Waterfall Hero Hikes: Singletary Lake State Park

Singletary Lake State Park is a 1200-acre North Carolina State Park in Bladen County, surrounding its namesake Carolina bay lake. Carolina Bays are mysterious oval-shaped shallow lakes found throughout the coastal plain region. Singletary Lake is one of the deepest at 11.8 feet. The lake is named for Richard Singletary, who was given a land grant for Bladen County in 1729. The federal government began buying depleted farmland during the 1930s in the area under the Resettlement Administration. The Civilian Conservation Corps built most of the park’s amenities including the group camps during this time and the land was leased to the state in 1939 and formally transferred to the state in 1954. The park used to be only open to organized groups such as Boy Scouts, but recently opened to the general public for hiking, fishing and paddling.

Contact Information:

6707 NC-53 East
Kelly, NC 28448

Phone: (910) 669-2928
Email: singletary.lake@ncparks.gov
GPS: 34.5831, -78.4496

Directions:

From Fayetteville, head east on NC-53 for a total of about 45 miles. In Elizabethtown, turn left US-701 North/NC-53 east and then right on NC-53 at White Lake. In 6.7 miles past the last turn, the park entrance will be on the left.

Map:

Trails:

CCC Loop Trail:

Length: 1 mile

Difficulty: Easy

Blaze: Orange Triangles

CCC Loop Trail makes a one-mile double-loop, starting from the parking at Camp Ipecac. It leads to the swim pier, along the lake shore and through a pine forest.

Mountains-to-Sea Trail:

Length: ~1 mile within the park

Difficulty: Easy

Blaze: White Circles

The eastern end of Segment 13 of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail runs through the park. The trail follows Singletary Lake Trail through Bladen Lakes State Forest before entering the park. In the park, the MST follows a sandy road for just over half a mile then connects with the CCC Loop Trail.