Triangle Rivers and Lakes

Triangle Rivers & Lakes

Useful Resources - State Parks & Recreation Areas - Raleigh / Cary Area Lakes - Haw River

Getting out to the lake is all some folks need to make them happy and on those hot summer days, it sure is comforting to know that water is only a short distance away from anywhere in the Triangle. Large reservoirs in the area provide thousands of acres of playground for those aquatically enabled. There is even some limited white water available for rafters and kayakers. The best opportunities for wildlife viewing and bird watching are also along the waterways.

State Parks & Recreation Areas	Useful Resources
The Eno River The Eno River is one of the favored spots in the Triangle area. The river offers some small rapids to add a bit of challenge to a canoe or rafting adventure, although in the summer, you may walk more of the river than you float or paddle. There are also miles of hiking trails to allow you to enjoy the river. As an added bonus, the Festival On The Eno brings some great musical entertainment to town for the July 4th weekend celebration along the riverside at West Point on the Eno. Eno River State Park 6101 Cole Mill Rd. Durham, NC 27705-9275 (919) 383-1686 The North Carolina Parks and Recreation system's Park Project has information about theEno River State Park. A map of Eno River State Park is available in Adobe PDF format (200K, requires Adobe Acrobat Reader),or as a jpeg (196 K). The Eno River Association also has information about the Eno River State Park and the Festival for the Eno. FALLS LAKE Wake and Durham Counties. Falls Lake State Recreation Area provides beaches, boating, swimming, water skiing, picnic areas and fishing on a 12,000-acre lake. An excellent map of Falls Lake State Recreation area is available in Adobe PDF format from "http://ils.unc.edu/parkproject/pdffiles/fala.pdf" (260K). For general information on Falls Lake State Recreation Area, see the NC State Park Project pages at "http://ils.unc.edu/parkproject/falaindex.html". Boat rentals are available from... Rollingview Marina (commercial marina) located at the end of Baptist Rd., off NC 98 in Durham County. 919-596-2194 JORDAN LAKE: U.S. 64 west of Apex. A 13,900-acre reservoir with 150 miles of shoreline. Recreation facilities for boating, swimming, sailing, picnicking, camping. Boat rentals are available from... Crosswinds Marina (commercial marina) Farrington Rd. (about 1/4 mile North of US 64) 919-362-5391 An excellent map of Jordan Lake State Recreation area is available in Adobe PDF format from "http://ils.uns.edu/parkproject/pdffiles/jord.pdf" (215K). For general information on Jordan Lake State Recreation Area see "http://ils.uns.edu/parkproject/jordindex.html".	North Carolina Weather Links, including stream guages. For a complete index of North Carolina Rivers, see the list at "http://www.awa.org/awa/river_project/North_Carolina/index.html" Most of the largest lakes have places to rent watercraft nearby. Rentals are also available from the following... *REI 255 Crossroads Blvd. Crossroads Plaza, Cary, NC 919-233-8444 *Pro Canoe of Raleigh 5710 Capitol Blvd. Raleigh, NC 919-872-6999 *Rock Rest Adventures 747 Rock Rest Rd. Pittsboro, NC 27312 919-542-5502
Raleigh / Cary Area Parks & Lakes	Haw River
LAKE WHEELER: www.raleigh-nc.org/parks&rec/wheeler 6404 Lake Wheeler Road, Raleigh, NC 27603 Ph. 919-662-5704 or 662-5712, Fax 919-662-5718 SHELLEY LAKE: Shelley Road, Raleigh, NC or 1400 W. Millbrook Ave., Raleigh, NC 919-420-2331 This park offers fishing, canoeing, sailing, rowboating, pedal boating and hiking. Open April-September. Admission is free. Boat rentals available at the park. LAKE CRABTREE: 1400 Aviation Parkway, Raleigh, NC 919-460-3390. Lake Crabtree is a 520-acre lake. It features iindividual and group picnic areas as well as boat rentals, two playgrounds, hiking and nature trails and playfields. The lake offers fishing opportunities from the bank, a fishing platform and a pier for the physically challenged. Hours are 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and entry is free. See NCNaturals' Hiking The Triangle page for info on hiking and bike trails at Lake Crabtree. LAKE JOHNSON: 4600 Avent Ferry Rd., Raleigh, NC 919-233-2121 Lake Johnson offers rental jon boats and paddle boats but has no boat ramps. Swimming prohibited. A paved greenway path rings the 135-acre lake, located off Avent Ferry Road in southwest Raleigh. Admission is free. Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. FRED G. BOND METRO PARK 801 High House Rd., Cary, NC 919-469-4100 42 acre lake with a 310 acre park. Athletic Fields, Picnic areas, fishing, amphitheatre, bathrooms. 1 1/4mile fitness trail, 5 miles of hiking trails and trail connectors to Cary Greenways (Parkway and Oxxford Hunt Greenways). Admission is free. Boat rentals available.	The Haw River begins north of Burlington, NC and flows into Jordan Lake. There are three sections that are good for paddling. The third section which begins at the US 64 bridge near Pittsboro, NC has some Class 2 and 3 rapids when the water levels are high enough. For more information on paddling the Haw River, visit Haw River Running Info, or get in touch with Rock Rest Adventures.