Posted on Wed, Apr 3, 2013
meet at the Church at 4PM, we will return and have supper at 6PM
Please signup at Church
White Pines Nature Preserve
Chatham County
Getting there: From the traffic circle in Pittsboro, head south. Cross the Rocky River at 7 miles;
proceed another mile up the hill and go left on River Fork Road (SR 1958). The road Ts: take an
immediate right. The road turns to gravel after 1.2 miles; at mile 1.6 go right at the stop sign.
The road veers left after 0.6 miles (a driveway veers right). Go another 0.3 miles to the
trailhead/parking area.
Size of property: 276 acres
Miles of trail: 3.5 (Gilbert Yager Trail, 1.1; River Trail, 1.0; White Pines Trail, 0.8; Schoolkids
Trail, 0.4; Comet Trail, 0.2).
Reason to visit by season: Summer: cool north-facing bluffs that make it possible for the white
pines to survive have been known to knock off up to 10 degrees from the temperature in nearby
Pittsboro; Winter: Naked canopy and understory offer sightlines underscoring the magnitude of
the preserve’s 100-foot bluffs. Spring: Wildflower display includes Catesby’s trillium, trout lily,
bloodroot, Jack-in-the-pulpit and Dutchman’s britches. Fall: Though known for its namesake
evergreen, the property also hosts a mature southern hardwood forest with good autumn color.
Kids: The diversity of White Pines help keeps a child’s attention. One moment you’re staring up
the trunk of a massive white pine or beech tree, the next you’re negotiating a tight passage
between rock outcrop and the Rocky River, the next you’re checking out wetlands that,
especially in a kid’s mind, say mysterious swamp. Plan your hike to save the best for last: At the
far loop of the Schoolkids Trail is a length of old, rusted cable (a portion of which runs through
the side of a tree). Intriguing on its own, all the more so when you reveal it was once part of a
cable bridge kids used to cross the river to get to school.
Protection status: White Pines was the first property purchased by the Triangle Land
Conservancy, in 1986. The initial purchase was 258 acres; the preserve has since expanded to
275 acres.
Additional information: For a sense of bird life in the preserve, check out this report from the
Carolina Bird Club http://www.carolinabirdclub.org/birdingnc/white_pines.html. For more on
hiking the preserve, see Hike No. 44 White Pines Nature Preserve in “100 Classic Hikes in
North Carolina,” Mountaineers Press.
