August 16, 2014
Goose Creek State Park lies on the banks of the Pamlico River about 30 miles east of Greenville. I was drawn to this park because a circuit hike of all the park’s trails would give me a solid afternoon of hiking 8-10 miles. Like most state parks in NC, the park was easy to find with Google Maps taking me right there and plenty of directional signs as I got closer. I parked at the main park office/ranger station just inside the park entrance. There is additional parking deeper inside the park for campers, swimmers, and people who want a different trail access point.
Since I do a lot of hiking alone, I make it a point to 1) let a friend or family member know where I’m going and when they can expect to hear from me when I’m done; and 2) “check in” at the ranger station if there is one. Many of the places I hike don’t have an official check in, but I feel like it’s a good habit to say “hi” so if something happens someone might remember seeing me. After getting seriously turned around on a hike earlier this year (do we have to call it “lost”?), it gives me a little peace of mind.
So after saying “hi” to the rangers and confirming this park doesn’t have a lot of un-blazed trails or logging roads to get turned around on, I headed off down the Palmetto Boardwalk. As the name implies, this trail is entirely an elevated boardwalk through marshland. I’ve loved cattails since I was a kid and there were plenty lining both sides of the trail. Wildlife finds included a pileated woodpecker and many turtles.
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| Palmetto Boardwalk |
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| Cattails |
The trail terminates and you can choose to head down the Ivey Gut Trail or the Tar Kiln Trail. I turned right towards the Ivey Gut Trail. The Ivey Gut Trail is where I started to see deer galore. I saw more deer than people this day! The muddier sections of all the trails in the park were completely pock marked with deer hoof prints. I didn’t count, but I’d estimate seeing at least 30 deer.
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| Can you see the deer? |
The Ivey Gut Trail leads to views of Goose Creek, where I saw several kayakers enjoying the tranquil waters.
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| Goose Creek |
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| Kayaker on Goose Creek |
The trail eventually crosses a park road before terminating on Goose Creek Trail. As I wanted to see and hike the entire park, I turned right for an out-and-back section of the trail. This section of the trail passes near several tent camping sites. The end of the trail has several benches that provide a nice overlook of Goose Creek as it widens out to join the Pamlico River. It was a peaceful place to eat lunch.
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| Peaceful spot for lunch overlooking Goose Creek |
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| Erosion revealing this tree's root system |
Heading back on the Goose Creek Trail, I took the side path to the Flatty Creek Trail, a less-than-one-mile side trail with more views of the Pamlico River. This section of the park has signage indicating the park is a National Natural Landmark.
After exiting the Flatty Creek Trail, I turned right to continue back on the Goose Creek Trail. The next couple of miles were a little boring, until a saw a group of wild turkeys (which I just learned is called a “rafter” of turkeys). Oh yeah, and a lot more deer… Goose Creek Trail eventually terminates near an access point for swimming in the Pamlico River. I skipped this turn off point and headed down the Live Oak Trail, a very short trail that takes you past a small cemetery dating to the 1880’s. Not much is known about the cemetery, but it is thought to be the resting place of victims of an infectious disease outbreak.
The Live Oak Trail takes you to the short Huckleberry trail, which takes you to the short Mallard Creek Trail. This aptly named trail terminates with overviews of Mallard Creek.
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| Mallard Creek |
Heading back on Mallard Creek Trail, I intersected with the last trail of the day, the Tar Kiln Trail. This trail has sections that are heavily canopied with Spanish moss, and takes you past several old tar kilns. I liked the historic aspects of the trail, which made me remember learning as a child about the importance of naval stores to North Carolina’s history and how the Tar Heel State got its nick name.
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| Spanish moss on the Tar Kiln Trail |
I was feeling a little warm and ragged on the last section of the Tar Kiln Trail. My GPS showed I was at about 8.5 miles, and also getting close to my original turnoff from the Palmetto Boardwalk. I was happy to get back there and didn’t dally as much heading back to the ranger station, as the sudden exit from the woods into the sunny and humid marsh was a bit unpleasant. Arriving back at the ranger station, I eagerly drank a deliciously cold Dr. Pepper from the vending machine before getting in the car to head home.
Summary: I liked this park. Well-marked trails are always appreciated. I had read an online review that said the ticks here were ridiculous, but my tick check at the end of the day was clear. Final mileage for the day was 9.2 miles, which took me about 3.5 hours.
