Day Hike 4: Howe Street West of Sparger Road to Pleasant Green Road
Cabe Lands Access to Pleasant Green Access
Distance: 2.5 miles, plus 0.2-mile connector trail
- Difficulty: Moderate.
- Camping: No.
- Land managers: N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation (Eno River State Park).
- Volunteer Task Force Leader: Fred Dietrich, fred.dietrich@duke.edu.
- Piggyback trail: Laurel Bluffs Trail.
- Connecting trails: Cabe Lands Trail, Eno Quarry Trail.
- Trailhead/Access: Cabe Lands Access, Howe Street west of Sparger Road and Pleasant Green Access, Pleasant Green Road. These access areas are part of Eno River State Park and have gate hours of 8 a.m. to sunset. There is no overnight parking. Parking on summer weekends can be tight. Click on map below for more detail.
The biggest surprise on this trail is suddenly hiking into the inner sanctum of the Eno Quarry.
The first 1.2 miles is typical Eno: a little strolling along the banks, a steep climb, a ramble through a hardwood Piedmont forest. Then, after rock-hopping Rhodes Creek, you make a short climb and — cue theme to the “Andy Griffith Show,” please — you’re suddenly facing a deep lake surrounded by pines and mature cedars. The MST only spends a couple hundred yards along the banks, but there is a nearly half-mile trail that circumnavigates the lake; indulge yourself with a detour. (Refrain, however, from indulging in a dip: the quarry has obstructions on the bottom and swimming is verboten.)
After the quarry there’s a mellow drop through a flood plain before a mellow climb through a planted pine forest deposits you on a bluff overlooking the Eno. The trail passes through thickets of mountain laurel, tight passages that will put you in mind of your favorite mountain trails. Another flood plain, a passage under Pleasant Green Road and you’re at trail’s end, for now, at the Pleasant Green Access.
For detailed hiking directions and parking information, download the Segment 10 guide from our Trail Guides page, using the “Primary Trailheads” section to pinpoint the location. You can also visualize the route on our interactive map.