March, with its breath of spring air, ushers in a new hiking season. Fading are the gray days of winter, replaced by splashes of color here and there. Green, red and yellow buds begin popping on trees, wildflowers begin poking from the earth. And maybe it's pure perception, but the sky just seems bluer. It's hard not to find a hike you'll enjoy in March. But here are five I think you'll enjoy perhaps a little more.

Coast

1. Cedar Point Nature Trail, Croatan National Forest near Swansboro, Hike No. 4. In North Carolina, spring begins unfolding at the coast. The beauty of this 1.3-mile trail through a coastal marsh is that there's nothing to hurry you along and keep you from noticing even the smallest signs of the season. Some of the trail takes you smack dab through dense thickets of wax myrtle, marsh elder and yaupon. Elsewhere, six boardwalks take you above the floral fray, offering long views of salt marsh dominated by cordgrass that filters into the mile-and-a-half wide White Oak River. A reliable breeze ensures you won't be pestered by flying pests, even on the warmer days of spring that tend to activate airborne antagonists. 

Piedmont

1. Raven Rock State Park, Campbell Creek Loop Trail, Lillington, Hike No. 32. The book says winter is the best time to explore Raven Rock, and I can't deny that. The abundance of holly and mountain laurel make this one of the Piedmont's greener winter hikes. Come spring, though, the wildflowers enjoy putting on a good show at Raven Rock. "One of the real joys of a spring visit to Raven Rock State Park is the abundance of wildflowers," write Walter C. Biggs Jr. and James F. Parnell in "State Parks of North Carolina" (John F. Blair). In addition to benefitting from rich Piedmont soils, the book states, wildflower viewing here is "enhanced by the Cape Fear River, which may provide a route of access for seeds of species more common in the foothills and mountains." Amid Raven Rock's seasonal display: Dutchman's breeches, bloodroot, saxifrage, spring beauty, trailing arbutus, Solomon's seal, bellwort "and many other plants usually associated with moist mountain coves." The 5.5-mile Campbell Creek Trail is particularly good for viewing because it takes in this prime viewing environment while escorting you from the masses who descend on the park, primarily to view it's namesake attraction, a 150-foot-high bluff rising over the Cape Fear. That tourist attraction is on the east end of the park. Campbell Creek takes you in the opposite direction.

2. White Pines Nature Preserve, south of Pittsboro at the confluence of the Rocky and Deep rivers, Hike No. 44. Like Raven Rock, White Pines also offers a mix of Piedmont and mountain wildflower viewing, though for a slightly different reason. In 1986, White Pines became the inaugural purchase of the then-fledgling Triangle Land Conservancy, founded to preserve the region's more unique pockets of nature. What makes this tract of land unique is its steep, north-facing slope. The exposure keeps the slope from warming as much as the surrounding countryside and allows the survival of relict microenvironments from the end of the last ice age some 10,000 years ago. The most obvious beneficiary of this natural cooling system are the preserve's white pines, typically found in higher and more northerly climes. But look closer in the coming weeks and you'll see other alpine species: Catesby’s trillium, trout lily, bloodroot, Jack-in-the-pulpit. It's likewise a great spot to scout out a variety of spring migrants. Of the 55 documented to nest here: the yellow-billed cuckoo, ovenbird, Louisiana waterthrush, wood thrush and prothonotary and yellow-throated warblers.

Mountains

1. Pink Beds, Pisgah Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest, near Brevard, Hike No. 80. It's time to start getting higher and deeper into the mountains. That said, a caveat: It's only March. Shoot, the Piedmont got a couple inches of snow March 2, so you know the mountains are snow susceptible. Be especially diligent about checking the weather and road conditions before doing a high country trip this time of year. That said, let's take a trip to Pink Beds, one of the more unusual hikes you'll find in the mountains: On this 5-mile loop you'll only gain 208 feet of elevation. You won't find that too many other places in the high country. The Pink Beds Valley — and I'm quoting myself here, from page 188 — sits in a rare Appalachian bog a mile and a half down from the crest of the Blue Ridge Escarpment. The area got its name from early settlers who cleared the valley for farming; a side effect was that local blooms, including pink wildflowers, could be seen from the surrounding mountainsides. Thus, you know you'll at least have pink wildflowers to check out (though perhaps not quite this early in the season). One other caveat about this trail: As the word bog would suggest, this trail negotiates some wet areas. Efforts have been made in recent years to elevate the trail, and perpetually marshy areas are avoided with boardwalks. But if there's been wet weather of late, you'll want to make sure your boots are adequately sealed. Access via U.S. 276 from U.S. 64 east of Brevard means you needn't worry about a visit being affected by a Blue Ridge Parkway closure.

2. Panthertown Valley, near Cashiers, Hike No. 100. Must have a mountain valley thing going on for March, although in Panthertown Valley you will find some elevation. On the 5.5-mile loop described in the book — a loop starting at the Salt Rock Overlook, dropping into the valley, then taking in Little Green Mountain, Schoolhouse Falls and returning along Panthertown Creek — you'll find 944 feet of overall gain. A very small price to pay in lactic acid for the reward. This 6,300-acre tract is a relative newcomer to the U.S. Forest Service system, having come on board from Duke Power via The Nature Conservancy in the early 1990s. Here, you'll scale exposed granite domes (or plutons) and delight in modest waterfalls. The former are good for catching views and rays on a warm spring day, the latter to enjoy while having lunch on a sandbar. The valley floor is highlighted by Panthertown Creek, a rocky waterway that hints of streams out west, and a curious stand of oddly uniform white pines, the result of a failed Christmas tree farm from the 1960s. Although Panthertown Creek has been part of the U.S. Forest Service for well over a decade, it remains surprisingly untouched by trail blazes. Before venturing in, pick up a copy of guide Burt Kornegay's "A Guide's Guide to Panthertown Valley" (available at local outfitters) for guidance.