Eno River, Cole Mill Access
The Eno River is my favorite place in the area, and the Cole Mill Road access is well worth the 2) minute drive from East. The water is deep and clear and flows fast around the river boulders which soak in the sun and are warm well into the night. Cross the swinging bridge over the river and you can access miles of trails that wind through the surrounding hills, as well as a historic wilderness cabin on the river banks. Just a little farther down river is arguably the best swimming hole in the area, certainly more peaceful than the Eno Quarry.
Merritt’s Pasture
Just off Fordham Blvd. is Merritt’s Pasture, a huge public open space. The pasture offers amazing sunsets and a stellar view of the stars at night. To access, pull off the highway at the Morgan Creek
Trail parking lot, and follow the greenway, which ends in the pasture. There are a few benches at the top of a big, open hill, as well as a couple of tree groves, one of which surrounds a small pond. This is one of the best-known walks in the area, and the pasture is often crowded on weekends.
OWASA trails at University Lake
Pictured above
Just 15 minutes from East there’s a secret network of trails that traverse the east side of University Lake. It’s unlikely that you’ll run into any other hikers on these virtually unknown trails, which feels a world away despite being just minutes from town. To access these trails, travel down gravel Ray Rd. behind Carrboro High and pull off into a clearing just before the sign marking the end of the road. Be careful at this spot as it is OWASA land, and you are illegally trespassing if you venture off the trails.
Occoneechee Mountain
One of the best-known hiking spots in the area is Occoneechee Mountain in Hillsborough, a 20 minute drive from East. After a 15-minute steep hike up the mountain through the rhododendrons, you’re rewarded with a panoramic view of the surrounding farmland to the west and downtown Hillsborough to the east. With an elevation of 867 feet, Occoneechee is the highest peak in Orange County and offers a taste of the mountains without the three-hour drive.
Mason Farm Biological Reserve
The Mason Farm Biological Reserve is only 10 minutes from East, but it’s a bit of an adventure to get there. From the bottom of the parking lot of Finley Golf Course, turn right past the cemetery, and follow a dirt road for about a mile. Next, turn right and drive through Morgan Creek (yes, you read that right) to get to the reserve parking lot. From here there’s access to a scenic two-mile loop through land untouched since 1894. As this is a biological reserve, there is a plethora of plant and wildlife native to the piedmont, notably fields of wildflowers and oak trees dating back hundreds of years. As part of the trail winds through a swamp, I would not recommend visiting after a heavy rain, especially since Morgan Creek may be too deep to drive through.
