The New Hope Creek Bottomlands Trail is a 2.2-mile loop located off SW Durham Drive in south Durham. At the moment, the access point at Sherwood Githens Middle School is closed. The best way to reach the trail is to park near the dumpster in the North Carolina Orthopaedic Center parking lot (3609 SW Durham Drive). From there, walk down the sewer line easement, take the first easement on the left, and you’ll reach the trailhead on the right. (There is typically a trailhead sign, and the New Hope Creek Corridor Advisory Committee website has additional site information.)
What to expect
The loop winds through mixed hardwood forest with classic bottomland species—stands of pawpaw, towering oaks, and other floodplain trees. Part of the route runs adjacent to New Hope Creek. After heavy rains, the trail can flood, and recent rains have dislodged some of the newer boardwalks. Plan for mosquitoes and muddy, wet footing.
Along the way, you’re likely to notice pawpaw (Asimina triloba) in the low woods and floodplain. It’s easy to recognize by its rusty-colored, paintbrush-like buds and its magnolia-like leaves. In spring, these small trees produce gorgeous maroon flowers that are pollinated by flies.
You may also pass impressive canopy trees, including enormous northern red oaks (Quercus rubra).
Mulberries are another interesting find in the North Carolina Piedmont, where two species are common. White mulberry (Morus alba) is non-native and tends to have smaller leaves that are glabrous (smooth) on the upper surface. Native red mulberry has relatively larger leaves that are scabrous (rough) above and pubescent (fuzzy) below.
The bottomlands themselves include plenty of small-scale habitat features. Fallen trees, for example, can create rich wetland microhabitat in the floodplain. Wildlife sightings are possible too—I’ve encountered southern leopard frogs (Rana sphenocephalus) here.
After storms, New Hope Creek can run turbid with high sediment runoff, a visible reminder of how closely linked upstream land use is to creek conditions downstream.
Sense of Place 