Expansive hiking paths and a beautiful riverway makes for a perfect starting point for urban hikers at Eno River State Park. This marks the start of the second longest continuous stretch of trail on the Mountains to Sea Trail
Orange and Durham Make ENO!
Eno River State park is primarily in Durham county but is also partially in Orange county too. This makes it accessible from both Durham and Hillsboro. Growing up in the Triangle area, I always associated Eno River state Park with Durham since we had to drive through it.
The park directly touches I-85 at one point but you are not likely to hear it. The majority of the park is tucked away from the road. This results in easy access to the park with minimal traffic sounds unlike Umstead State Park.
Parking is sparse and dispersed across the park. There are four main access areas for the park with several parking area within each. There is some road side parking possible but generally parking is limited here.
River Therapy
Madilyn, my Dad and I decided to go on a walk the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and ended up settling on Eno. My dad has come several time and I have been once a long time ago. We chose the Few Fords access area because it had a significant number of different trails to try and the visitor center.
Once we got there we decided to try for the normal three mile distance I have had success with Madilyn at before. The map we found on the official website did not have distances on it. The map that was provided at the park has a second page with this info but it is somewhat confusing. A good map is one of the key things every good hiking park needs.
Nonetheless we set out on the Buckquarter Creek Trail and a portion of the Holden Mill Trail. I did not recall how rocky some of the trails were. The first portion of the Buckquarter creek trail has a few stairs and a slight drop off on one side into the water. Madilyn thought this was really neat but did a great job staying away from the edge.
The rocky trails and cold weather wore Madilyn down faster than normal so we turned around a little early and did a bit more carrying to. I am always just happy that she continues to be so enthusiastic about these hikes.
I Could Walk 100 Miles…
Eno River State Park is really simple. Hike near a river. Needless to say, the main attraction is indeed the hiking trails here which include a portion of the mountains to sea trail. We cover other portions of this trail in some of our other articles to include Jockey’s Ridge State park. This is a cross state trail system from Mount Mitchell all the way the Jockey’s Ridge.
There is also a pair of put in/take out points for kayaks/canoes. I would be interested on how good/bad these options are considering how rocky the river was from what I saw. Lastly you will also find some primitive camping sites and group camping sites scattered throughout the park. Considering it was just a few days before Thanksgiving, these sites were unsurprisingly empty. I imagine this is a well used area for boys scouts during the warmer months.
Umstead State park is not far away but offers distinctly different set of options. The lack of jet noise and traffic sounds parried with the sounds of moving streams has me excited to come back to Eno. You do not have quite as many trails at Eno compared to near by Umstead but I think the quality is superior at Eno. My two cents
A True Babbling Brook
Eno River State Park is easily accessible but still feels like a retreat from the city. The light sounds of the river running by were perfect for chatting and catching up with my dad an making memories. Perfect for a new adventure or catching up with someone
Overall
Eno River State Park is one of the odder shaped state parks but still provides an awesome hiking experience. We had a great time while we were there but never had a “wow” moment that would give it the coveted five star status. The coolest park about this is that the mountains to sea trail connects this park into the Fall of Neuse River trail system in Wake county.
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