Fort Fisher State Recreation Area: Basin Trail (Blog Hike #1083)

Trail: Basin Trail
Hike Location: Fort Fisher State Recreation Area
Geographic Location: south of Wilmington, NC (33.96497, -77.92269)
Length: 2.2 miles
Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: September 2025
Overview: An out-and-back through marsh and dune habitats to a platform overlooking The Basin.
Park Information: https://www.ncparks.gov/state-parks/fort-fisher-state-recreation-area
Hike Route Map: 

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming September 11, 2026)

Directions to the trailhead: From downtown Wilmington, take US 421 south 20 miles to the signed entrance for Fort Fisher State Recreation Area on the left.  Turn left to enter the area, and park in the large blacktop parking lot in front of the Visitor Center.

The hike: Occupying a sandy peninsula that juts into the Atlantic Ocean south of Wilmington, 287-acre Fort Fisher State Recreation Area gets its name from Civil War-era Fort Fisher, a Confederate earthen fort built in 1861.  The fort guarded one of two entrances to the Cape Fear River, and its extreme strength earned it the nickname "The Southern Gibraltar."  The Union did not take the fort until their second attempt, which occurred on January 12, 1865 less than 3 months before the end of the war.  The fort's main magazine exploded 4 days later, killing over 200 men.

            The fort's surviving earthworks are protected by Fort Fisher State Historic Site, which is located adjacent to the Recreation Area.  During World War II, an air landing strip was built here, and a concrete bunker was built to house command batteries for German U-boat patrols.  Fort Fisher State Recreation Area was established in 1986, and today it offers one of Wilmington's best and most popular beaches.

            For hikers, the recreation area offers only 1 trail: the 1.1 mile one-way Basin Trail that takes you out the peninsula to a wide spot in the Cape Fear River known as The Basin.  The Basin Trail passes the World War II-era bunker, and it offers great views across the area's salt marshes.  Be warned that over half of this trail is exposed to the sun, so this is not a good hike for a hot summer afternoon.  I came here on a seasonal morning in mid-September and had a pleasant hike.

Trailhead for the Basin Trail

            The Basin Trail starts at the southwest corner of the parking lot, crosses the gated road that heads to the beach, and enters the woods.  Only a small sign marks the trailhead.  The white sandy dirt trail heads into the dense coastal scrub forest that features lots of cedar trees.  Some boardwalks take you over some wet areas, and the hiking is uneventful but pleasant.

Coastal scrub forest

            At 0.2 miles, a spur trail leading to the North Carolina Aquarium exits right.  The Basin Trail turns left and soon exits the cedar scrub in favor of an open, sunny, and sandy savannah-like area.  The sand is somewhat soft, making for slower going than you might expect.  The trick to walking in sand is not to take faster steps or longer steps but to make each step count: step where the sand is already compacted from where other people have stepped recently.  The terrain is flat enough that most people can get across this sand by making their steps count.

Soft sandy trail

            0.4 miles into the hike, the trail curves right to leave the softest sand and enter a sunny salt marsh.  Long boardwalks get you over the water, and looking around lets you see how large this salt marsh is.  This marsh would be a good place for waterfowl viewing in the morning or evening, but I came here in the middle of the day.

Boardwalk over salt marsh

Salt marsh

            At 0.75 miles, you reach the concrete World War II-era bunker.  Interpretive signs describe the command batteries and U-boat patrols that were stationed here during World War II.  After the war, this bunker became home to the famous Fort Fisher Hermit, Robert Harrill.  Harrill survived on what he could gather from the marsh, and he was well-known for sharing his wisdom from "The School of Common Sense" with visitors who came by.  Harrill died in 1972.

Concrete World War II-era bunker

            The rest of the trail passes through a thin cedar forest on a sandy dirt surface.  The area is wet enough that hundreds of fiddler crabs call it home, and each step I took sent countless of the tiny crabs scurrying for holes in the ground.  1.1 miles into the hike, you reach the wooden observation platform at the edge of The Basin.  

The Basin

            The Basin is a broad inlet near the mouth of the Cape Fear River, and water-filled views extend in multiple directions.  I saw some egrets, an osprey, and a heron while I was here.  Although benches encourage you to sit and rest, the lack of shade may shorten your rest period.  Only 1 trail leads here, so your only option is to retrace your steps 1.1 miles along the Basin Trail to return to the Visitor Center and complete the hike.