Nothing, in our book of adventure, is more southern than the bow of a canoe gently breaking tannic waters spotted with alligator weed beneath a canopy of cypress, tupelo and oak dripping with Spanish moss. Throw in the tropical cackle of a kingfisher, the gawky swoop of a pterodactyl-ish great blue heron, the rustle of … something, in the bay trees crowding the bank.
Such primal adventure is hard to find in today’s civilized world. Yet it exists, for many of us, less than two hours away.
In a slight departure for our August SOS! Save Our Summer series, we steer away from cool escapes to those steaming with southern adventure appeal. Paddling a swamp or a sleepy blackwater river may not be for everyone. The still air, the critters, the isolation (even if you’re a quarter mile from civilization, you’ll feel a world away) can be a little much for some. This is for those of us can’t get enough.
With that warning, we present five of our favorite coastal paddles that capture southern-style adventure.
Learn more about getting to the rivers and access at our online paddle guide (click on the appropriate link).

Contentnea Creek
Contentnea Creek

1. Contentnea Creek
Stantonsville (Section 5)
10.6 miles / 4-5 hours

NOTE: A paddler report from July 3, 2018, indicates a fair amount of downfall on Contentnea Creek, making passage a challenge. Please check with the Pitt County Planning & Development Department for the creek’s current status: 252.902.3250.
Emerging from Buckhorn Reservoir near Zebulon and running 95 miles before joining forces with the Neuse River, Contentnea Creek is a favorite with Down East paddlers. The 11 sections of river identified by Paul Ferguson in his “Paddling Eastern North Carolina,” start intimate, then gradually widen, with several 10-mile stretches, including Section 5, capturing the creek’s essence. Let the easy current carry you, pull over at the occasional sandy beach, take a dip, resume. Listen to the silence. A good introduction to the blackwater paddling experience.
Learn more here.

Merchants Millpond
Merchants Millpond

2. Merchants Millpond
Merchants Millpond State Park, Gatesville
1-3 hours
Easily the best adventure value going. Rent a canoe at the boathouse for $5 an hour, then push off into the 760-acre millpond. Created 190 years ago by damming Bennetts Creek, the millpond has long since become peppered with tupelo and cypress rich with Spanish moss. Paddle deep into Lassiter Swamp’s “enchanted forest” at the upper end of the millpond to truly appreciate the water’s rich ecology, from the 200 species of birds that have been recorded in the park, to the mink, river otter and bobcats, to the assorted reptiles that call the swamp home. So many distractions! Fortunately, there is a marked canoe trail to assist in your eventual exit.
Learn more here.

Black River
Black River

3. Black River
Ivanhoe (Section 5)
3-4 hours
In paddling circles, when the Black River is mentioned, it is mentioned with reverence. Flowing for 70 miles through the ag lands of Sampson, Bladen and Pender counties west of I-40, the Black’s tannic waters are considered some of the cleanest around. The 7.6-mile Section 5 near Ivanhoe is one of the more popular stretches due to its passage through old growth — really old growth — cypress. Old growth to the extent that all conversation stops when you round a bend and are left speechless by the eerily massive girth of a tree that may date back 2,000 years.
Learn more here.

Paddle trail to Bear Island
Paddle trail to Bear Island

4. Bear Island
Hammocks Beach State Park, Swansboro
2.6 miles (1-2 hours)
A southern paddle, in an open water sense. From the mainland portion of Hammocks Beach State Park in Swansboro, the marked, 2.6-mile paddle trail takes you across the Intracoastal Waterway, then through a labyrinth of small islands and salt marsh to the eastern tip of Bear Island. It’s an especially rewarding paddle in August: the popular ferry from the mainland drops visitors midway on this 3-mile island; you are deposited on its remote eastern end, where the only other beach dwellers are fellow boaters.
Learn more here.

Goose Creek
Goose Creek

5. Goose Creek
Goose Creek State Park, Washington
1-2 hours
A good option if you’re more into looking than paddling. From the Dinah’s Landing put-in, reach the end of Goose Creek in about a mile. But what a fun mile it is, on a narrowing creek that passes a who’s who of coastal plant life: red cedar, black gum, red maple, tupelo, loblolly pine and cypress above, wax myrtle, gallberry and red bay along the banks. Close proximity to flora and fauna make this an especially good paddle for photographers.
Learn more here.

Previous entries in the SOS! Save Our Summer series include “SOS! Save Our Summer with a Piedmont Water Hike Near You,” and “SOS! Save Our Summer with a Cool Paddle on a Piedmont Waterway Near You.”