Eno River

Despite what I said about the busy schedule of a resident, I do get 3 weeks of vacation each year. I also lucked out because I had my first week during the summer while Parker could still go on trips with me before the school year begins. While we contemplated various trips away, we ultimately decided that the best use of this free time was to actually explore our new home. Thus: the staycation.

I'm not much of a nature person, but North Carolina has so much to offer to the outdoor lover. Chapel Hill is conveniently located approximately 3 hours from the beach and 3 hours from the mountains. It's actually a perfect setup. We didn't end up going to the mountains, but we did find a nearby place to hike: Eno River.

Eno River is located more or less in the heart of Durham. We actually drove up to one of the access points West Point at Eno River, and across the street was a parking lot for a grocery store. Seriously I keep encountering places around here where urban area and wilderness are all but intertwined.

For the non-outdoorsy like myself, I can assure you that this was a very easy hike from our car - maybe 0.5 miles. The trails were well marked and not overgrown, and even my bum ankle could handle the slightest incline. Our end goal was to end up at Turtle Hole, a little swimming hole in the middle of the river. Right along the water there were some perfect spots to post up our Eno hammocks (no, sadly I'm not sure if this is what inspired the Eno company to name themselves as such). After some lounging and frolicking among the rocks in the river, we hiked back via another trail just to see more of the park. One of our last points of interest was a dam that people were walking across to cross the river.

Eno river is apparently huge, so I see many trips in the future to explore more of this nearby treasure.

We love our Eno hammocks. They fold up very small and are perfect for hiking/camping. Credit to Kirsten and Lindsey for subconsciously pushing me to get one. It's the best.