I love North Carolina’s weather. The distinct seasons provide a general schedule I can count on each year. Each season lasts long enough that I don’t tire before the next season begins. Then, sometime in early March the weather consistently warms up, the daffodils start to bloom, and the sun stretches beyond 6:00pm. That’s my signal to put away the snow gear, bust out the springtime table runner, finish birthday planning for my oldest, and welcome spring time.
The other weekend we took advantage of the gorgeous spring weather and headed to Durant Nature Preserve for a hike. We’ve visited Durant Nature Preserve several times over the years (see previous blog posts) but it had been awhile since our last trip. For this visit, we brought fishing nets, our collapsible bucket, and rain boots to play in the streams. Despite predictable resistance to hiking, the girls ended up having the best time!
Border Trail
We parked at the north entrance and set off on the White House Rd Trail (see park map). Despite grumpy moods (including a short sit-in) and warning signs about muddy trail conditions we pushed on. From the White House Rd Trail we veered right onto the Border Trail, which circumnavigates the park. The Border Trail leads downhill to the creek, where at the bottom you turn left to stay on the trail. The creek sits between the wooded Border Trail on the park’s side and the paved Simms Branch Trail on the far side. Simms Branch Trail connects to Abbotts Creek greenway trail which connects to Raleigh’s longest greenway trail, the Neuse River Trail. Despite being close to a residential neighborhood the trail feels miles away. We only heard the crunching of our boots on the leaves and the trickle of the water.
Family hiking success (for us) increases if water is involved. As soon as my kids feasted their eyes (and boots) on the creek, their hiking attitudes instantly transformed! Despite being a sunny day the water was super cold. Since the Border Trail parallels the creek, they flipped between walking on the unpaved trail and the creek. They’d scamper down the creek bank, walk through the water or hop across rocks, and then pull themselves back up the creek bank if the water level threatened to flood their boots. This type of hiking continued until we reached Whale Rocks.
Whale Rocks is a stop along the Border Trail that boasts large rock formations as big as, well, whales. My kids loved jumping from whale rock to whale rock and timing themselves to see how long it took to climb from the creek bed to the rocks and back.
After hiking with the whales we continued on the Border Trail bouncing between walking in the creek and walking on the trail. This trail is mostly flat and features many hardwood trees and rock outcrops. We found dry creek beds and natural sand pits along the way that made for fun imaginary fossil dig play. They also enjoyed climbing across several of the trees that laid across the creek.
When we hiked about halfway around the Border Trail we turned left to follow Order of the Arrow Trail to the lake. Order of the Arrow Trail is a wide, flat trail surrounded by many pine trees. At the fork in the trail we turned left to stay on the trail and continue towards the lake. When the trail intersected with White House Rd, we turned right onto White House Rd. Then we turned left on Lakeside Trail, following the north side of the lake. The map posted along the trails was a helpful guide.
The north side of Lakeside Trail parallels the edge of the lake providing gorgeous views. The girls enjoyed walking along the shore line to spot turtles, lizards, and minnows. We also saw and heard several red-tailed hawks. We walked past campsites, benches, the closed boat house, and the fishing docks before ending at the playground.
Secret Creek Trail
After playing on the playground we followed the Secret Creek Trail, which begins across from the playground. We originally discovered this trail about 3 years ago when my now 4th grader attended a field trip at Durant Nature Preserve. To this day, it was one of her most memorable fields trips. She caught (and released) tadpoles and dragonfly nymphs, and had an awesome time exploring the Secret Creek Trail with classmates.
Secret Creek Trail is an easy trail with a few small hills along the 1/2 mile hike. The trail parallels a section of the creek that has gentle banks and small waterfalls throughout. In past visits we’ve seen a family of deer behind the park office and huge turtles resting in the creek under the large trees. Again, we flip flopped between walking on the trail and walking in the water. The trail’s canopy provides a lot of coverage, making it a cooler walk during warm weather. We also discovered some large sandy spots great for picnics, digging, and relaxing. Secret Creek Trail finishes at Camp Durant Rd, so you have to walk up the hill along the road to return to the main parking lot.
After we finished our hike, we headed to Char Grill for some much needed lunch! As we ate we recounted how fun the hike was and how we can’t wait to explore it again during the warmer weather months!
Thumbs up: improved trail markings and maps, rocking climbing at Whale Rocks, easy access for exploring the creek
Thumbs down: nothing to report
Our partially shaded campsite featured a flat gravel pad, picnic table and grill. There’s a short walk to the water, which we were hoping to use for fishing access, but unfortunately there was more poison ivy than we wanted to dodge. We found another access to the water, but the low-lying trees made casting difficult for the girls. Surprisingly, we didn’t have any neighbors during our entire stay. Though the girls were sad because they couldn’t play with new friends, it also meant they could run around like maniacs without worrying about traffic.
After lunch we headed to the recreation area to cool off in the beach. The recreation area at Loop E features a large sandy shoreline with designated swimming area. The water was refreshing and the boats racing by made fun waves for the girls. The girls loved catching the waves with their inner tubes and building sand castles on the shore. They enjoyed racing into the water and diving into the calm water. Even though the water was a little murky, they didn’t seem to mind.
After playing at the beach we headed back to our campsite for showers and dinner prep. The girls helped shuck corn for grilling on the fire pit while I made mac n cheese on the trailer range. We grilled chicken sausages, corn on the cob, hot dogs and cinnamon sugar filled apples for dessert. 
