Eno River State Park

LOCATION:
Piedmont
Orange and Durham Counties

SIZE IN ACRES:
2,635

INVOLVEMENT IN ACRES:
764

Canoeing on the Eno River (© TNC)

Smooth Coneflower, Eno River State Park (© TNC)

TOPOGRAPHICAL MAP:
Hillsborough, Northeast Durham

Topographical maps are available by contacting:
NC Geographical Survey.
1612 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1612.
(919) 715-9718
www.geology.enr.state.nc.us/

ACTIVITIES & AMENITIES:
Hiking / Camping / Canoeing-Kayaking / Parking / Restrooms / Picnic

OWNERSHIP & ACCESS:
Eno River State Park
6101 Cole Mill Road
Durham, NC 27705
(919) 383-1686

SITE INFORMATION:
A quick drive north from Durham and Chapel Hill will bring you to a great hiking spot, Eno River State Park. The Eno River flows east from Orange County into Durham County and eventually joins the Little and Flat Rivers and becomes the Neuse River. Adjacent to centers of extensive development, the park retains many of the natural features that once prevailed in the Piedmont, including various second-growth Piedmont forest communities: dry pine/heath, mixed upland hardwoods, moist hardwoods, and floodplain forest. Ancient Native American settlements and mills from the 18th and 19th centuries located along the river illustrate the human history of the region.

The river and its floodplain harbor beaver, river otter, mink, and muskrat, as well as wood duck, great blue heron, and spotted sandpiper. The high-quality river supports large populations of freshwater mussels, crayfish, many fish species, and aquatic invertebrates. The hardwood forests are home to wild turkey and many migratory songbirds.

The park is divided into three separate sections; Few's Ford is the principal visitor access point to the park office and interpretive exhibits. There are several canoe access points within the park. Canoeing is good during the winter and spring, when the river is between one and three feet deep.

The park is a good place to visit throughout the year. In March, before the trees have leafed out, the floodplain is rich in spring ephemeral wildflowers. Early April brings migrating warblers and a great variety of wildflowers. Mountain laurel and Catawba rhododendron bloom in early to mid-May. The pump station area contains a good example of a beech-dominated Piedmont forest with a rich understory including yellow lady's slipper and showy orchis.

CONSERVATION HIGHLIGHTS:
Since 1971, The Nature Conservancy, in cooperation with the Association for the Preservation of the Eno River Valley and N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation, has protected 667 acres of what is now part of Eno River State Park from threats of logging and development. In 1997 and 1998, the Conservancy acquired 97 acres at Occoneechee Mountain near Hillsborough that are now owned and managed by Eno River State Park as part of a State Natural Area.

DIRECTIONS:
A good place to begin a visit to Eno River State Park is at the visitor center at the Fews Ford section of the park, where you can pick up maps and brochures. Going west from Durham on I-85 (South), take exit 170 to US 70 West. Drive .2 mile and turn right at the brown state park sign onto Pleasant Green Road. After about two miles, turn left onto Cole Mill Road and drive a mile to the park entrance.