet friends <3

Thankful for these friends! <3 

So beautiful this time of year. It’s like a painting! 

So, if you’re in North Carolina (or planning to visit!) definitely check out Hike NC!! You can easily click “Find Your Hike” and locate different hikes near you!

What about you? Are you the outdoorsy type? Do you love to hike? Sound off in the comments below!

Thank you to BCBSNC & Hike NC! for partnering with me on this post! All content and opinions are 100% my own. 🙂