Morrow Mountain

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Morrow Mountain State Park

Put In - Morrow Mountain State park is around 2 hours 15 minutes from Raleigh. I took US1 south to Sanford, 15-501 to Carthage, and then Highway 24 over to the park. One boat ramp exists in the park and is mainly used by park campers. So, you basically have the ramp to yourself and especially during the evening(gates closed at 8 PM). I was camping in Loop A, Campsite 30. There are loops A, B, and C, with C being for RVs. Only two campers Thursday night, but by late Friday the place was almost full.
Distance/Time - Trip 1: 4.8 miles; Trip 2: 3.2 miles; Trip 3: 5.9 miles; Trip 4: 4.2 miles
Difficulty - Average, dam area is more dangerous because of moving currents, whirlpools, and rocks.
Trip Directions - I headed north towards the dam and looped back through some islands. Be aware of the moving water and rocks and low areas. In the evening I headed south where the shoreline is developed. Also, traveled up the Uwharrie River till it dead ended into rapids.
Scenery - Very scenic area, water is very clear and the surrounding mountains make you feel like you are higher than you are. The park is very well done and maintained, close to the Virginia park system. North Carolina parks are not strict on enforcing the rules, so you feel a little less badgered. However, the quiet time is not enforced so you can have some talkative neighbors that go into the night. Visiting the Kron House and Morrow Mountain is a nice side trip. I ran into the Carolinas Miata Club at the top of Morrow Mountain so that was a nice group of folks to talk to. Made you want to go out and get a Miata. On a political note, the park and its history museum portray the white man as destroying the way of life of the Indians in the area in less than a century and they had been there for hundreds of centuries. You had to notice that in those hundreds of centuries they still were using stone knifes and deer skins. So, I am not sure if that culture was meant to survive. I also took a driving trip to the town of Badin, which was home to a huge Alcoa plant. It used the power from the three dams in the area to produce aluminum. It was shutdown in 2002 because of increased costs and low water from the drought. It was sad to see as the town was once very vibrant and the homes are connected like townhouses and all are aluminum sided. There is a very nice golf resort there created by Alcoa, but now it is a private/public facility. On the trip back to Raleigh I stopped in at Camp Durant my local council's summer camp. I wanted to see the new dining hall and the camp has been upgraded extensively in terms of shower houses in each campsite, new waterfront, and climbing tower. The place really looked nice.
Hazards - Motor boats, moving water near dam.