Lake Waccamaw State Park: Lakeshore, Pine Woods, and Loblolly Trails (Blog Hike #608)

Trails: Lakeshore, Pine Woods, and Loblolly Trails

Hike Location: Lake Waccamaw State Park

Geographic Location: east of Whiteville, NC (34.27870, -78.46529)

Length: 4.8 miles

Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)

Date Hiked: September 2016

Overview: A loop hike through swamp and longleaf pine forest along Lake Waccamaw.

Park Information: https://www.ncparks.gov/state-parks/lake-waccamaw-state-park

Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Whiteville, take US 74/76 east 11.5 miles to Fire Tower Road.  Turn right on Fire Tower Road.  Drive Fire Tower Road south 0.5 miles to SR 214 and turn left on SR 214.  Drive SR 214 east 1.1 miles to Jefferson Road and turn right on Jefferson Rd.  Drive Jefferson Rd. south 1.2 miles to Bella Coola Road and turn left on Bella Coola Rd.  All of these turns are marked with brown state park road signs.  Drive Bella Coola Rd. 2.6 miles to the state park entrance on the left.  Turn left to enter the park, and drive 0.2 miles to the parking area in front of the Visitor Center on the right, where this hike begins.

The hike: Located on an ancient coastal sand dune deposited when sea levels were much higher, secluded Lake Waccamaw State Park protects 2176 acres on the east bank of its namesake lake.  Lake Waccamaw is a large example of a geological oddity called the Carolina bay.  The “bay” in the name comes from the large number of bay trees in the area, not because the freshwater Carolina bays are inlets of oceans, which they are not. 

Hundreds of Carolina bays exist in eastern North Carolina, but most of them are small in size and filled with trees.  On the other hand, Lake Waccamaw covers nearly 9000 acres, most of which are open water.  Despite the lake’s size, its maximum depth is only 10 feet, and some areas are shallow enough to allow people to wade across the length of the lake.  Also, while most Carolina bays are highly acidic, some limestone bluffs along the north shore neutralizes the lake’s water, thus allowing it to support many species of plants and animals.  Finally, Lake Waccamaw gets some of its water from nearby Friar Swamp, but most Carolina bays have rainfall as their only water source.  Thus, Lake Waccamaw stands apart from other Carolina bays.

Much of Lake Waccamaw’s 14 miles of shoreline have been developed with camps, resorts, and houses, but the state park’s portion remains in its natural state.  The park’s only amenities are a Visitor Center, four primitive campsites, and four hiking trails.  The hike described here consists of two very different halves.  The outward half passes through a shady swampy area along the shore of Lake Waccamaw, while the inward half features drier sandy soil and sunny longleaf pine forest.  Due to the swampy and sunny conditions more akin to Florida than to most of North Carolina, I recommend a winter visit to Lake Waccamaw State Park: heat and bugs can make for unpleasant hiking in the summer.

Start of trail near Visitor Center

Start on the asphalt trail to the left of the Visitor Center (as you look at it from the front) that is marked with a small sign that says “trails.”  After walking through a stand of loblolly pines, you cross a now closed extension of the park road.  If you look across the active park road to your left, you will see a sign for the Loblolly Trail, which will be our return route.  Continue straight for now to begin a wooden boardwalk.

The wide boardwalk heads southeast over a wetland area that was inundated on my visit.  At 0.2 miles, the boardwalk ends at your first Lake Waccamaw overlook.  Located near the lake’s extreme eastern end, this observation platform faces west across the length of the lake.  Grass growing in the water verifies how shallow this lake is.  You may see some alligators or other wildlife here, but all was calm on my visit.

