Columns

By David Freeze

Cliffs and Plenty of Water at Coastal State Parks

   The Cliffs of the Neuse State Park is near Seven Springs and covers 1,097 acres. The park, named for the Neusiok Indians, opened in 1945 and is known for the high banks along the Neuse River. The river is 250 miles long. I visited early on the morning of September 11^th and found the visitor center locked at 8am, the listed opening time. I found a maintenance man who opened the door just long enough for me to get my passport stamp. Maps were on a rack outside.

    I took the 350-Yard Trail and the Bird Trail to get great views of the Neuse River and the 90-foot cliffs high above it. Near the highest point, a fence blocks visitors from falling over the edge but soon the paths from the trails are open to unprotected banks. The highest point of the cliffs extends for about 600 yards and layers of sand, clay, seashells, shale and gravel form a multi-colored cliff face. The cliffs were formed when a fault in the earth’s crust shifted millions of years ago, and the river followed the fault line. A bend against the bank allowed the erosion that slowly carved the banks. The park has seven hiking trails, all rated easy or moderate.  

    The beautiful 11-acre swim lake has a sandy beach, diving platform and a large bathhouse. Canoes, kayaks, pedal boats and paddleboards are available for rent. Private boats aren’t allowed on the lake as swimming is very popular with a concession stand and a large parking lot.

     Fishing is popular on the Neuse banks with bluegill, largemouth bass and catfish. Shad migrate upriver in the spring. The park has 30 campsites but only 12 have water, electrical and sewer for RV’s. The park has three camper cabins, all with water and heating and air.

    On September 16, I drove to Carolina Beach as the tropical cyclone came ashore that morning. I checked the forecasts, and all signs pointed toward a better afternoon after heavy morning rains and winds. I don’t think anybody realized that up to 20 inches of rain would fall. Severe flooding was everywhere and gained national attention.

    I drove to Carolina Beach State Park and found most of the park closed, even though many campers in tents had survived the rain onslaught and were still there. A ranger supplied the passport stamp, but she made no promises whether the park would be open on Tuesday. I then drove toward Fort Fisher State Recreation Area and found the roads blocked due to flooding. I retraced my route and tried to figure my way around the flooding. I gave up and got an overpriced room on the high side of the worst flooding.

    On Tuesday, I drove to Fort Fisher and found the roads open but with plenty of damage from the flooding. Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, opened in 1986 and near Kure Beach, didn’t miss out on damage, but much of it was still undetermined as I beat the first park rangers and staff to the parking lot. Once they opened the nice visitor center, I got my stamp while talking to the ranger in charge. I had already walked out to the huge beach area and saw sand piled high on the boardwalk. Blown sand and water were everywhere and the park’s only trail was flooded. The Basin Trail will be something I do when returning later, as it ends near one of Fort Fisher’s batteries and includes a WWll bunker.

    Fishing and swimming in the ocean are popular. The beach is pristine and has nothing commercial for seven miles. Loggerhead turtles nest along the shoreline. There is no camping on site. The NC Ferry, the NC Aquarium and the Fort Fisher Historic Site are adjacent to the recreation area.

    I then drove back to Carolina Beach State Park and found the visitor center open but most of the park remained closed. I wanted to see the marina and the Cape Fear River at the back of the park. The small park has just 761 acres and was established in 1969.  The park is unusual in that it has five different carnivorous plants, including sundews, bladderworts, butterworts, pitcher plants and Venus fly traps. All are displayed at the back of the visitor’s center. The park is also popular for animal life with some of the most notable being alligators, brown pelicans, ospreys and several varieties of fox. Birding is very popular.

    The 54-slip marina was a high point for me. I was determined to see it and talked another ranger into letting me walk there on a partially flooded road. I told her I needed the photos for a newspaper article. About to have to walk through knee-high water in my bare feet, I heard a horn behind me and caught a ride with a wildlife officer named Bill checking on his boat. We saw three white-tailed deer for a great photo.

