Rodney Johnson 



Typical of the area, the 

 creek's mouth is dotted with 

 solitary cypress trees. Located 

 at the milldam is the old mill, 

 which has been converted to 

 electricity, but you can 

 purchase cornmeal ground by 

 the old stones of the mill if 

 you are lucky enough to catch 

 the miller in. 



• Goodwin Creek/Perquimans 

 River — A tributary of 

 Perquimans River, Goodwin 

 Creek offers a half-day 

 excursion. By combining this 

 upland hardwood stream with 

 the Perquimans River Trail, 

 you can create a longer 

 canoeing experience. 



• Big Flatty Creek — This 

 two-mile trail offers an 

 opportunity to glimpse the 

 headwaters of the Big Flatty 

 and to view farmland as it 

 intermingles with the forest 

 along the banks of the creek. 



• Sawyers Creek — A 

 tributary of the Pasquotank 

 River, this stream offers 

 another half-day excursion 

 and presents a variety of 

 native plant and animal life. 



• Areneuse/Mill Dam Creeks — These 

 trails are best traveled at a leisurely 

 pace so that you can savor the intimacy 

 created by the canopy of towering 

 hardwoods and the very narrow streams. 

 The mouths of these two creeks are 

 separated by only a few hundred yards 

 along the banks of the Pasquotank River. 



Longer Excursions 



• Upper Perquimans River — This 

 12-mile trail offers a challenge if you 

 can pace yourself and complete it 

 within a day. The stream passes by 

 the farm owned by baseball legend 

 Jimmy "Catfish" Hunter. 



An unusual tree on the banks 

 of Warwick Creek in Chowan County 



• Yeopim Creek and Yeopim River — 

 This system of trails encompasses 

 several streams: Yeopim Creek, 

 Yeopim River, Burnt Mill Creek, 

 Bethel Creek and Middleton Creek. 

 These waterways and their access 

 points can be combined in a number 

 of ways to suit your schedule. 



• Upper Pasquotank River — This 

 trail affords one of the few opportuni- 

 ties in the Coastal Plain to combine 

 overnight camping with a canoe trip. 

 At the river's junction with the Great 

 Dismal Swamp Canal, a high spoil 

 bank overlooking the water offers a 

 dry place to spend the night. While 



there, you should take 

 precautions against some of 

 the natives, including 

 cottonmouth water mocca- 

 sins. By using a cut-through 

 four miles below the access 

 point, you can travel north up 

 the Dismal Swamp Canal, 

 portage around the locks and 

 dams at South Mills and 

 continue up the canal to the 

 welcome center located on 

 U.S. 17. The canal to Lake 

 Drummond is located a few 

 miles north of the welcome 

 center. While portaging 

 around the locks and dams at 

 South Mills, you can enjoy 

 an excursion through the 

 town and a visit to local 

 eateries. 



• Moyock Creek/Northwest 

 River — Beginning at an 

 unusual camelback bridge in 

 Moyock, you will embark 

 upon a 10-mile trip through 

 hardwood swamps that turn 

 into flat marshes along the 

 river. Before reaching the 

 Tull Bay Marina, you can 

 explore several coves and 

 oxbows. 



• Indiantown Creek — Probably one 

 of the best-known streams in the 

 region, this trail allows an all-day 

 outing. A loop downstream provides a 

 return path to the access point at the 

 community boat ramp on the county 

 line. Consider exploring a tributary 

 called Frog Crik, which presents a 

 closed-in canoeing experience beneath 

 a canopy of trees. 



• Alligator River — The "grandaddy" 

 of the Albemarle Region Canoe Trails 

 system, this 21 -mile trail is the longest 

 offered. However, several access 

 points provide the opportunity to 

 conduct your outing in small trips. 

 The river is lined by marshes dotted 

 with solitary dead trees. □ 



14 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1997 