Lake Waccamaw overlook

Walk back a few feet from the overlook and look for the signed Lakeshore Trail, which exits the boardwalk to the right as you walk away from the lake.  The Lakeshore Trail is marked with blue aluminum markers, and as its name suggests it follows the park’s lakeshore for its entire distance of 4 miles.  The Lakeshore Trail starts here and ends at a secondary parking area near the lake’s dam.  Lake Waccamaw has only one outlet: the Waccamaw River.  The Waccamaw River flows southwest through the Green Swamp into South Carolina where it joins the Pee Dee River, which in turn empties into the Atlantic Ocean near Georgetown, SC.

The Lakeshore Trail starts on an ancient coastal sand dune, a reminder that ocean levels were once much higher than they are now.  The shrubby forest atop the sandy dune is dominated by oak.  The dune stands only a few feet above the lake level, but that elevation is enough to keep your feet dry in most weather.

Hiking on an ancient sand dune

            Unfortunately for your hiking comfort, the sandy dune soon ends, and subsequently you enter the boggy lakeside environment.  Except during times of drought, many wet areas will need to be negotiated.  A few of these wet areas are spanned by wooden planks that may offer dry passage, but most of them will require slogging through several inches of water.  As you would expect for a wetland, mosquitoes are very plentiful here during the warmer months.

Hiking through a wet area

At 0.8 miles, an unsigned short-cut boardwalk trail exits left if you decide you have had enough bugs and water slogging.  Tough and prepared hikers will continue straight on the Lakeshore Trail.  You pass more of the same scenery before reaching the primitive campground shelter and fishing pier at 1.5 miles.  The pier extends well out into Lake Waccamaw’s open water and provides nice lake views from the southeast corner of the lake.

Pier near primitive campground

The boardwalk heading away from the lake opposite the pier leads directly to primitive campsite #1, and it offers another opportunity to short-cut the hike.  This description continues southwest on the Lakeshore Trail and into more boggy areas.  2 miles into the hike, you reach primitive campsite #2, though no signs here indicate such.  Among the park’s four primitive campsites, only this one has a lakeside location.  A fire ring, two picnic tables, and a garbage can are the campsite’s only amenities.

Just past the campsite, you reach a trail intersection with the Pine Woods Trail, which exits left.  Turn left to leave the Lakeshore Trail and begin your return route along the Pine Woods Trail, which is marked with yellow aluminum diamonds.  The trail climbs briefly to leave the boggy lowland and obtain the sandy higher ground.  After passing primitive campsites #4 and #3 in that order, the trail joins a sandy/dirt two-track road as it heads northeast.  The park map shows another trail called the Sand Ridge Trail in this area, but I was not able to find it.

Hiking the sand/dirt road

At 2.6 miles, you pass the campground comfort station on the right just before the boardwalk to the fishing pier exits left.  Continue straight on the two-track trail, which soon passes primitive campsite #1 and enters a narrow strip of longleaf pine forest with the paved park road to the right and the swampy lakeside area to the left.  At 3.2 miles, the trail curves sharply left to leave the old sand/dirt road.  A small brown sign marks this turn, but it is easy to miss if you are not looking for it.

Just shy of 3.5 miles, the trail comes out at the main park road.  You need to turn left here and walk about 500 feet along the seldom-used asphalt road to find where the trail re-enters the longleaf pine forest on the right.  The re-entry point is marked by a small sign and yellow diamond, which is good because it would be hard to find otherwise.

Trail leaves park road

The rest of the Pine Woods Trail passes through some of the nicest pine forest on this hike.  The trail comes very near the park’s eastern boundary before curving left to end at an intersection with the Loblolly Trail, which goes left and right.  Turn right to begin the final leg of this hike.  The nearly dead straight Loblolly Trail follows an old logging road through its namesake pine forest for 0.3 miles before coming out at the paved main park road.  Cross the road and angle right on the asphalt trail to return to the Visitor Center and complete the hike.

Carolina Beach State Park: Sugarloaf, Oak Toe, and Flytrap Trails (Blog Hike #607)

Trails: Sugarloaf, Oak Toe, and Flytrap Trails

Hike Location: Carolina Beach State Park

Geographic Location: south of Wilmington, NC (34.04896, -77.91915)

Length: 4.1 miles

Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)

Date Hiked: September 2016

Overview: A semiloop along the Cape Fear River, over a large sand dune, and past several small ponds.

