Whenever you get a chance to visit a North Carolina State Park it is a good day. It is awesome to be able to find adventure all around you. It takes you out of the ordinary and places you in the midst of true beauty. You get to experience nature and learn about the towns surrounding the parks. It is an awesome way to truly get to know your state. We got to do that on our recent trips to Eno River State Park and Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area.

It doesn’t matter how long you have to experience the parks. It is always good. Sometimes it is good to have a weekend away exploring. Other times all you need is a couple of hours on the trails to reenergize your bones. Still other times it is good to just pull in, find a picnic table, eat a piece of pie, and head out. We have had all of these experiences at these parks and we are grateful for each unique visit. Here is what we learned visiting Eno River State Park, Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, and the surrounding towns.

Eno River State Park

Eno River State Park is a beautiful river park in Durham and Orange counties. This park is really special because it is a huge natural area in the middle of some major urban areas. It is a great place to find some solitude in the middle of the daily grind. The Eno River is about 40 miles long and begins in Orange County. It flows through Hillsborough, the State Park, and finally Durham before eventually joining the Neuse River. The Neuse flows into Falls Lake (another State Park!).

There are five different access points to the State Park. The main access point is Fews Ford. This access is one of two access points off of Cole Mill Rd. This access has the visitors center where you can get your stamp and learn about the history and nature you will find in the park. From here you can access the larger areas of the park, most of the hiking trails, camping areas, and canoeing. The other access areas are Cabe Lands, Cole Mill, Pleasant Green, and Pump Station. You will find hiking, fishing, canoeing, and camping at these locations as well. Of these, Cole Mill offers the most amenities.

Hiking At Eno River State Park

There is a ton to do at Eno River. We always love finding a good place to hike and this park has a ton of trails to offer. There are over 30 miles of trails to get on here. This is a great place to get some miles in for the nc100miles program. On our last trip we took the Cox Mountain Trail at the Fews Ford access.

The Cox Mountain Trail is a 4.1 mile hike that takes lets you get a pretty good overview of the whole park. This trail has a couple of miles where you are walking through the woods and fields but also allows you a lot of time walking by the Eno. There are some great rocky areas along the water which make for great picnic spots. There are no trash cans so take your trash with you, always good to pack a little bag just for trash.

Another great thing about this trail is the swinging bridge at the beginning of the hike. This bridge is beautiful and really fun. They did an excellent job with it. This area also provides a great place to get in the river or do a little fishing.

Eno River also has a completed section of the Mountains to Sea Trail. This is a trail that stretches from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks. The trail right now is a mixture of roads and completed trails. Right now there are over 700 miles of completed trail. Every year new areas are blazed and eventually this will be close to 1200 miles of awesomeness.

In The Water At Eno River

The Eno is a perfect place to do some fly-fishing or casting. There are numerous areas along the river where you can drop a line in or you can just wade in. We do a little fishing, but we have friends who are really into it and they love going here. There are largemouth bass, bluegill, and the rare Roanoke bass. Make sure you have your fishing license when you are here. It is strictly enforced.

There are plenty of places to kayak and canoe throughout the river. After a good rain the rapids on the Eno can get to as high as class III in some places. It is best to go after a rain. If you go during a dry spell you will be getting out and walking your boat over the rocks. Done it before, no big deal, but always better to stay in the boat. The best place to get in is between Hillsborough and Durham. You will find the best rapids and the longes areas to enjoy.

Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area

Occoneechee Mountain is a very small area in Hillsborough that is run by Eno River State Park. This state natural area is near where Highways 40 and 85 merge so it is easy to access no matter where you are traveling from. Though it is managed by Eno River, it is its own entity in the Parks System. It is important to note that if you are trying to complete your passport book, you will need to get the Occoneechee Mountain stamp at Eno River.

We have been to Occoneechee a couple of times to hike or to sit and enjoy some food. Occoneechee Mountain is a pretty large hill that shoots up high above the surrounding Piedmont area. Overall, there are three miles of trails here. Though there isn’t a ton of mileage here, the trails can be challenging because of the elevation change. The main trail is the Loop Trail. This trail takes you up the mountain and along the Eno River. For the best views near the top, you will need to take the Overlook Trail which is a short tenth of a mile spur trail at the top. There are pretty good views up here and a nice sitting area.

Outside of the trails there really isn’t much here. There are some nice picnic areas and a couple of ponds where you can fish. Besides that, this park isn’t one to make a special trip for. If you live in the area, it is a great place to exercise or get some hiking in. Besides that, if you are trying to hit up all of the parks make sure you do this with Eno River.

Mebane

We have driven by Mebane hundreds of times heading down 40/85. The only times that we have ever really stopped here though was to go to the outlet malls. We found out that there is more to this town that those shops. Mebane has a great downtown area that makes for a great place to grab a bite to eat or do some window shopping. Everyone we met was really friendly and welcoming. They also have a ton of great murals downtown which give you some pretty good picture spots.

Martinho’s

Our main goal for visiting Mebane was lunch. Surprisingly, there are a lot of options downtown. We read a ton of reviews and walked around to the different restaurants to make our decision. We finally settled on Martinho’s and we were not disappointed. This is a bakery and deli that was just awesome. Being a deli, you will find a bunch of great Italian options. We loved talking with the ladies taking our order. We told them we were first-timers and they were patient with us as the walked us through all they had to offer. They gave us some great suggestions and even pointed us to one of the best dessert coolers (?) we have ever seen.

We settled on the calzone and the chicken parm sandwich. Both of them were spectacular. The dough on the calzone was the best dough I have ever eaten in my life. I know that is a bold statement – but I stand by it! This thing was also massive. I ended up taking half of it home for dinner. Two meals for the price of one. Megan loved her sandwich as well. Everything was cooked perfectly and the sauce was bomb. Not only was the food good, we got everything for under $20. It was an awesome meal. Well, we got everything under $20 before we went back for dessert. We couldn’t resist. I got the cheesecake and Megan got the Neapolitan cake . Both were really great. Overall, it was a fantastic experience.

Reed’s Coffee and Art

After lunch we headed to Reed’s Coffee and Art a couple of doors down. This is a huge coffee shop that doubles as a place for artist to sell their goods. You see something you like, just grab it off the wall. It is really cool and really unique. There is a ton of seating here both indoors and out. There are plenty of drink options here, Megan loved that they had a London Fog on the actual menu. They have a pretty robust food menu as well. We decided to take our dessert and drinks to Occoneechee and relax at a picnic table.

Hillsborough

Hillsborough is a really sweet little town just west of Durham on 85. This town has a ton of history but for this trip we wanted to focus on the Eno. The Eno River flows right through the middle of Hillsborough and the town has done a phenomenal job of building a beautiful trail along the banks of the river. One thing we really loved was the parking deck in the downtown area. More towns need to do this. They did a great job hiding the parking deck so it blends in with the surrounding area. A lot of towns like this parking is impossible, not this one. Best part? It was free!

The trail through Hillsborough is actually another part of the Mountains To Sea Trail. It is a really great trail with a parks and open areas throughout. A really great feature of this trail is the bridge near the parking deck. We spent a lot of time just hanging out here, checking out the river, and watching the fish swim below. This is a really relaxing place.

Have you ever been to these places? Do you ever just stop by for a quick trip or do you always try and take your time?

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Looking for other NC State Park day trip plans? Check out our guides to Jordan Lake and Historic Apex or Medoc Mountain and Halifax!