Monday — never an easy time for the outdoors enthusiast. After a weekend of adventure, returning to the humdrum work-a-day world can make one melancholy. To help ease the transition, every Monday we feature a 90 Second Escape — essentially, a 90-second video or slide show of a place you’d probably rather be: a trail, a park, a greenway, a lake … anywhere as long as it’s not under a fluorescent bulb.
Today’s 90-Second Escape: The Lower Haw River State Natural Area
We did this hike exactly a year ago; running across it we were reminded this is about the perfect time to explore this trail.
“Trail” — in a conceptual sense. This narrow slip of land along the east bank of the Haw River runs from Bynum south to US 64. Part of the North Carolina State Parks system, a “natural area” is one of three designations given its properties. State Recreation Areas are managed primarily for recreation, state parks for a mix of recreation and resource protection, natural areas for resource protection primarily. Along the Lower Haw River State Natural Area you won’t find luxuries like bridges, or blazes, or maintained trails. Thus, in the dead of summer, jungle rules rule, and finding your way sans machete can be a challenge.
Now, though, the milder weather lures hikers to enjoy the mature bottomland forest, the occasional rock outcrops and the wild, wild Haw River.
Intrigued? Spend 90 Seconds on a virtual visit. Then check out our guide and make plans to visit.
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