Eno River State Park

I love love love Eno River. This is a great park over in Durham because it has all the things I love: trails that aren’t too short and aren’t too long, lots of hills and rocky terrain, the beautiful river with rushing water, and of course the awesome footbridge!
Everything was easy to access (bathrooms, parking) and there was sufficient signage so you didn’t get lost. We took our puppy when she had a lot of energy and the trails are actually quite a challenge. Once we finished, our pup was sleeping exhausted for 3 days!
The bridge is so much fun to cross and take pictures over, but my favorite spot are the rocks in the river that you can jump to and sit on, literally sitting in the middle of the rushing river. Beautiful, refreshing, and makes you feel happy you spent the day outside appreciating nature rather than staying indoors on a couch.
I would come to this park every weekend if I lived closer, it truly is a gem.

I freakin’ LOVE the Eno. Many people had recommended I check it out as someone who likes hiking, and I can’t believe it took me 3 months to do it! My friend and I went on a Fall day in October, and it was beautifulllll. We did the Buckquarter Creek trail, which was a fairly easy 1.5 mile loop through very pretty woods. We also did the Holden Mill trail (2.6 miles), which had lovely views of the river, as well as a combo of woods and a grassy field along the way. Before you hit the intersection of these 2 trails by a bridge, there is also a rocky area where you can sit/​stand and watch the rapids. It was such a refreshing hike, and a good work out! I will be returning REGULARLY. Plus, free parking ftw!

Eno River is to Durham and Hillsborough what Umstead park is to Cary and Raleigh. I might be biased, but I think Eno River State Park has a slightly upper hand in the parks department. Quiet, isolated, TONS of walking trails, swimming quarry area and easy access to maps. If you’re looking to have an overnight camp, day time picnic or long hike, this is a great option! The trails are well marked and trodden over although the forest surrounding you is basically untouched. I recommend entering through the main entrance off Cole Mill Road and testing out your hiking legs to begin with. There are bathrooms located all the way down the road, trail maps located before each entrance and even some historical houses with informational plaques at this starting point.
The Eno River State Park isn’t anything incredibly fancy, it’s a trail through the forest along the Eno. Also, the paths aren’t challenging, mostly flat with a couple spots where there’s built in wooden stairs, but a child could easily hike these paths. It’s primarily for me a place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city life, listen to the water as it flows past you, smell the flowers, and just enjoy the outdoors a little more.

I really love when I get the chance to go to the Eno River, it’s such a nice place. I have been here on a few field trips and it reminds me of being in the mountains and all of the trees and natural areas surrounding the Eno are very pretty. There are several entrance points to the Eno River but I have only entered in through the West Point entrance which is off of Roxboro Street in northern Durham. There are other entrances in other parts of Durham as well as Hillsborough.
The Eno River offers trails for hiking, places to rent a kayak or a canoe and areas where you can even get in the water to swim. There are a few waterfalls and a nice swimming hole called Bobbitt’s hole near the Cole Mill entrance. I often see people bring their dogs here and it is also very common to see lots of kids swimming and wading in the water when it is warm enough outside. There is a cool bridge near the West Point entrance area that is nice to check out if you are doing a hike along that part of the river.
I am really looking forward to going back to the Eno River this fall, to see the changing colors on the trees!

We went to explore this state park last month for a few hours and had a blast. The park is so huge that it seems to never get crowded. We felt like we were the only people in the forest, with the occasional person we would run into every now and then. They are several different entrances to the park as well which makes for a variety of trail choices. I will definitely come back here to explore more in the near future.