Park Information: https://www.ncparks.gov/state-parks/carolina-beach-state-park

Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Wilmington, drive south on US 421 for 13.6 miles to Dow Road, which is reached at a traffic light just after crossing the Snows Cut waterway.  Turn right on Dow Rd. and drive 0.3 miles to the state park entrance on the right.  Turn right to enter the park, stop at the Visitor Center to pick up a trail map, and then drive the main park road to its end at the marina.  After passing the marina’s boat ramp, the truck/boat trailer parking is on the right, and the trailhead parking is on the left.  Park in the small paved lot for the trailhead.

The hike: Although Sugarloaf Dune, the major landform in Carolina Beach State Park, stands in a very natural setting today, such has not always been the case.  The dune received its name in 1663 because its white sand looked like crystallized sugar.  The dune has been a major landmark on boating navigation charts ever since.

During the Civil War, Confederate troops built a series of earthworks from here down the Cape Fear River to the Atlantic Ocean, some of which can still be seen today.  In the late 1800’s, a pier was built at the base of the dune, and a steamer called The Wilmington would stop here and unload passengers heading for nearby beaches.  At the onset of the automotive age, the area became a major destination for off-road vehicle and dune buggy enthusiasts, which it remained until the state park was established in 1969.

Today 761 acre Carolina Beach State Park is most famous for its marina and boat ramps, which are located on the busy intracoastal waterway, an inland passage for Atlantic Ocean boat traffic.  From this marina, the intracoastal goes south down the Cape Fear River and north through the Snows Cut you drove over on your way in.  The park’s 83-site campground sits on the south bank of Snows Cut, which as the “cut” in its name implies is a man-made waterway built in 1930. Contrary to the park’s name, the park offers neither a natural nor a manmade swimming beach.

            While boating takes center stage here, the park is also home to 13 different plant communities including some rare and unusual plants.  To experience most of these plant communities, you will need to get out of the park’s marina and onto the park’s hiking trails.  The park’s main hiking trail is the 3-mile Sugarloaf Trail, a loop that features the trail’s namesake sand dune.  Combining the Sugarloaf Trail with two side excursions of roughly 0.5 miles each forms the 4.1 mile hike described here.

Marina trailhead

            Start at the information board near the rear of the trailhead parking lot.  Almost immediately the trail forks with options going left and straight.  This fork forms the loop that is the Sugarloaf Trail.  I chose to continue straight and use the left trail as my return route, thus hiking the loop counterclockwise.  The Sugarloaf Trail is marked with orange aluminum circles that seem bright enough to glow in the dark, but I did not stay after sunset to test that hypothesis.

            The trail heads south and soon enters hot, sunny, soft sand.  More than half of this hike is exposed to the sun, so make sure you dress accordingly and carry enough water, especially in warm weather.  At 0.2 miles, you reach a narrow grassy and sandy beach along the Cape Fear River.  Broad views extend up and down the wide waterway, but swimming is not allowed anywhere in the park because the river bottom drops off quickly.

Narrow grassy beach

            Past the beach, the trail curves sharply left to head directly away from the river on what appears to be an old sand/dirt road.  The Sugarloaf Trail is joined here by the Swamp Trail, which is marked with red circles.  Some wetlands appear on either side of the trail, but wooden bridges keep your feet dry for the most part.

Hiking on an old road

             At 0.4 miles, the Sugarloaf and Swamp Trails part ways.  Turn right to leave the old road and stay on the Sugarloaf Trail as it heads into forest dominated by turkey and live oaks.  0.75 miles into the hike, you reach another intersection where the Sugarloaf Trail goes left and the Oak Toe Trail goes right.  We will eventually continue the Sugarloaf Trail, but for possibly the park’s best Cape Fear River view, turn right to begin the Oak Toe Trail.

