Looking to launch your Section Hike on North Carolina’s longest trail, the Mountains-to-Sea Trail? Check out this suggested hike to get your section hike off the ground.
Region: Coast
Start: Pine Cliff Recreation Area: from Havelock, go east on NC 101, then left (north) on NC 306. After 3.3 miles, go left on Pine Cliff Road to the trailhead. GPS: 34.93885, -76.82208
Finish: Oyster Point Campground, Mill Creek Road, GPS: 34.76076, -76.76168
Distance: 21 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Estimated time (including shuttle): 8-10 hours
Facilities at the trailhead: Yes
Resource: “Mountains-to-Sea Trail Guide: Mountains,” p. 185-186. Follow eastbound mileages 0.0 to 21.4. Find the online guide for Segment 17 here.
Shuttle: 25 minutes. We’re assuming you are either hiking as a group and thus can set a shuttle, or that a friend is assisting. In either event, leave your car/a car at the Oyster Point Campground and drive 25 minutes to the Pine Cliff Recreation Area and the start of this section. Here’s a map of the shuttle.
The hike: 21 miles in a day!? OK, deep breath. Yes, it’s a haul. And if you want to break this into two bites, there’s a quick-and-easy shuttle after 6.5 miles (the trail crosses NC 306; put your shuttle vehicle here and drive 5 minutes up NC 306 and Pine Cliff Road to the trailhead). But it is doable. Plus, odds are that you’ll be driving a distance to do this stretch, so, what the hey, why not do the whole enchilada?
The most diverse part of this hike is that first 6.5 miles, which includes passage along a mile-wide Neuse River, exploring a pine savannah, then getting into a rolling stretch that, for some reason includes the more montane holly and galax (not much of the latter, just a smidge). Lots of green, even in winter. You can even take a lunch break 3.7 miles in at the Spartanly appointed and ominously named Copperhead Landing Shelter. About that name: we recommend hiking the Neusiok portion of the MST this time of year because it’s cooler, less buggy, less creepy-crawly. This is not a trail to be trifled with over 65 or 70 degrees.
Pass NC 306, and for the next 15 miles the trail takes you through pine savannas and bogs, the latter voided by lengthy boardwalks. It’s sandy in spots, slowing travel, but it’s also as flat as you’d imagine. Because of the relatively smooth tread, you’re able to let your eyes take in what they like while your feet go on auto pilot. Speed and scenery: suddenly, 21 miles seems reasonable, no?
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