Cape Hatteras National Seashore

places where you won't be able to wipe the wag off your dog's tail - Outer Banks NC

The Park

Cape Hatteras National Seashore stretches down the Outer Banks for 70 sandy miles across three barrier islands, two connected by a toll-free bridge and two connected by a free ferry. Today the seashore is known for its recreational opportunities on the land; historically it has been known for its dangers offshore. A bank of shifting sands known as the Diamond Shoals have caused more than 600 ships to wreck off Cape Hatteras, leading mariners to call the area the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” Cape Hatteras was designated America’s first National Seashore by Congress on August 17, 1937 and established on January 12, 1953.

The Walks

There is no better place for loooong hikes with your dog on dune-backed beaches than Cape Hatteras National Seashore but there are also a trio of short nature trails - one on each island - to try with your dog. The best of the lot is in Buxton Woods on Hatteras Island, near the Visitor Center and lighthouse. This trail bounds across pine and oak-covered dunes with marshy wetlands tossed into the mix. The gnarled trees and shrub thickets provide a shady respite from a day on the beach with your dog. Another leafy canine hike is on the Hammock Hills Nature Trail on Ocracoke Island which traipses through a maritime forest on the edge of Pamlico Sound for a bit less than a mile. For an easy hike with your dog in the sunshine and salt air stop at Bodie Island Lighthouse. Here you can explore freshwater ponds and marshes that were artificially created by building dams and dikes and artificial dunes to block the intrusion of ocean salt spray.

Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Soft white sand.

Workout For Your Dog - More than an hour - days if you want.

Swimming - If your dog is intimidated by the crashing Atlantic surf there is also access to Pamlico Sound.

Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are permitted year-round in the national seashore, save for three small swimming areas.

Something Extra

There are five lighthouses on the Outer Banks your dog can visit - three in the national seashore. The oldest operating lighthouse in North Carolina is the 75-foot tower on Ocracoke Island and the 150-foot Bodie Island Lighthouse dates to 1872. The most famous, and America’s tallest at 208 feet, is the black-and-white swirl-striped Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Its light can be seen 20 miles out to sea and has been reported to have been seen from 51 miles. Although your dog can’t do it, you can climb the 268 steps to the top.

Phone - (252) 473-2111

Website - www.www.nps.gov/caha

Admission Fee - None

Directions - Outer Banks; along Route 12 from the intersection with Route 64 at Whalebone Junction south through Ocracoke Island.

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Sweetwater Creek State Park

places where you won't be able to wipe the wag off your dog's tail - Lithia Springs GA

The Park

Charles James McDonald, who had just completed a four-year stint as the 37th governor of Georgia, bought land along the Sweetwater Creek in 1845 for $500. With his partner, Colonel James Rogers of Milledgeville, McDonald set out to put the energetic waters of the creek to use by building a textile mill. By late 1849 the Sweetwater Manufacturing Company was churning out cotton, yarn, and fabric. The business thrived and in 1858 McDonald renamed his mill after the center of the British textile industry in Manchester, England. During the Civil War the New Manchester Manufacturing Company attracted the attention of Union General William Tecumseh Sherman’s troops who destroyed the mills on July 9, 1864. The business was never revived and the 1,986- acre Sweetwater Creek State Park was founded to protect the brick ruins of the historic factory.

The Walks

There are some nine miles of hiking trails on both sides of the Sweetwater Creek and the star is the red-blazed route that leads to the riverside factory ruins. This trail serves up a bit of everything for your dog from a ramble down the remnants of the road that served the town that grew up around the mill to a pick-your-way exercise through rocky outcroppings above the river. The town was once a bustling place where as many as 400 people lived, large enough to merit its own post office but no trace remains today. Past the ruins wooden steps drop you to the water’s edge and eventually the cascades of Sweetwater Falls. The inland Blue Nature Trail closes a loop back to the trailhead by moving easily up and around the hills above the creek. The sporty Yellow Trail traipses through similar terrain across the creek on a three-mile loop. A natural highlight is a wide, 10-foot shelf of rocky outcropping known as the “Indian Cave.”

Where The Paw Meets The Earth - A park map is available, key junctions are marked and detailed descriptions of each trail, including length and terrain, are posted at the trailheads.

Workout For Your Dog - A half-day of canine hiking will delight your dog here and expect any outing to occupy at least an hour.

Swimming - The rock-studded shoals of Sweetwater Creek, with Class IV rapids, is no place for extended canine aquatics but your dog can step in and cool off safely in a few spots, including a stony beach and generous pool between the Factory Ruins and the Sweetwater Falls Overlook.

Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are welcome at Sweetwater Creek and you can usually find a bowl of drinking water outside the Visitor Center. The park also conducts monthly ranger-led “Wagging Trails” hikes.

Something Extra

At five stories, the New Manchester Mill was said to be the tallest building built in the Atlanta area before the Civil War. A 25-ton water wheel powered all the operations in the factory, which employed as many as 100 workers. Today the raceway and the stately ruins are the only reminders of this chapter in the region’s history.

Phone - (770) 732-5871

Website - gastateparks.org/SweetwaterCreek

Admission Fee - $5 parking fee

Directions - Lithia Springs; 1750 Mt. Vernon Road. From I-20 use Exit 44 at Thornton Road and head south, getting into the right lane as soon as possible. After a 1/4-mile, turn right on Blairs Bridge Road at the sign. After 2 miles, turn left on Mount Vernon Road and continue to the third park entrance on the left, with parking at the trailhead.

hikewithyourdog.com

The Hiking With Dogs group on Facebook is the place to post photos and info on your favorite canine hikes. Also get questions answered and find advice from members: join now