Conaby Creek in Washington County 



Whether your interest is in photo- 

 graphing scenery, viewing wildlife, 

 testing your canoeing skills, 

 sightseeing or just getting away from 

 hectic city life, the Albemarle Region 

 Canoe Trails system will have a trail 

 to suit you. Below, Tom Potter 

 recommends specific trails and ways 

 to enjoy them. — Daun Daemon 



• Merchants Millpond — On this trail, 

 you'll paddle through a forest of 

 buttressed cypress trees draped with 

 Spanish moss and past beaver lodges 

 dotted around the pond. Merchants 

 Millpond State Park offers canoe 

 rentals, family campsites and canoe-in 

 primitive campsites on a first-come, 



first-served basis. Camping facilities 

 for organizations are available but must 

 be reserved. 



• Catherine/Warwick Creek — Starting 

 in the narrows of the creek, this trail 

 takes you downstream through scenic 

 hardwood swamps to the Chowan 

 River. The stream widens as it ap- 

 proaches the river and is dotted with 

 islands of buttressed, stemmed cypress 

 trees brimming with Spanish moss. 



• Northwest and Southwest Forks — 

 Particularly scenic because of their 

 unusual setting, these trails pass 

 through a pocosin environment. The 

 two streams reach a depth of 30 feet in 

 the main channels, which pass through 

 groves of hardwood and pine trees and 

 past beds of native reeds. You can 



paddle upstream to where the stream 

 is only a small drainage area for the 

 surrounding forest. 



• Rockyhock Creek and Bennett Mill- 

 pond — Another trail that begins on an 

 old milldam, Bennett Millpond offers a 

 day of canoeing through cypress trees 

 and past beaver lodges. You'll see nutria 

 swimming in the water and sunning on 

 tree stumps and tussocks of grass. The 

 millpond is managed by the Albemarle 

 Recreation Center, which has developed 

 a hiking trail with several hundred feet 

 of boardwalk. This facility offers the 

 additional opportunity to try your land 

 legs by exploring the adjoining wood- 

 lands. Future plans include a bridge 

 over the dam where the millhouse was 

 located to allow access across the 

 millpond. At the old mill site, you can 



12 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1997 



