A Scout’s Campfire

Loblolly Trail - Hike Report

May 1st, 2007 spryken

My Troop is planning a 50 mile combination Backpack/canoe trip in June. We will be hiking approximately 34 mile on the Appalachian Trial, from Clingsman Dome to Fontana Dam, then canoeing on Fontana Lake. In preparation for this trip, I have been trying to walk 3 miles at lunch most days. Yesterday, I hiked the Loblolly trail in Raleigh, NC. It is approximately 6.5 miles long.

The Loblolly trail is a bit unusual in that it crosses 3 different jurisdictions, William B Umstead State Park, Schenck Forest (NCSU) and the Raleigh Parks and Recreation Greenway system. Each section is reserved for hiking with bicycles, motorized vehicles and horses prohibited. One end of the trail is in the State Park and the other in the parking lot of the RBC Center, where the Carolina Hurricanes play hockey.

I started in the State Park. There the trail travels through forest, up and down to cross Richlands Creek. This section is the most strenuous, but is still only moderately strenuous. Most hikers would have not trouble at all. It travels 2 1/2 to 3 miles in the State Park.

The trail then crosses into Schenck Forest, a research forest for the Department of Forestry at NC State University. The trail follows Richlands Creek. While the trial in Umstead State Park is wide and appears well traveled, here it is narrower and looks less used. Following the creek more closely, the trail is more grassy and ticks are a concern. The trail circles a small lake and there is one of the few signs of civilization. There is a neighborhood that backs up to the lake.

Leaving Schenck Forest, I traveled through a tunnel under Wade Avenue. The trail is now part of the Raleigh Parks Greenway. This section is only about 1/2 mile long and travels along Richlands Creek. More grassy fields and even traveling. I crossed another tunnel under Edwards Mill Rd and up a hill into the parking lot of the RBC Center. All total 1 hour 50 minutes to travel 6.4 miles according to my GPS.

Wildlife spotted:

• 2 black snakes
• 1 copperhead
• 1 egret
• small herd of deer
• 1 red fox

This is all in a “civilized” area!!

Entry Filed under: Backpacking, Boy Scouts, Hiking