Discovery/Interpretive Trail

The Merchants Millpond State Park TRACK Trail follows the Coleman Trail, an easy and flat 2 mile loop. Enjoy a leisurely stroll through the forest while exploring the habitats that surround Merchants Millpond.

The Lumber River State Park TRACK Trail is an easy 0.5 mile loop along Griffin's Bluff. The Trail features interpretive panels and an observation deck overlooking Griffin's Whirl, a unique reverse flow area in the river.

With the trailhead near the visitor center, the Dragonfly trial is ideal for all ages. This path is completely paved and easily accessible to wheelchair and stroller. This .15-mile trail (round-trip) has various nature displays along the way. Interactive lift-and-drop panels provided interesting and fun facts about the plants and animals found at Lake Norman State Park!

The Lake Shore Trail is a beautiful, scenic footpath along the lake shore. It is designed to accommodate an array of fitness levels as it has shortcuts (3 miles round trip) and extensions (6.3 miles round trip). Voted by Charlotte a must see trail - it is sure to impress.

The Lake Norman State Park TRACK Trail adventures were designed for use on the Lakeshore Trail and the Short Turn Trail.

Ascending a bout 1,775 feet over 3.1 miles, this trail begins at the Profile parking area on Highway 105 and ends at the Grandfather Trail at Calloway Gap. Beginning as a scenic, rolling pathway through seasonal wildflowers, this trail crosses the Watauga River and travels under a hardwood canopy for much of its length. Upper sections, beginning around Foscoe View, get steeper. Shanty Spring, at 2.7 miles, marks a transition into a strenuous pathway of tumble-down rock that joins the Grandfather Trail after a climb of 0.4 miles.

This trail, approximately 0.6 of a mile long, is one of the Kids in Parks Track Trails. Brochures with a variety of activities for children can be found at the trailhead. This trail also goes by the Civilian Conservation Corps’ (CCC) rock quarry which supplied many of the rocks used to construct the park’s buildings, curbs and walls during The Great Depression. Rock exposed by quarrying and erosion offer insights to the area’s unique geologic past. Dragonflies and frogs now take advantage of the small pond formed as a result of rock quarrying.

The Mayo River State Park TRACK Trail is a flat, 0.5 mile loop through the woods. There is a lot to see in the forest; look for running cedar, ferns, mushrooms, and shelters animals have made.

The Pond Trail is an easy 1.25 mile trail. The path is nearly a loop, it begins at the display case on the western side of the beach parking lot and ends near the picnic shelter #9. Hikers will enjoy glimpses of the lake while walking thru Loblolly Pine forests, hardwood forests, an old field and past 3 ponds. A long boardwalk traverses a wetland teaming with Buttonbush, Black Needle Rush and other water-loving vegetation. A Track Trail has been set up on this trail for self guided family nature hikes.

You can get a feel for the Swamp without getting your feet wet! The Boardwalk offers a surprising amount of wildlife, including frogs, turtles, snakes, birds, and even the occasional bear or bobcat. Learn more about plants and wildlife you see from the interpretive panels found along the loop.

The Dismal Swamp State Park TRACK Trail also follows the Swamp Boardwalk, an accessible half-mile loop.

The Kerr Lake State Recreation Area TRACK Trail is a 0.75 mile hike one-way (1.5 mile round-trip) through a mixed hardwood and pine tree forest along the edge of Kerr Lake. The trail features interpretive signs.