Tag: North Carolina
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Turtles Time at Goose Creek State Park (Beaufort County, North Carolina)
Here is all you really need to know: it was May 2007. We arrived at Goose Creek State Park—and “turtle time” began. My trusty companion (my husband, Mark) and I pulled into the primitive campground in our reliable blue Jeep. I jumped out before Mark even turned off the ignition, my feet landing on coarse…
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Pettigrew State Park (Creswell, North Carolina)
We stand on a boardwalk that extends over a large, glassy lake, encircled by bulky cypresses whose stark horizontal branches are softened by curtains of Spanish moss. Through the morning mist, I can almost discern an ancient Algonquian fisherman canoeing in the shallows. I can nearly hear the low voice of this mirage calling to…
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Dendromania at Pilot Mountain (Surry & Yadkin Counties, North Carolina)
One Sunday morning, a number of years ago—when my husband and I were still new to North Carolina and dedicated to seeing its natural wonders one by one—we ventured forth to visit the widely esteemed Pilot Mountain, about 25 miles northwest of Winston-Salem. Our mission was to see for ourselves this place of legend about…
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Chinqua Penn Hiking Trail (Reidsville, Rockingham County, North Carolina)
Note: This site is now closed. Overview: Located about 30 minutes north of Greensboro, Chinqua Penn Plantation once consisted of 22 acres of gardens, a short hiking trail, and one of North Carolina’s architectural treasures: the Chinqua Penn home. Built in the 1920s, the English-style house includes 27 rooms filled with antique furniture from around…
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Eno River State Park – Few’s Ford Access: Birding Trail (Durham, North Carolina)
Overview: Eno River State Park offers several easy-to-moderate trails (plus a few more challenging options) for weekend hikers. If you want a short, easy loop through a variety of habitats, try the Birding Trail at the Few’s Ford access. Starting from the Few’s Ford parking loop, the route can be completed in about 40 minutes.…
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Glennstone Preserve (Durham, North Carolina)
Overview: Glennstone Nature Preserve is an 82-acre natural area in Durham, protected by the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association. It offers a short but rewarding hike through early successional habitat favored by American woodcocks, as well as bottomland forest underlain by diabase-derived soils that support some unusual plant species. Directions: From northbound I-85, take the Glenn…
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Backyard Nature: Treefrogs & More
One humid evening last week, I stepped out into my own backyard to commune a bit with nature. I was greeted by a vociferous chorus of gray treefrogs looking for love. I was also surprised by a Fowler’s toad, hopping furiously away from me, as well as a beautiful sphinx moth. Sometimes nature really is…
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Howell Woods (Johnston County, North Carolina)
Overview: Howell Woods in Johnston County offers more than 25 miles of trails through a striking mix of North Carolina habitat types, including coastal plain bottomland hardwood forest, cypress–gum swamps, and pine/scrub-oak sandhills. Visitors can start at the Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center, then explore the preserve by canoe, horseback, bike, or on foot. Directions:…
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Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail (Hillsborough, North Carolina)
Overview: The Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail (HOST), a 44-acre preserve and historical site, includes three miles of trails that take visitors around the original speedway (open from 1948–68), or alternately, along the banks of the Eno River. This trail is set to join the statewide Mountains to the Sea Trail. Directions: Travel south on I-85.…
Sense of Place 