Thursday, April 20, 2023
As spring has been unfolding around us, Jane has been wistfully eyeing our RV which has been hibernating alongside our driveway since late October. She finally could no longer resist the urge to camp, and so, made a two-night reservation for us at nearby Raven Rock State Park. We de-winterized the camper and, after several shopping trips, packed. There was no need to tow a car on this trip, so I installed our sturdy, but rarely used, RV bike rack. (Normally, we use a smaller bike rack on our toad.)
We departed around 2 pm and Jane drove the 50-minute route with Zorro in his carrier between the front seats. As we were arriving at the park visitor center, Jane channeled a horrible revelation; we didn’t pack coffee. Oh, no! After inquiring at the center, we traced our route back to the main highway, drove a couple of miles to a store, purchased coffee and filters, and returned to the park, crisis averted.
The park campground is off of Moccasin Branch Road and is only a few years old. The sites were large and relatively private. There were nine RV sites with full hook-ups, 15 tent sites and six cabins. We set-up quickly and were enjoying happy hour and the beautiful weather from our camp chairs in no time. We had a quiet evening of games, dinner and television and spent awhile outside, too, enjoying star-gazing under the dark skies.
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| Entrance Sign |
Our Spacious Camp Site
Friday, April 21, 2023
Today we explored the park. We started with a seven-mile bicycle ride. The Mountain Laurel Beginner Loop was just our speed. We wound through native piedmont forests including glorious patches of flowering mountain laurel, Kalmia latifolia. We paralleled and criss-crossed a small stream for part of the route and later sighted deer in the woods. Upon returning to the camper, we ate lunch and relaxed awhile.
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| Flowering Mountain Laurel along the Bike Trail |
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| Mountain Laurel Beginner Loop |
In the afternoon, we rode our bikes to a parking area near the visitor center (~1.25 miles). We locked our bikes to a wooden fence, then took a five-mile hike combining three trails, the Raven Rock Loop Trail, the Little Creek Loop Trail and the Fish Traps Trail.
The gradual downhill section along Little Creek was especially enjoyable with pools, eddies, slides, and small falls. Jane was on the lookout for trapdoor spiders. We prodded a few suspicious holes in the forest litter layer but didn’t find one. However, small hopping toads were common along the trail. We eventually arrived at Canoe Camp and walked down to the landing for a view of Cape Fear River.
We gradually ascended from river level and eventually were hiking along a ridge above the river. From there, a spur trail descended via steep wooden stairs to the river and the foot of the park’s namesake feature. Raven Rock rises 150 feet above Cape Fear River and derived its name from ravens that formerly roosted along its ledge. After climbing back up the steep stairs, we briefly rested on a bench before continuing to Raven Rock Lookout for topside view of the river.
We continued along the ridge before again descending to Fish Traps, a small set of river rapids and former site of a lock and dam. There were several young men there daring each other to swim through the rapids. Jane and I then tiredly hiked back to our bikes and rode back to the campsite. We spent another quiet evening and slept well with the open windows letting in the cool outdoor air.
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| Cape Fear River from Canoe Camp |
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| Raven Rock |
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| Cape Fear River from Raven Rock Overlook |
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| Cape Fear River at Fish Traps |
Saturday, April 22, 2023
Rain clouds were moving in this morning so we did not tarry in eating our quiche breakfast and breaking camp. We drove to, and parked the RV in front of, the visitor center in order to peruse the displays inside. We learned quite a bit about the geology and interesting history of this area. Raven Rock and the nearby town of Lillington, are on the fall line where the Cape Fear River becomes too unnavigable for large boats heading upstream. In times past, ships would carry cargo from Wilmington and Fayetteville upstream to Lillington where it was reloaded onto wagons to travel further inland.
After absorbing the information in the visitors center, we walked back to the RV arriving just as the rain started. I drove the short and uneventful route home through intermittent rain showers to conclude our enjoyable 2023 inaugural RV trip.
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| RRSP Visitor Center |
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| Display of Native American Projectile Points |
Gorgeous photos!