Lumber River State Park offers hiking, fishing, paddling, and picnicking. The 115-mile Lumber River is a National Wild and Scenic River. Visitors have two access areas: Princess Ann and Chalk Banks.
Princess Ann access has a few hiking trails – Griffin’s Bluff/TRACK Trail, Mill Hole Trail, and Naked Landing Trail.
History
Information boards throughout the park offer information about the area and its history. Several indigenous groups lived in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain area, representing four linguistic groups known to have populated the region — Siouan, Iroquoian, Algonkian, and Mukogegan. By the 18th century, tribes including the Waccamaw and ancestors of today’s Lumbee tribe had settled on the river’s banks.
In the 1700s, the area’s economy was dominated by naval stores industries, due to the availability of raw timber and ability to transport logs downriver. The town of Princess Ann was established on Griffin’s Bluff. River transport became less important as railroads took over, and by the mid-1800s, the town slowly diminished.
In 1880, Butters Lumber Co. was founded five miles from Princess Ann access. It was one of the four largest lumber companies in the South at one time. Logs “wider than a man was tall” were removed from the swamp forests along the riverbanks.
Along the paved portion of the TRACK Trail, a humongous log is on display. It was originally cut into a 16-foot section and rolled into a canal. However, it was too heavy to float and too big to be moved, so it laid there for about 100 years. Once it was eventually hauled to a nearby sawmill, they found it too large for the saw blade. It remained at the mill until 1997, when it was donated to the park.
Hiking
Griffin’s Bluff Trail
Lumber River’s TRACK Trail follows a large portion of Griffin’s Bluff Trail. The 0.5-mile loop walks along Griffin’s Bluff to an observation deck overlooking Griffin’s Whirl.
Griffin’s Whirl is a reverse-flow area in the river.
The TRACK Trail is on the high end of easy, with a few sets of wooden staircases. Visitors have the option to shorten the hike by taking connector shortcut paths.
Along the path I found multiple American and Fowler’s toads in various colors. I also spied American redstarts, northern cardinals, and pileated woodpeckers.
Beyond Griffin’s Whirl, the Mill Hole Loop Trail breaks off to visit the site of an old mill with mill stones on display.
Naked Landing Trail
The 0.4-mile Naked Landing Trail also follows Lumber River, in the opposite direction from Griffin’s Whirl.
Near the start of the trail, there were trees in parallel lines. I found the view of the river framed through the trunks stunning. Nearby, several trees had bird houses.
The trail winds between the river and swampy areas with cypress and other lowland trees. Yellow circle blazes guide the way.
Naked Landing Trail also leads to a couple of campsites. Benches and a swinging chair are provided just before the trailhead to offer visitors a place to relax and enjoy the river.
Happy Thanksgiving Steph and fellow readers! I’m thankful for your blog, I love learning about new places, and your descriptions and photos are always very interesting.
Thanks Jay! I am thankful for your kindness and continued support! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving 🙂