350 Million years never looked so good! Honestly though, rolling hills of Medoc State park are approachable for everyone and makes for a great day trip regardless how old you think the mountain is.
Wait, Is There An Abercrombie NC Too?
Hollister NC sounds like the set up for a perfect ‘dad joke’ but I will refrain. In fact, Hollister NC is where you will find the lesser known Medoc Mountain State Park. This is a rural and remote park in the eastern half of the state not far from the Virginia boarder. It is is positioned not far from I-95 making it still accessible to most travelers. You may consider adding it as a stop to a trip between Roanoke Rapids and Rocky Mount.
Parking through out the park is adequate for a remote park. Oddly enough the main parking area we used was PACKED! This was clearly because of a church/religious event that was going on. We still had plenty of space to park in side areas. Do pay attention to which trails you want to use because the main trail heads for hiking, biking and bridal trails are in completely different area.
Where Is The Peak?!
The key attraction of Medoc State park for us was the hiking. The park website claims this is a 350 million year old mountain which means that is is not much younger than the Appalachian mountains. That being said, the park is filled with streams, gentle slopes and the occasional field.
There is a summit trail you can take but we opted for a slightly shorter path. The Stream Loop and Fishing Creek Loop are a great combination for a casual hiker. The Summit trail is the most advanced trail with a rating of “moderate”. That being said, the park trails are all generally easy and approachable. Often I meet people who think of hikes as summiting a mountain. In reality, there are lots of great parks that are relatively flat and still are just as rewarding. The bridge between Fishing Creek Loop and the Summit loop was particularly picturesque and Madilyn loved to run across it for some reason. Find the beauty in the little things, right?
The Medoc Mountain website brags of having 29 hikable miles. I found this slightly misleading. You only get 29 miles if you include the bridal trails and the bike trails in your total. Generally, I avoid these trails unless you want to be run over or step in horse poop.
There was a few fallen trees on the trail which made for some funny conversations with Madilyn. I do not recall any bad storms coming through recently so they may have some staffing issues keeping the trails all clear. It was easy to just step over or around.
Tax Dollars At Work
Getting Moving
Even though quite a few parks like Raven Rock State Park and others also have bridal trails and bike trails, I still find it very novel. The bridal trails and bike trails make up over 2/3 of the available trails in the park. We did not get a chance to experience these since we lacked both a horses and bikes.
At one time I was much more active with kayaking and canoeing so I love seeing areas that have the option. At Medoc Mountain State Park, you will find a simple put-in point and take-out point on the Little Fishing Creek. There is not a rental option on site that I saw but still a great place to explore if you are looking for a new paddle trial.
Facilities
Just about every State park you will find the token “visitor center”. Few go above and beyond. We opted to not go into the one for Medoc Mountain simply because it was not close to the trails we wanted to check out. From what I can see, it looks fairly standard with a few educational exhibits about the natural wildlife in the area.
I was expecting a modest playground at best when I saw it on the map. We were happily surprise when we saw a substantial and new playground. I pulled out ever trick in the the dad handbook to keep my toddler from spending the whole day there when we first got there. That being said, we had a great time there that afternoon. It was set up to challenge small children to older kids alike. If we lived closer, I could easily see myself coming back often. It made for a great way to close out the trip and gave Madilyn something to look forward to at the end of the hike.
Lastly, there is a significant set of camping areas available. You will find a significant camping area near the playground to include an RV dumping station. I found it interesting there is also a bridal trail camping area out on one of the trails also. The areas looked fairly wooded and well established.
Jack of All Trades
Though the mountain is the namesake of the park, the real draw for me is just the shear diversity of activities in the park. Hike, paddle, ride, bike, and play! Medoc Mountain State park offers a lot of different ways to get in touch with nature and leave you with a smile on your face for the rest of the week.
Overall
Medoc State Park is a great weekend day trip to reconnect with the forest. Bring your bike, kayak or even your horse if you have one to enjoy some of the more uniqe delights of the park. Even just a good pair of sneakers and you will leave relaxed and refreshed.
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