Hemlock Bluffs (Wake County, North Carolina)

 

As has become my custom in recent years, I like to find a hike or two to pack into my agenda whenever I travel. Visiting in friends in Raleigh, NC this weekend, I did a little research of local trails and finally decided to hike the trails of the Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve just a few miles outside of the city.

As is always the case when leaving my home in the high desert of northern Nevada, I'm struck by the humidity as soon as I leave the rental car at the trail head. The area is lush and green with numerous different species of deciduous trees and bushes taking over the entire area. A small nature center has been constructed by the parking lot to act as a visitor's center as well as an educational experience for the younger visitors. The three short trails depart from this area and form various loops through the woods. Grabbing a trail map, I decide to tackle all three of them.

The trail itself is extremely well maintained with a surface of chipped wood providing and obvious and easily traveled path through the greenery. It's fairly flat with a only a couple of short gentle inclines. In the trees surrounding me, July flies make their presence known to any visitor or potential mate with the high pitched chattering of their wings and/or legs. It's not a sound that I'm used to, but having grown up in the Midwest, it's not foreign to me and it does bring back memories of exploring my grandparent's farm in western Kentucky when I as a kid.

As I make way through the woods, I find a few sturdily constructed decks hanging over a large ravine cut by Swift Creek. As I arrive on the top of the bluff and the associated viewing deck, the small creek flows fifty or so feet below me. The view however, is dominated by greenery and I suspect that better views are only available in the fall after the leaves have turned and fallen. I am able to pick out a couple of specimen of eastern hemlock, for which the park is named. These trees are generally found in the mountainous western part of the state, but it is believed that this area is enough like Appalachia to allow small population to thrive in and around the bluffs.

After finish the third loop, which follows a board walk a short distance right along the creek, I return to the parking lot. Though I was hiking at a leisurely pace, I'm still soaking wet. Luckily, I planned ahead for this possibility and pull out a fresh shirt for the drive back. The three trails combined only gave me about 2.3 miles of hiking, but it was still a nice taste of what North Carolina has to offer.