Haw River Hikes

Sunday, I headed to Alamance County for some hikes along the Haw River.  My first stop was at Saxapahaw Island Park.  The short Saxapahaw Island Loop was a short trail around the perimeter of the island.

The river was very rocky and scenic in the vicinity of the island.

After finishing up the loop, I got on the Haw River Trail.  Heading northbound, the trail ran behind a private campground then ended before reaching the dam.  Going the other way, it passed behind the Saxapahaw Rivermill and continued following the river downstream for more than a mile.

The lower portion went through farm land that had been cleared to benefit wildlife.

After reaching the current end of the trail, I turned around and headed back.

From here, I drove a few miles north Swepsonville River Park and another access point to the Haw River Trail at Big Alamance Creek.  This section is about 1 mile along the west side of the river.

There were some rocky parts where I could get out in the river.

After hiking under the bridge to the end, I headed back.

There was one more section I wanted to visit before leaving and parked at the Longmeadow Trailhead in Graham.  This section is almost 2 miles, crossing under I-85/I40.

It looks like the northern terminus of this section is less than a mile from Red Slide Park, so hopefully the segments can be connected in the near future.

By the time I finished around noon, it had gotten quite hot and I was ready to return to air conditioning.

Summer Hikes at Jordan Lake

Sunday, I went for a couple hikes at Jordan Lake.  My first stop was the Mason Point Trailhead in Jordan Game Land.  I followed the Horse Trail to the powerline clearing and then took that down to the point.  Some morning glory were blooming along the clearing.

The trail ends at the lake where the Durham-Duncan rail line used to cross New Hope Creek.  Across the lake was the terminus of Eagle Spur Trail.

It was a nice view from here, but a kayaker was birdwatching in the nude.

Giving the kayaker some privacy, I back to the mainland part.

Although an unofficial trail, the old rail line made a trail across Mason Point that I followed for several miles.

On one side of the trail, a prescribed burn had recently been performed.

There were a lot of lizard's tail blooming in the swampy area along the trail.

I also saw a patch of cornflower, a pretty but non-native flower.

A yellow-bellied slider was right in the middle of the trail.  He retreated to the safety of his carapace as I passed.

After crossing the road, the trail became very overgrown, though easy to follow.  It ended abruptly back at the lake.

I turned around here and headed back.

There was a nice path of orange day-lily, another invasive species, flowering near the parking lot.

From here, I continued another 20 minutes to Jordan Lake Educational State Forest.  I started off on Forest Demonstration Trail that led around the peninsula with several spurs leading out to the lake.

At one, I saw a pair of osprey nesting over the water.

One was collecting sticks for nesting material while the other stood guard.

After finishing up the loop, I took the short Talking Tree Trail.

The Low Lands Trail led out to another scenic spot on the lake.

Wildlife Trail was the last in the forest and started from next to the parking lot.  I saw some butterfly weed along here.

After finishing the loop, I stopped to see the Forest Service helicopter.

It was after noon and really hot by this point, so I finished up my hike and headed home to air conditioning.