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Lake Norman State Park displays arrowheads, spearheads and tools, some dating back to 2000 BC.

The Lake Shore Trail in Lake Norman State Park.

The Lake Norman State Park Visitor Center.

High Shoals Falls in South Mountains State Park.

Some of the 400 steps to High Shoals Falls in South Mountain State Park.

The Mountains to Sea Trail at Mount Mitchell runs through North Carolina.

In the clouds near Mt. Mitchell.

The Balsam Nature Trail near the top of Mount Mitchell was shrouded in clouds on the morning of July 24.

Editor’s note: David Freeze is a runner, running coach and long-distance cyclist from China Grove in Rowan County. He visits all 42 state parks in North Carolina. Contact him at [email protected].

By David Freeze

Having caught a distant glimpse of Mount Mitchell in the clouds the night before, I was still hoping to reach the summit in time to see the sunrise on July 24. My motel was still 16 miles away, so I set out just after 6 a.m. on that dark and damp morning. I followed the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Mount Mitchell State Park access road and found most of the park shrouded in clouds.

Mt. Mitchell was North Carolina’s first state park in 1915 and is one of the smallest at 19 acres. It is named after Elisha Mitchell, who explored the mountain and found it to be the highest peak east of the Mississippi at 7 feet 10 inches. The mountain was once served by a railroad for logging purposes.

Highway 128 is the access road, and I drove to the parking lot at the summit while waiting for more daylight and hopefully a break in the clouds. I realized the area was shrouded in clouds, so I walked the Balsam Nature Loop as the owner of Albert’s Lodge had recommended the night before. What I found was a sort of enchanted alpine forest that was well worth the effort. At the other end, I briefly walked the Mountains to Sea Trail, which runs through North Carolina, for the first time.

Back at the trailhead, I walked up the paved but steep Summit Trail to the viewing area, which is sure to be a treat on a clear day. I was last here as a young child, but could not currently see further than 200 feet. There is also a small museum and gift shop in the area, as well as restrooms. The museum has a life-sized figure of area explorer Tom Wilson and his cabin.

On the way back I stopped at the park restaurant, which had been highly recommended but didn’t open until 11am. Finally, there was a stop at the visitor centre to get my passport stamped and a map, and also an interesting chat with one of the staff. “I will come back to see the view, which takes in parts of four states and is so spectacular, maybe even Russia,” said Van smiling from Albert’s Lodge.

My next park was South Mountains State Park, which is the closest to Connelly Springs and is the largest state park at over 20,000 acres. The park is at an elevation of 3,000 feet and has 47 miles of hiking trails, 35 miles of horseback riding trails, and 17 miles of bike trails. Opened in the 1970s, the park offers basic camping. The Cherokee Catawba Indians once hunted and fought in the park area and settlers arrived in the late 1800s. Gold was found in 1828 and 26,000 acres were logged before the state established the park.

I asked at the visitor center about the most popular hiking trail in the park. The High Shoals Fall Trail is the most well-known trail, and although the receptionist suggested easier trails, I told her I wanted to see the falls. It was more than a mile to the falls, the second half being mostly wet rock steps. There were 400 this time, plus a huge crowd of people coming and going, including what looked like day camps for kids. I just stepped aside and gave everyone else plenty of room.

The park has an extensive mix of 11 hiking trails ranging in length from 0.2 to 5.2 miles and varying levels of difficulty. Many of the trails can be combined for even longer distances. All trails begin at one of three trailheads.

High Shoals Falls was one of the most beautiful I’ve seen on the state park trails and definitely worth the effort again. This was my 15th visit.^th Park and the most challenging waterfall trail yet. On the way back I took a different trail to Big Bear Falls which was much easier.

My next park was Lake Norman State Park, which is closest to my farm, on July 26. The park opened in 1962 after Duke Power built the Cowans Ford Dam and donated land to the state for the park. Lake Norman was created from 1959 to 1964, but the area is full of history from times long past. The Catawba Indians once numbered about 5,000, but they left the area after its population dwindled to fewer than 100 due to disease and wars with one of the eight other tribes nearby. There is an interesting collection of arrowheads there that have been carbon dated to before 2000 BC.

The park, with 17 miles of shoreline on Lake Norman, offers 1,200 acres of campgrounds, a public swimming beach, hiking and biking trails, picnic areas and pavilions, a community center, boat ramp and fishing pier. Fishing is good in Lake Norman and the park lake. Kayaks, canoes, pedal boats and stand-up paddleboards are available in one of the smallest yet best parks. There is a 30-mile Itusu mountain bike trail. I rode the Lakeshore Trail, which is listed as 6 miles on the park map but is more like 5.5 miles. Two other, shorter trails, including one that is wheelchair accessible, start near the visitor center. The beach is free for swimmers except for a small fee, but boats can be launched for free on Boat Launch Drive. There are numerous campgrounds and a bathhouse and restrooms nearby. Six new two-room cabins that sleep six also have water, sewer and electric hookups. Everything is free and there is a lot to do!

Sixteen parks visited, 26 more to go.