Carvers Creek State Park is the newest addition to the North Carolina State Parks family. Located on the edge of the sandhills region just north of Fayetteville, the park encompasses some 4,000+ acres of mostly undeveloped land. The park is in just the earliest stages of its development so what you might find on a visit in the coming years could be vastly different than what I was able to see on this visit. The primary ecological feature of Carvers Creek is its vast stands of Longleaf Pine interspersed with grassy fields left over from when the land was used primarily for farming. The park also contains some interesting cultural sites as well. Back when the region was a turpentine and lumber producing area and early settler dammed the tiny Jumping Run Creek to create a millpond to run his sawmill...the millpond still exists today and is surrounded in part by beautiful stands of bald cypress and tupelo gum. Early in the 20th Century a man by the name of James Rockefeller acquired 1,240 acres around the pond along with a number of buildings which the park plans on someday opening to visitation.

My visit to Carvers Creek was a quick one...primarily because there is a distinct lack of trails to explore, only about 2-miles worth all told. This allowed for a leisurely stroll, however, and I was able to enjoy exploring the edges of the millpond as well as the Rockefeller farm grounds. Carvers Creek certainly wasn't the most visually stimulating park I've ever visited but it was none-the-less interesting to explore one of our state parks in its early stages of development. I doubt I'll return again any time soon but it will be interesting to see how things have changed if I do decide to return. Enjoy...

Trailhead GPS Coordinates:  35.202399, -78.976348

Route Type:  Lollipop                             Difficulty:  EASY  (Petzoldt Rating:  2.10 )

Hike Length:  2.0 miles                          Hike Duration:  1:15

Trailhead Temp: 75'F

Min. Elevation:  160'                               Max. Elevation:  175' 

Trails Used (blaze color):  Cypress Point Loop (blue), Rockefeller Loop (white)

10-14-2014