Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area

by Crystal Cockman

March 21, 2018

Last week, I attended the Southeast Biodiversity Conservation Forum at the NC Botanical Gardens in Chapel Hill. It was a great conference with many talented speakers who are experts in their fields. I learned about applying biodiversity data to guide conservation efforts, habitat restoration, landscape conservation, and communicating science with citizens. On the last day, we were able to choose a field trip to any of a number of interesting sites in the area, and I chose to go to Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area.

Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area is located in Hillsborough NC at 625 Virginia Cates Road. The mountain itself is part of the preserve, and it is the highest point in Orange County, rising more than 350 feet from the Eno River. There are 3 miles of trail to enjoy here, including the Occoneechee Mountain Loop trail, the Chestnut Oak trail, the Overlook trail, and the Brown Elfin Knob trail. The natural area encompasses an area of 190 acres. There are two ponds for fishing, in addition to access to the Eno River, and picnic tables and a vault toilet here.

Occoneechee Mountain natural area is recognized as one of the most important natural areas in the Triangle. It is rated as exceptional by the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program. One reason is the natural community found here known as Piedmont monadnock forest. This is a forest where there are exposed rocks, and trees commonly found here include chestnut oak and a variety of pines. This portion of the natural area was the site of a recent prescribed burn, meant to enhance the habitat and promote the growth of understory vegetation.

As we hiked the Occoneechee Mountain Loop Trail, we slowly descended down towards the Eno River, which we walked along for a ways. There were a variety of spring wildflowers in bloom, including trailing arbutus, wild ginger, and trout lilies. There was also lots of mountain laurel and rhododendron, though not in bloom yet. We took a short jaunt off trail to see Panther den – a cave where reportedly the last panther in North Carolina lived.

From here the trail climbed up Occoneechee Mountain, with some surprisingly steep areas with steps to climb. We took the Overlook Trail, and got to see a great view of the town of Hillsborough and surrounding forested areas from the top of the old quarry. We then took the Chestnut Oak trail back to the parking area, bypassing the Brown Elfin Knob Trail. If you’re wondering about that name, the Brown Elfin is an uncommon species of butterfly found here. Their usual host plant is blueberry, of which there are plenty in the understory of the forest at Occoneechee Mountain.

I thoroughly enjoyed spending some time at Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, and I recommend taking a trip whenever you can. They host regular programs there, and on March 24^th they have a Geology Hike to explore the pyrophyllite quarry with a geologist – you can call the park office to sign up, 919-383-1686. The event starts at 2:00pm and they encourage attendees to wear good hiking shoes and bring water and a snack. Children must be accompanied by an adult. If you can’t make this event, you can visit their website at https://www.ncparks.gov/occoneechee-mountain-state-natural-area and download a trail map and plan out your own adventure.