Eno Falls IV Track

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Eno River to Falls Lake IV Trip

Put In - From intersection of I-85, exit 182 (SR1632-Red Mill Rd). Travel Red Mill Rd. west 4.5 miles to stop sign. Turn right on SR1794 travel 0.5 miles to stop sign and turn right onto SR1632, follow into area. There is one ramp for motor boats, the best place for put in for kayaks is to the right of the boat ramp. Very muddy at high water and various rocks around to scratch your boat. You can park near the ramp on the right and unload and then park your car back in the parking lot.
Distance/Time - 11.9 miles/5 hours/2 MPH Avg Speed
Difficulty - Hard because of the low water level. Longest paddle in miles to date.
Lake Level - 246 ft Five feet lower than in June. I believe the Corp of Engineers tried to anticipate a hurricane and missed the mark. The lake should not be this low. At this level the only thing you can do is follow the Neuse River channel. Large areas of the lake in this area are now dry ground.
Trip Directions - From the put in, head left towards Falls Lake. About .8 mile down the Flat River merges into the Eno. Was trying to get to Knapp creek but no way with the lake so low. This did send me further down following the Neuse channel and thus I came upon the Southern Railway trestle. Ran into some all terrain vehicles and they told me that around the bend was a good place to hike on the trails they use. I stopped at an old railway trestle concrete piling and hiked across the now dry lake bed to the all terrain trail head. Nice hike to the Southern Railway tracks and then back to an old tobacco farm and shed. The road was called Tobacco Lane. Just a mobile home park now basically, but they did leave the shed and old farm equipment. I ran into two kayakers and one had actually seen this site as he recognized the dog. Had a fish jump right in the boat and found the elusive "Eno River Monster".
Scenery - Loads of heron in the dry lake bed and surrounding trees.
Hazards - Low water area, see track map for location. Need to pick your way through the stumps and backwater logs that have become dammed in this area. Also, be careful going in and out, with power boats coming and leaving the boat ramp.