Really beautiful. I’ve been meaning to check out the Eno for years. About a week ago, I finally made the trek out to this area of Durham. Quite scenic, even just driving through the neighborhoods to get to the park!
There are approximately 28 miles of hiking trails within Eno River State Park. These trails vary from easy to moderate in difficulty and vary in length from 0.5 miles to 3.75 miles, although much longer hikes can be accomplished by combining trails. The trails are marked with blazes painted on trees.
We opted to do the Buckquarter Creek Trail. It’s blazed with red dots. This 1.5-mile loop trail begins at the Piper-​Cox Museum parking lot and turns upriver at Few’s Ford. The most spectacular rapids on the river are viewed from a rock outcrop along the trail. A staircase takes hikers over the outcrop. The trail was very easy to follow, clearly marked, and gave us a view of the river, little falls and rapids, and many kinds of trees and other nature features.
We also saw people playing in the river, wading in the water, and just relaxing on the shorelines. Made me want to get in too! Some people had dogs, but they were all very well-​behaved and on leashes. It just seemed like a really happy place. Everyone was very friendly, and we even encountered a park ranger on the trail who was happy to provide any guidance. We didn’t need any, but he had a nice chance to talk with a family and the kids marveled at meeting a real State Park Ranger.
Definitely will be going back to explore more of the Eno!

I’ve been wanting to check this place our for awhile and came in May. It was the perfect weather to go (high 70s). The routes are very easy to walk (no uphills) and you’re essentially hiking across the river. We came early afternoon and there weren’t that many people so it was nice to have the place for ourselves. We also crossed the river, having to take off our shoes since there aren’t really rocks scattered in abundance that allowed us to skip across.
I’d definitely come back here just for a leisure stroll and to enjoy some greens and nature!

First time here and it is extremely pretty and fun to scramble around. We walked around until we were tired and headed back to the car. Perfect, Spring day for hiking around and even walked across the river through the water and it was really nice. Beautiful scenery and not too crowded along with being free, why not?

What a beautiful state park! I am really happy that this is so close to where I live (no more than maybe a 20 minute drive from downtown Durham!). This park has beautiful trails along the river, plenty of benches and picnic tables, nice campgrounds, and easily available, free trail maps. The river is gorgeous! We went mid-​afternoon on a Saturday with nice weather and there was still ample parking and the trails weren’t too crowded. I’ll definitely be going back!

I love Eno River State Park. I try to go at least once a week (rain or shine!) with my dog and we both have a great time each time we go! My favorites are the Cox Mountain trail if I’m feeling like climbing hills and the Holden’s Mill trail for scrambling over rocks (and also climbing hills!) It’s a great place to go all year round.

Granted I went to this park on a gloomy day in the fall.
I’m from California so my standard for hikes and trails is very high. I was very unimpressed with the Eno River trails. Me and my friends walked in a big circle which they call a trail here for two hours, it was extremely easy, the scenery was literally the same from start to finish, there was a cool little part in the trail where you had to walk along a log over a 10ft foot pond, but it was still pretty lame. Leaves covered the entire trail in the fall and there were loud «scrunchy» noises with every step which got quite annoying after a while.
I definitely do not recommend this place.

Finally got the chance to check out Eno River this weekend, which had been on my to do for such a long time! I loved my little hike through the area. We parked and started right off the main entrance, though the park is so big, I imagine there are other places to hike as well. There is a little watering hole as people have mentioned which is great for getting your feet wet and getting your little pup out for a swim. I love the trees and and the greenery is so thick and pretty, it makes me feel so lucky to live near such a great outdoors! You forget that Downtown Durham is only 10 – 15 mins away! The trails are well marked and trees are dotted so you don’t get lost. I love that they actually feel like real trails, with rocks and steep inclines here and there. It’s a great work out. Definitely need a carrier for the baby!
I will definitely be checking it out again so I can see what other trails are available. I recommend going in the morning when it’s not too hot.

Beautiful park with many easy trails to wander. If you’re a little more adventurous, there are some swimming holes (these are not recommended by the park staff) that are really fun but you swim at your own risk.
I had a blast hiking up to the rock quarry and jumping in. Again, this is at your own risk but really fun if that’s your kind of thing. If you prefer to stay dry, the beautiful trees and views will be more than enough to keep you entertained.

Beautiful trails for all levels of hikers. I suggest only going on shorter trails if you take your dog or just going to swim in the river with them. Some of the trails may get long for a pooch but they’re very well marked and absolutely beautiful. We had a blast there.