In mid-January we headed to 
Then, we walked a little further until we arrived at the steep zig-zag stairs leading to the Raven Rock outcrop. We carefully walked down the windy stairs, stepping to the side to allow others to pass us. At the bottom we reached flatter ground with easy access to the river and the enormous Raven Rock outcrops. The girls loved climbing around the huge rocks and over the tree with the tangled web of tree roots. Portions of the rocks were large enough to crawl under and around, making for fun hiding spots. We also enjoyed listening to the trickling springs dripping from the moss-covered rocks overhead. 
After climbing around the main Raven Rock attraction, we ascended up the windy stairs and finished the steeper part of the loop trail. We crossed the stream a few times and enjoyed looking for wild animals through the bare forests. Lastly, when we returned to the trailhead we passed picnic tables, a large pavilion and the entrance for the American Beech Trail featuring the Kids in Parks Track Trail. Though we didn’t have time to hike it, this easy 0.5 mile hike features fun adventures such as Nature Hide ‘n Seek to excite kids about hiking. We also passed signs with information about the canoe-in camping.
Dam, Plant & Reservoir
Osceola Island
Last month good friends invited our family to their mountain cabin along the South Fork of the New River near West Jefferson, NC.  Though this was my first time on this river in NC, being back on the New River reminded me of past trips whitewater rafting through 
After an exhilarating drive down one-lane gravel roads in an old Chevy truck with a canoe in tow we arrived at a small put-in near the intersection of 
One Sunday at the end of April we headed out to Wake County’s newest park, Robertson Millpond Preserve for some fishing.  Not knowing what to expect from this new park, we quickly discovered that Robertson Millpond Preserve is a local natural refuge for recreation and relaxation.  Its main attraction is the blackwater cypress-gum swamp, making you feel transported to the lowcountry!
This particular Sunday we enjoyed the park all to ourselves for several hours.  We explored the boat ramp (only non-motorized boats are allowed) down to the pond where we heard and saw a variety of birds and insects.  Sitting on the boat dock, we gawked over the large cypress trees that envelope the pond.  The park staff have installed numbered buoys in the water to created a 1/2 mile paddling trail through the pond.  Since our visit, 
Over New Years we spent time with dear friends at their parent’s new home in Murrells Inlet, SC. I’ve known Jennie since 6th grade and Bill and Jennie’s husband, Gary, became fast friends over a decade ago when we first met Gary. With growing families and distance (they’ve been in Columbus, OH) our time spent together has been few and far between. Lucky for us they are moving to the Greater Raleigh area this Spring so our families will get more time together, which is great news for us and our kids, as they’ve all become fast friends too!
The weather was unusually warm around New Years so shortly after arriving we took advantage of the remaining sun and made the short drive to Huntington Beach State Park, located at 
The next day we returned to the park to explore the Education Center, which is only open during daytime hours and offers daily feeding times where you can watch and learn how they feed several of the animals.  With about two dozen animals to look at and learn about, we spent well over an hour in the center.  They have a touch-tank with a horseshoe crab and stingray, a star fish, baby alligator, terrapins, snakes, turtles, and some hands-on exhibits about the nearby environment.  The tanks are at perfect heights for little ones to get in on the action. After we exhausted the Education Center, the kids enjoyed a snack on the outdoor benches and we ran along the boardwalk overlooking the saltwater marshes.  We learned about the numerous inhabitants – spider crabs, stone crabs, snapping shrimp, oysters, alligators, and lots of birds.  Even though we didn’t see any of the 50-100 alligators living in the park we saw several oysters and lots of birds up close!
Blue Jay Point County Park is an outdoor mecca for people of all ages! Â We visited Blue Jay Point County Park about a month ago after hearing so much great news about the new 
After some playground time, we headed towards the covered pavilion where the Laurel Loop nature trail begins.  This was such an ideal walk for young kids – it is a well maintained unpaved trail with lots of shade, has several benches and picnic tables throughout, is only 0.2 miles, allows for a short walk by adjacent Falls Lake, and loops you back to the playground area.  All of the girls from ages 18 months to 4 years old loved exploring this trail, especially finding the dozens of caterpillars along the trail.
We then headed outside to the nearby fenced-in garden area for a much deserved picnic lunch. Â After our lunch we walked all throughout the gardens learning about the different herbs, flowers and vegetables they’ve planted. Â The biggest highlight for me was the “pizza garden” where they planted lots of basil and tomatoes. Â The biggest highlight for the girls was spotting butterflies and checking out the resident turtles and water snake in the small pond area.
This summer we explored Eno River State Park in Durham over Memorial Day weekend.  Despite a 40 minute drive and a lot of preschooler crying when we first arrived because there was no playground in sight, we enjoyed the short hike across the swaying footbridge and to the river.
After we reached the bank of the river, we followed the trail over a narrow suspension footbridge that seemed like a much, much less dramatic version of the foot bridge Indiana Jones crossed in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.  It’s less than a 15ft drop to the river, but with large openings in the sides of the bridge I walked Ashley slowly across the bridge, trying to reiterate the importance of no jumping on the bridge.
On our hike back we stopped in one of the several swimming holes to splash around a bit, promising to bring the girls back again soon with bathing suits in tow. Â Other than over 25 miles of hiking, Eno River State Park offers fishing, camping, canoeing, educational programs, the annual 
