Panther Branch Natural Area

For Mother's Day, Alex and I took Sandy for a hike at Panther Branch Natural Area, a newly-opened nature preserve owned by the Eno River Association located in western Orange County near Efland.  After parking, we set off on the Red trail to make a loop, passing some scenic unnamed tributaries.

We saw two box turtles at different points along the trail.

About half way through the loop, we took Yellow Trail and crossed Panther Branch on stepping stones.  In high water, the crossing would be difficult.

The Yellow Trail made a short loop here and we saw a bunch of jacks in the pulpit flowering.

The trail came out at powerline clearing high above Eno River.

The views of the river were really nice here and a lot of mountain laurel was blooming.

Many wildflowers were blooming in the open clearing.

Spoonshape Barbara's buttons are an interesting white flower.

Venus' pride was another little one flowering.

Back in the woods, we went down to the picnic area at a bend in the Eno then went back up.

After crossing back over Panther Branch, we finished up the loop to complete our hike.

From here, we drove a short ways to the Hillsboro Division of Duke Forest and parked along the US-70 connector.  We hiked into the forest and along Snake Fire Trail.  The first part was very overgrown with tall grass and we got pretty wet hiking through.  Once in the woods, the trail was more reasonable and we saw another little box turtle.

At the end of the trail, we turned right on Old Quarry Road and went out to the old abandoned quarry.  There was lots of lichen growing on the rocks.

Then we hiked back and took Cates Road to make a loop.

After our hike, we went to lunch to celebrate Mother's Day.

Confluence Wildflowers

Sunday, we took Alex for a short social distancing hike.  With most parks closing, the Eno River Association expanded the hours at their Confluence Natural Area and implemented one-way hiking to promote social distancing while out in nature.  We arrived at 8 and only 2 other cars were here.  It was foggy this morning but no rain.  Hiking the Two Forks Trail, we came to a break in the woods at the north end of the big meadow.

Then the trail headed back into the woods.  There were a lot of jack in the pulpits blooming.  I don't think I've ever seen so many.

A good number of wild geraniums were also blooming.

There were a few spots to go out to East Fork Eno River; it was flowing well from recent rains.

Soon we came to the confluence, where East and West Forks come together to form the Eno River.

Continuing on, the trail followed West Fork upstream.

There were several spots to get out on the creek as well.

The loop finished up and we took Shepperd Mill Trail.

We finished up back at the parking lot as a few more cars were arriving.  But we managed the entire hike without seeing anyone else on the trail.

Hillsborough Hikes on Labor Day

For Labor Day, we wanted to take Alex for a hike since we had left him for a week.  So we took him to Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area to get his passport stamped.

We started off hiking the Occoneechee Mountain Loop Trail clockwise around the mountain.  The trail passes some rock outcrops and then heads down to the Eno River.

Past the river, the trail leads to the old quarry.  We took a short break here to enjoy the view.

Then we made the steep climb up to the overlook.  There were some Virginia meadow-beauty blooming in the powerline right-of-way.

At the summit, we had real nice views of the river and town below.

After some pictures and a break, we took Chestnut Oak Trail back to the car.  Next, we headed to Gold Park in Hillsborough and went for a hike along the Riverwalk, part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.  The trail runs from the park to downtown and then through River Park.  A wooden fence of some sort was here.

We continued on a ways, but it was getting hot for Alex so we didn't go much further.  I spotted some spicebush berries along the river as we started making our way back.

For lunch, we got Cook-Out so Alex could get a hot dog.

Alex's Birthday Hike

Saturday we Alex's 10th birthday so we had to celebrate.

First, we headed to Eno River State Park for a morning hike.  Parking at the Fews Ford access to the park, we first hiked the Cox Mountain Trail up and over its namesake and then along the river.  There were a lot of mountain laurel blooming along the river.

Then we crossed back over the suspension bridge and hiked the Buckquarter Creek Trail.  There were still lots of wildflowers blooming along the river.

Coreopsis and fire pink were adding some color to the river.

It was pretty hot and humid by the time we finished but we missed all the rain storms.

Heading back to Raleigh, we had lunch and then took Alex to Goodberry's for an ice cream cone.

Especially on a hot day, ice cream was a perfect treat to celebrate his birthday.

Cedarock and Eno Riverwalk

Monday was a holiday so I headed to Cedarock Park south of Burlington for a hike.  I parked near the Park Office and restrooms and picked up Rock Creek Trail near the picnic area.  The trail descended down to the creek and then made a loop - I went left, crossing rock creek twice and reaching another split.  Rocky Branch, a small tributary tumbled down into the creek at a bridge.

Across the bridge was a second loop on Rock Creek Trail and I went left again.  A little further, I passed the old mill dam.

Although not natural, the waterfall over the dam was quite scenic and higher than I expected.

Continuing on the paved Curtis Mill Trail, I stopped for some pictures on the other side of the creek.

Then I got back on the first loop and continued on.  Near the end, I took the Connector Trail to hit the other side of the park.  The connector trail is a loop and I first went on the lower portion.  It was really muddy and swampy being in the Rock Creek floodplain.  I was glad there was an alternative for the way back.  At the other end, I picked up Spoon Branch Trail and went left, following its namesake up.

Then I looped back around the other side of the stream and took the bridge over Rock Creek.  The trail led up to the parking at Garrett Historical Farm.  Along the way, it passed a nice little waterfall on Fox Branch.

Finishing up the loop on Spoon Branch Trail, I took the upper Connector Trail to avoid the swampy mess and then Rock Creek Trail back to my car.

Sandy was still working and I wanted to get another hike in, so I stopped in Hillsborough along the way at Gold Park.  The town's Riverwalk along the Eno is now part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.  From Gold Park, I followed the trail eastbound through Hillsborough along Eno River.  Right past the park, the trail passed under an old railroad bridge.

The paved greenway trail follows right along the river with nice views.

And it passes right through downtown Hillsborough, so a great way to get around town.  A Sight to Behold, a Stickwork sculpture was right off the trail.

Where the Riverwalk ended, a gravel road led through the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust sites, including the Historic Occoneechee Speedway.  Past the speedway, the trail led through James M. Johnston Nature Preserve.  The trail was a bit more rugged here - narrow, steep and rocky.

It wasn't a long section, but very scenic and I enjoyed it.  The trail ended at US-70 and it's road walking from here to Eno River State Park, so I turned around.