Carvers Creek State Park — Attraction in Spring Lake

Carvers Creek State Park is one of the newest additions to the NC State Parks system. It opened as recently as 2013 and right as things started to get rolling in an uphill direction, this park suffered major devastation in 2016 when the dam (originally built in 1850) that upheld one of the key features of the park, a 100-acre millpond, broke due to catastrophic flooding from the remnants of a hurricane. However, if I were living out in nearby Fayetteville I would still be visiting this little park on a regular basis. It's backs right up to the edge of the city and offers visitors a glimpse at what growing up on an old farm in North Carolina would be like.

Once owned by members of the Rockefeller family as a modest southern retreat, Carver Creek really took me back to my time growing up on my grandparents farm. The sandy-dirt road leading to the old house passed by a large field to the left and pine trees on the right. I enjoyed the feeling of sand between my toes as I walked barefoot and I imagine this sensation was shared with the long past owners of the land. While the 4,000 acre park only has this one trail to offer guests, there are plenty of spots to stop for a picnic. Even with the pond having drained out, it's still a pretty spot to find a seat in the grass next to an old home.

Carvers Creek is ideal for anyone looking to get some good shots of old southern barns and homes. There are a few on the property and they're all easy to access as well as safe to approach. In addition to this, there are occasional tours of the Rockefeller home however I believe those may need to be set up in advance. There are some signs around to let guests know a bit about the home and who used to live there. I would love some more signs out in the future that also explained the other buildings in the park. All in good time I hope!

Trails James S. Rockefeller Trail This is a trail that is serviceable to private vehicles and is what I imagine was used as the driveway for the Rockefeller's. It runs strait to the house and what was the pond. It was flat and soft to walk on for the first half. The second half runs through tall pines and backs up against the farthest edge of the park. We Mira and I walked we heard dogs barking from the nearby neighborhood and even a rooster crow a few times. I would have loved to have been able to bike this trail. It was wide, offered a few easy-to-maneuver hills, and just enough to keep riders on track and alert. The entire trail is less than a mile and serves as a great place to get some steps in before nightfall.

Cypress Point Loop Trail I imagine this trail was very popular back in its heyday with the pond. Guests used to be able to rent canoes and go out onto an overlook over the water. Now it is a bit over grown. It still goes past a few old buildings and one can still see where the pond used to be, however, until the park can extend it out to the creek I imagine many people do not use this trail anymore. That is a small point I want to make...the park is named after a creek that I crossed just outside the park on the way in. It looked beautiful under all the trees! I was excited...until I learned there was no way to access the creek without going off trail. This park is named after a feature unaccessible to guests. That was a bit of a let...

We had never heard of this park, so we went exploring with no clue of our destination. The website for the park explained the history James S. Rockefeller's generosity in gifting the property to the conservancy, which transferred it to the state for a park. We had one day free to see it, and the day was a hot one. We walked one trail on the sandhill access point before driving 20 minutes to the Long Valley access point. The employee in the Welcome Center was less than friendly, and she appeared to be trying to meet deadlines as she typed fast and furiously at her computer. We walked the half mile from the welcome center to the Rockefeller House to meet the park ranger who led the tour through the house. As we walked through the house, the structure seemed sound, but time and nature have done their jobs in the deterioration of much of the exterior. The cost of renovation seems impractical in light of the intended purpose. The investment in the plumbing, electrical network, remodeling of the kitchen for catering, scraping and repainting of the entire house inside and out may not be wise unless the place reaches a status of high demand as an event venue. The paths on this side of the park are great, and the potential for wildlife siting is high. We will return on...

Carvers Creek is the one of the newest parks in the North Carolina State Park system. It is located in the Sandhills region of the state in Spring Lake near Fayetteville and Fort Bragg. The park opened to the public in September 2013. Only a small part of the park is currently open to public access - the Long Valley Farm area. There are about two miles of hiking trails in the area. The Rockefeller Loop Trail leads from the parking area down an old gravel road between a pine forest and an open field and ends at the Rockefeller House, the former home of the trail's namesake. It then loops around following the park boundary back to the welcome center. The Cypress Point Loop Trail makes a short loop from the house along the former millpond. Flooding in September 2016 destroyed the millpond and its now just creek and dry lake bed. Signs indicate that the park is working to restore the house and open it to the public. Additionally, as the park is developed, more amenities...