Starting the Oak Toe Trail

            Marked with blue circles, the Oak Toe Trail is a 0.4 mile one-way out-and-back that follows the west bank of the Cape Fear River.  When I looked for tracks in the wet sandy soil, I could tell that coyotes and deer had been here recently.  I also noticed some small holes in the ground, and my approach caused some sand beetles to crawl back into the holes.

            Just past 1.1 miles, you reach the wooden observation deck at the end of the Oak Toe Trail.  Only some boats and a port facility downstream encroach on the natural environment visible from this overlook.  The Oak Toe Trail ends here, so you next have to retrace your steps to the Sugarloaf Trail and angle softly right to continue your counterclockwise journey on the Sugarloaf Trail.

View from Oak Toe overlook

            The trail continues southeast soon to cross another old sandy road and reach the base of Sugarloaf Dune.  After climbing gradually along the left (inland) side of the dune, you reach the spur trail to the Sugarloaf Overlook at 1.9 miles.  Turn right and climb a short distance on the short spur trail to reach the overlook.  Pine trees dot the sandy dune that falls away before you toward the Cape Fear River.  At 55 feet above sea level, this overlook is the highest point on this hike, so enjoy the high-level views of the surrounding water and terrain.

View from Sugarloaf Overlook

            Back on the main trail, the Sugarloaf Trail goes east to head away from the Cape Fear River for good.  You may notice an extensive network of old sandy roads in this area.  These roads are remnants of this land’s pre-park days as an off-road vehicle destination.  Some of these roads look like trails, so be sure to watch for the orange circles to stay on the official trail.

Hiking under longleaf pines

            The trail now assumes a meandering course through some nice longleaf pine forest.  Next you pass three very shallow ponds: Cypress Pond, Lily Pond, and Grass Pond in that order.  True to their names, Cypress Pond features some bald cypress trees, Lily Pond features a few water lilies, and Grass Pond features thick areas of grass growing in the water.

Lily Pond

            At 3.2 miles, you reach successive junctions with the Campground and Swamp Trails, where you need to turn left and right respectively.  The numerous orange circles keep you from making wrong turns.  3.3 miles into the hike, you cross a paved park road and reenter the woods on the other side.

            Almost immediately after crossing the park road, you reach another trail intersection where the Campground Trail exits right.  Turn left to stay on the Sugarloaf Trail.  The trail heads west as the paved parking lot for the Flytrap Trail appears through the trees on the left.  When you reach the spur trail to the parking lot, you could continue straight for the shortest route back to your car.  However, the Flytrap Trail is possibly the park’s most interesting trail, so I recommend turning left, walking through the parking lot, and picking up the Flytrap Trail, the start of which is marked by an orange diamond on the right side of the parking lot.  Note that this parking lot would also make an alternative starting point if the marina trailhead parking lot is full.

Start of Flytrap Trail

            The Flytrap Trail gets its name because it passes through wetland areas where unusual carnivorous plants such as the pitcher plant and the venus flytrap live.  The trail forms a short loop that might be handicapped accessible with some assistance.  Boardwalks carry you over the wetland, where you are likely to see the carnivorous plants.

Pitcher plant in wetland

            Where an unmarked side trail heads right toward the group camping area, angle left to stay on the Flytrap Trail.  After passing more carnivorous plants, you arrive back at the parking lot and at the end of the Flytrap Trail.  Retrace your steps to the Sugarloaf Trail to begin the final leg back to the marina area.

Crossing a long boardwalk

            The trail crosses a long wooden boardwalk over a final wetland before reaching drier ground.  Now passing through the center of the park, the woods features short live and turkey oak trees with a dense understory that includes some yaupon.  At 4.1 miles, you close the Sugarloaf Trail loop.  A right turn will quickly take you back to the marina parking area.  The marina store offers a snack bar that overlooks the river, a nice way to complete your visit to Carolina Beach State Park.