Weekend camping trip to Pettigrew State Park in Creswell, North Carolina, November 2023
Pettigrew State Park is a remote state park along the banks of Lake Phelps in Washington and Tyrrell counties, North Carolina. In order to reach this park one would have to intend to go there as their final destination. Lake Phelps is the second largest natural lake in North Carolina and it is impressive but well hidden in the flat landscape of Eastern North Carolina and surrounded by agricultural fields as far as the eye can see.
Our weekend of choice offered an unsettled weather forecast. Indeed, most of the weekend involved dodging rain storms. Of course this was to a bit of determent to our experience but we made the most of what we could.
The campground itself is a small loop with a bathhouse and not much privacy between camp sites. The campground was full during our stay but everyone was respectful and there were no problems in the campground. The camp sight we chose seemed to have more privacy than most. Lucky us!
There is fishing and canoe rentals available through the park. We did not take advantage of either of these options. As avid paddlers it would have been cool to take a spin around the shoreline in a canoe. Maybe next time. Lake Phelps reportedly has some good largemouth bass fishing in it... that will have to remain unconfirmed by me.
Adjacent to the campground and the state park is Somerset Plantation State Historic Site. The Somerset Plantation is a 19th century plantation and is a collection of original buildings and reconstructed buildings. Guided tours are available for a fee. We just walked around the buildings.
We managed some hikes between rain storms. We hiked the "Bee Tree" Trail and including the "Cemetery" Trail out to the Pettigrew Family Cemetery. The trails are wide, flat and easy to follow. There is some pretty forest and swamp habitats to view along the trail. We didn't see much wildlife other than squirrels.
The Pettigrew Family Cemtery is the interment spot of the Pettigrew family that inhabited the area from the 18th century and some of the earliest burials are from the late 1700s. It is a pretty impressive old cemetery!
Overall, Pettigrew was cool but not our favorite spot. It's not the easiest place to get to and for us is further than Goose Creek State Park which remains our favorite regional state park. Will we go back? Maybe but we are not going to be in the biggest rush. Very happy to say we visited though!
For more information: Pettigrew State Park
Comentários