North Carolina county #72 Cliffs of the Neuse State Park
Back when I was visiting Duplin County in the Spring and the park I was going to was closed, I was directed to Cliffs of the Neuse State Park instead. However that park was not in Duplin County so wouldn’t work for me at the time, but this week I finally made it there as my stop for Wayne County.
The park has a lot of good trails for a day hike, and a swimming area and bath house for use in the summer. Unfortunately it is hard to know exactly where to go to start the trail you want, unless you already have a good sense of the park, so I ended up wandering around for 2.5 miles on random paths – most of the time on what I think was the Lake Trail.
It was extremely warm and humid out, and I got there late due to some traffic, so the woods were somewhat quiet as the animals hunkered down in the shade to avoid the heat. Even so, the fall was definitely here, as the woods were more busy than they would have been a month ago and I got several decent species, including Chestnut-sided Warbler, Northern Parula, Red-eyed Vireo, American Redstart, and some good looks at a couple of Pileated Woodpeckers.
It was a shame it was so hot out – around 92 degrees – otherwise I would have liked to explore this park some more. As it was, I got very hot and tired pretty quickly and towards the end was ready to get out of there. I am definitely looking forward to some cooler temperatures.
Definitely worth another stop some time, and recommended for people looking for a hike with some birds on it.
ebird checklist - 1 ebird checklist - 2