Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve is a joint project between the North Carolina state park system and Cary, Wake County, North Carolina in the United States. Located in Cary, it covers approximately 140-acre (0.57 km2) in the Research Triangle region of the state. The state owns 97-acre (0.39 km2) of the preserve, known as Hemlock Bluffs State Natural Area.[3] The Town of Cary owns approximately 42-acre (0.17 km2) of the preserve, and the town leases the state's land for management. The preserve protects a population of Eastern Hemlock trees and other vegetation more typically found further west, in the Appalachian Mountains. The tall, north-facing bluffs of Swift Creek provide conditions similar enough to the mountains to have allowed the plant communities to have survived there since the last ice age.[4][5]
| Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
  Location of Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve in North Carolina  Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve (the United States) | |
| Location | Wake County, North Carolina, United States |
| Coordinates | 35°43′31″N 78°47′11″W / 35.72528°N 78.78639°W[1] |
| Area | 140 acres (57 ha) |
| Elevation | 413 ft (126 m)[1] |
| Established | 1976[2] |
| Named for | Eastern Hemlock |
| Operator | Cary Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources |
| Website | Stevens Nature Center at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve | Town of Cary |
The Stevens Nature Center is a nature center located on Cary's portion of the preserve, which provides the preserve's core visitor facilities. It provides information about the natural history of the area and the plants and animals that live in the Nature Preserve.[6]
Hiking Trails
editThe preserve has approximately 3 miles of mulched hiking trails featuring boardwalks, benches, stairs, and overlooks.[7]
| Name | Distance(Roundtrip) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Swift Creek Loop Trail | 0.8 Miles | This trail features about 100 stairs, and travels through floodplain to two overlooks. |
| Chestnut Oak Loop Trail | 1.2 Miles | This trail winds through steep bluffs, featuring benches and one overlook. |
| Beech Tree Cove Trail | 0.9 Miles | A spur trail from Chestnut Oak Loop Trail, featuring two overlooks and 41 stairs. |
| West Hemlock Overlook | 0.7 Miles | A spur trail from Chestnut Oak Loop trail to an overlook of the West Bluffs, featuring 19 stairs.[8] |
References
edit- ^ a b "Hemlock Bluffs State Natural Area". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ "Directory of State Parks and Recreation Areas" (PDF). North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings. May 1, 2010. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 22, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
- ^ "Size of the North Carolina State Parks System". North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation. January 1, 2015. Archived from the original (XLS) on October 4, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
- ^ Biggs, Walter C. Jr.; Parnell, James F. (1993) [1989]. "State Natural Areas/Nature Preserve". State Parks of North Carolina (2nd ed.). Winston-Salem, North Carolina: John F. Blair. p. 285. ISBN 0-89587-071-1.
- ^ Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve Trail Guide (brochure), Cary, North Carolina: Cary Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources
- ^ "Nature Center". Cary, North Carolina: Cary Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources. Archived from the original on May 5, 2011. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
- ^ "Stevens Nature Center At Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve". Cary, North Carolina: Town of Cary. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- ^ "Trails At Hemlock Bluffs | Town of Cary". www.townofcary.org. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
External links
edit- Friends of Hemlock Bluffs
- Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve Trail Map
- Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve
- Stevens Nature Center
- Harold D. Ritter Park is adjacent to the preserve's northern boundary.