Roanoke River Paddle Trail

An emerging destination in northeast North Carolina, the Lower Roanoke River and its tributaries offer a unique wilderness experience for kayakers and canoeists. Meandering through the Coastal plain to the Atlantic Ocean, the Roanoke spreads out through the largest intact bottomland hardwood swamp forest east of the Mississippi. The area is home to black bear, river otter, white-tail deer, bobcat, beaver, and mink. Over 200 bird species have been identified including bald eagles. It is a birdwatcher's paradise. The River is renowned for its abundance of striped bass, largemouth bass, black crappie, lunker catfish, gar and bowfin. Thousand year-old bald cypress trees and towering tupelos form a lush canopy overhead. Fifteen camping platforms off the river have been completed as part of the development of this water trail by Roanoke River Partners. Platforms have been constructed between Hamilton, Plymouth and up the Cashie River to Windsor with nearly 140 miles of water trail linking the platforms. Phase Two will extend the paddle camping trail up to Roanoke Rapids, increasing the trail total to 200+ miles. Visitors will be educated about the trail system, and will sign a liability waiver and a "pack-in and pack-out" waste policy agreement to be used with the platforms. A per-person rental fee is paid to hold the reservation and receive a permit. Call 252-792-0070 or 252-724-0352 to reserve a platform or email: contact@roanokeriverpartnrs.org. Visit us at www.roanokeriverpartners.org