I’m not much of an outdoorsy person, but this is a really beautiful place to walk around. I went wearing sandals because I decided to go quite spontaneously, but I would recommend wearing sneakers so you can walk around and explore.
I liked looking at the ground while walking around and following the roots of the trees with my eyes. Nature is so breathtaking! There is also a bridge that’s cool to walk across. Be careful when getting too close to the river though because sometimes snakes will slither out from rocks.

The swimmin hole. Watch for leeches — ’nuff said.

I love that this isn’t so far away from me! There are different trails to take and I recommend the ones along the river, it’s too beautiful to pass up! Plus there are rocks in the river that make it easy to walk out on and get a better view. Definitely a must to check out if you love the outdoors!

Fun little spot to wander. Nice bathrooms at the entrance. Woman’s has a kid size toilet in the first stall. Nice maps to grab. Plenty if parking. Dog and kid friendly. Steps down to the river to put your feet in. Fun suspension bridge to walk across. Pretty spring flowers in bloom like the daffodils. Nice log cabin to wander around in. Good informational sign posts where you can do a free cellular tour (call a number and dial the code of the spot your at and it will play a recording telling you info at the spot).
Good place for an easy hike

Tick Season! «Do Not Feed the Ticks» as the Sign said! I read and shot this sign, though I barely complied! I brought one of these and an extra critter (unintentionally)! Worth SIX bites Not Counting the Tick!
Boys in the Woods! My DudeFriend and I were checking this place out. I’m thinking this is the BEST Place in the Triangle to see some Nature, Handling a LOT of People and still feel like you are isolated from the City! Miles of Trails! Lots of Shade from the trees! I think for the most part these trails are «loops»? We will be getting back here and maybe bringing the Ladies (maybe NOT) when it is a little cooler!
Speedo Time! Maybe, Plenty of teenagers were getting in and in places! I felt like it, as Hot as the weather was! We hiked and crawled over nice-​small sized Boulders, shot 100 photos between the two of us, mostly River and tiny Waterfalls!
Found One Tick on me!
5-​2-​2015
Another MaleFriend and I spent about 8 Hours here, took lots of Photos 70 Degrees Mostly shady, Sunny day, «Bobbits Hole» we assume was Submerged because of recent rainy weeks.
We noticed from the Main Entrance the Map is Upside Down!
Zero Ticks found! Lots of Turtles and One Snake!
«Eno Quarry» Look for separate listing and Unilocal review for «Eno Quarry»

Eno River State Park is simply a phenomenal resource that we are blessed with here in Durham. The trails, picnic areas, camping sites, and swimming access points are all phenomenally well-​maintained within the park, but above and beyond that the Eno River Association does oh so much more for the park and community as a whole. From the annual Festival for the Eno to hosting numerous programs within the park, this organization brings it! Plus they foster numerous volunteer opportunities and support/​maintain a number of other nature preserves outside the confines of the Eno (ie, Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, Little River Regional Park, and Penny’s Bend Natural Area). Yeah, the Eno River Association is pretty badass when it comes to protecting the natural lands around us.
As for the park itself, it is divided into the Eastern Section (Cole Mill, Pump Station) and the Western Section (Fews Ford, Cabelands) with numerous access points to each part of the park (though there are two primary points of access overall). Many of the trails follow the Eno River itself, and thus are not all that strenuous or demanding given the lack of elevation change but do offer scenic views of the river and surrounding woodlands. Each of the numerous trails have their own character and something different to offer. As for some of the highlights, the Pump Station trail offers (yup, you guessed it) a close up view of some of the remnants of one of Durham’s earliest pump stations, the Eno Quarry trail circles a beautiful (and refreshing in summer!) quarry, and the Cox Mountain trail offers a more demanding loop trail should you be in the mood for such a challenge.
With an abundance of hiking trails, campsites, and picnic tables or shelters, there is quite a bit to keep you occupied at Eno River State Park!