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June 7, 2023
Hiking in North Carolina
From the top of Mt. Mitchell
My Favorite Places in North Carolina by Yu
Summer is approaching. It is time to go hiking and camping.
I have camped and hiked in various places in North Carolina. I love the smell of red spruce and Fraser firs at the top of Mt. Mitchell, continuous up and down on the ladders at Daniel Boone Scout Trail, the beautiful views from the top and bottom of Stone Mountain (I love the view from the bottom too!), views of amazing waterfalls in Pisgah National Forest, etc. The list goes on and on. I agree Western States like California, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah have amazing landscapes and breathtaking views. But I love the complex forest compositions that can only be found in Southeast. I am a forester. I love identifying trees while hiking through forests!
Today, I want to introduce three of my favorite places in North Carolina. You may know these places, but I want to highlight them. These places don't get a lot of attentions like Mt. Mitchell, Grandfather mountain, and Hanging Rock State Park but are absolutely gorgeous.
Bird Island, NC
1. Kindred Spirit Mailbox on Bird Island
There is this mysterious mailbox on Bird Island, which is an inhabited island near Sunset beach. You can only access there by boat or walk or bike from Sunset beach.
Claudia Sailor and Frank Nesmith put the mailbox with a notebook inside more than 40 years ago for any visitors to write down anything they wanted. And any visitors can read whatever the previous visitors have written on the notebook. Many people open up their feelings on notebooks - love stories, heartbreak stories, wishes, thoughts, dreams, prayers, etc. Visitors sit on the bench, look at the beautiful beach and ocean, and write down whatever they are feeling.
When the developers wanted to build a bridge to Bird Island in the early '90s so that they could build houses and hotels, Frank and others were determined to preserve the land. They used the notebooks, the emotional and spiritual messages from unknown people, to demonstrate how special place it was and how relaxing the Island was to many people. The Island has been a comfort place for many people. After 10 years of protests, they won. The State denied permits to develop the Island. Today, it still is an inhabited island, and the mailbox still stands with notebooks inside.
2. Wilson Creek area in Pisgah National Forest
Wilson Creek was designated as a National Wild and Scenic River by Congress in 2000. This area has beautiful and amazing camp sites. During summer, you can swim and enjoy the creek (caution! there are a lot of snakes.....). There are great hiking trails with a lots of waterfalls. Highly recommended.
Wilson Creek
Bard Falls, NC
Wilson Creek Area
Wilson Creek Area
3. Hammocks Beach State Park on Bear Island
Bear Island is located near Swansboro and can only access by a boat, canoe, kayak, or ferry. This is another inhabited island in North Carolina; however, Bear Island has many camping sites. And some camping sites are only accessible by canoeing or kayaking by yourself.
Paddling to Bear Island on the Trout Channel Trail or Bear Inlet Trail is fun. The trails are well marked in the water that you won't miss it. It is a popular place. Getting a campground reservation will be the most difficult thing to do.
It is so peaceful there. Sleep on the sand under the sparking stars. When I went for a walk in the middle of the night, there were tons and tons of ghost crabs! I had never seen that many crabs in my life. Also, red flashlight is required because of sea turtles. And if you go at the right timing, you may get to see turtles laying eggs and those eggs hatching.
(Unfortunately, I can't find any photos from my trip. If I find some, I will update the website.)
Bear Island (Photography by Matt Ray Photography)
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