   No swimming is allowed in the park due to dangerous currents. A beautiful picnicking spot is beside the marina. There are nine hiking trails ranging from a quarter mile to 3 miles and all are rated easy. Camping is big here, with 70 tent/trailer sites with no hookups and nine RV sites with full hookups. The park also has four very nice camper cabins and two group camping areas, good for 26 and 40 people.

    The fun continues with 40 parks visited and two remaining.  

By David Freeze

More State Parks Starting with the Black Water River

  Last week on Labor Day, I was able to visit four parks and had grand ideas about including all of them in last week’s article. Only three made it, with the Black Water River left out because I ran out of available space. This week, we start with the Lumber River, full of beautiful black water.

    Named for the huge amount of timber harvested and transported during the late 1700s, several towns were settled along its banks. The upper river was designated as the state’s first recreational water trail in 1978, then a national canoe trail in 1981, then the state canoe trail in 1984. In 1989, the Lumber River was established as a scenic river and as a state park.

    The second town in Robeson County, Princess Ann, was established in 1796 near where the park’s headquarters are now on a bluff that was safe from flooding. The town gradually disappeared and only a few signs of it remain.

    The park now has 11,250 acres and is nearest Orrum, NC. The park has five designated sections and 24 primitive campsites, plus multiple paddle launch points. The Princess Ann section is where I visited. I found the office door locked but passport stamps in a box outside. I also found a wonderful, shaded section of the river with extensive picnic areas. This was one of the coolest and most peaceful sites I have seen under the huge trees with a light breeze. No canoe or kayak rentals are available so bring your own.

    Fishing is reported to be excellent with bass, catfish, black crappie, bluegill, chain pickerel and redbreast sunfish. The 1.5-mile Princess Ann Trail follows the river and visits the area where the town once existed. Other parts of the Lumber River State Park include Buck Landing, Piney Island, Pea Ridge and Chalk Banks Access. 

    I started another trip east on September 9^th. My first stop was Haw River State Park, but it was very different than any I have seen before. The park is centered around the Summit Environmental Education and Conference Center. Conference guests use eight indoor meeting spaces, 47 motel style guest rooms and 10 cabins. Other amenities include planned meals, hiking trails, athletic fields, gymnasium, outdoor pool, a 6-acre lake for fishing and paddling, disc golf, and two amphitheaters.

    Summer camps and the very popular Grand Camps are also offered. Grand camps are for grandparents and grandchildren and meant to enhance their connection. Programs are also available on animal adaptations, wetland ecology, soils, orienteering, wilderness survival and team building.

     After seeing all of this, I was not exactly sure what to expect when I stopped at the visitor center. I got my passport stamped and picked up a map, then asked about available walking trails. They have three available trails of .4 miles, .6 miles and 1.4 miles. I walked the Wetlands Boardwalk trail which has the boardwalk suspended over extensive low growing plants and sometimes flowing water. I was told at the desk that this trail ends at an overlook of the headwaters of the Haw River, somewhat disappointing in size. I remember thinking the same thing when I first saw the headwaters of the Mississippi River.

    The park opened in 2003, a newer member of the state park system, and is still developing. The park has 1,485 acres and is closest to Browns Summit. The Haw River flows 110 miles to the Jordan Lake Reservoir. Farther downriver, the Haw River is rated as the most popular for whitewater paddling in the Piedmont. There is also a six-acre lake for fishing called Robin’s Nest Lake.

      My next park was the Medoc Mountain State Park, 2,893 acres and nearest Hollister. The park was established in 1973 and is a remnant of a mountain range from the Paleozoic Age. The highest point of the park is only 325 feet, so no mountains remain.

      There is wonderful hiking in the park through hardwood and pine forests, and a beautiful creek called Fishing Creek. There are nearly 11 miles of biking trails, 7 hiking trails that total 29.85 miles and 10 miles of equestrian trails. Next to the visitor center is the Habitat Adventure Trail, .75 miles with for the whole family with educational signs. The campground has 34 sites, 12 of those with electric hookups and a nice bathhouse. There is a large playing field for games, a wonderful playground and a large pavilion. Kayaks and canoes have two areas of access to Fishing Creek.