Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve Explained

Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve
Iucn Category:IV
Map:USA North Carolina#USA
Relief:1
Location:Wake County, North Carolina, United States
Coordinates:35.7253°N -78.7864°W
Area Acre:140
Elevation:413feet
Established:1976
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

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 140acres in the Research Triangle region of the state. The state owns 97acres of the preserve, known as Hemlock Bluffs State Natural Area. The Town of Cary owns approximately 42acres 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.[1]

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.[2]

Hiking Trails

The preserve has approximately 3 miles of mulched hiking trails featuring boardwalks, benches, stairs, and overlooks.[3]

Hiking Trails!Name!Distance(Roundtrip)!Description
Swift Creek Loop Trail0.8 MilesThis trail features about 100 stairs, and travels through floodplain to two overlooks.
Chestnut Oak Loop Trail1.2 MilesThis trail winds through steep bluffs, featuring benches and one overlook.
Beech Tree Cove Trail0.9 MilesA spur trail from Chestnut Oak Loop Trail, featuring two overlooks and 41 stairs.
West Hemlock Overlook0.7 MilesA spur trail from Chestnut Oak Loop trail to an overlook of the West Bluffs, featuring 19 stairs.[4]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Biggs. Walter C. Jr.. Parnell. James F.. State Parks of North Carolina. 2nd. 1989. 1993. John F. Blair. Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 0-89587-071-1. 285. State Natural Areas/Nature Preserve.
  2. Web site: Nature Center . Cary Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources . Cary, North Carolina . May 18, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110505034152/http://www.townofcary.org/Departments/Parks__Recreation___Cultural_Resources/Facilities/Nature_Center.htm . May 5, 2011.
  3. Web site: Stevens Nature Center At Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve. Town of Cary. Cary, North Carolina. March 3, 2019.
  4. Web site: Trails At Hemlock Bluffs Town of Cary. 2021-04-15. www.townofcary.org.