Kayak on Eno to Hickory Hills Boat Ramp, with side trip up Ellerbe Creek

• Date Kayaked: May 23, 2020
• Posted length: NA
• Total miles Tracked: 9.84 miles 
• Type of  Paddle: River/Lake (flat, low current)
• Conveniences: 24 hour boat ramp, plenty of parking
• Put In:  Eno River Boat Ramp near Red Mill Road, Durham, NC
• Take out:  Hickory Hill Boat Ramp
• Conveniences: 24 hour access, plenty of parking
• Best Features:  Not many motor boats, great area for birds
• Worst Features: Falls Lake can be too shallow even for kayaks during low water
• Wildlife spotted: Osprey, herons, water snakes, other birds
• Vegetation: Forested shores with plenty of wildflowers
• Primary Author: James

Eno River is our hometown river, winding through downtown Hillsborough before entering a State Park that covers about fifteen miles of its shoreline along the north end of Durham. For most of this length, the water is fairly rocky and shallow. You could probably kayak some long stretches, but you'd likely be dragging your kayak over and around gravel beds most of the year. The other thing that makes it unattractive for kayaking is a lack of good launching points. 

Also, there are a lot of water snakes. We count this as a plus, but you may have a different opinion. 

However, once you get past an old railroad bridge near Old Oxford Road in Durham, the river changes in character. Miles before it reaches Falls Lake, the Falls Lake Dam causes the river to slow down, becoming deeper and broader as it leisurely winds through forests. This area has a 24 hour boat ramp not far from Red Mill Road. Some motorboats do launch from here, but most of the watercraft we encounter in this area are other kayaks. Motorboats have a much better access to the lake only ten minutes away, the Hickory Hill Boat Ramp. 

The relative nearness of the two boat ramps has tempted us for some time. It certainly seemed plausible to put in at the Eno Ramp and paddle to Hickory Hill. The only thing that made us nervous was that we'd paddled that end of the lake before and found it to be nearly impassable due to shallow waters. There's a channel you can wind through, but on a glassy smooth lake it can be tricky to find. Still, we decided to just go for it. 

By chance, water levels weren't an issue. Spring rains had swollen the river and the lake far above their normal levels. Areas of the lake that had been dry, grassy fields were now under a yard or more of water. Small oxbow lakes normally cut off by strips of land had rejoined their waters of origin. All through the flooded forests, we could see and hear fish flopping and splashing as they swam among the bushes and branches.  

Not pictured here, the actual boat ramp, which is underwater. 

One nice thing about the water being this high is that it's easy to find shade!

Since the water was so high, we decided to take a shot at going up Ellerbe Creek. We'd visited the mouth of this creek before and found it clogged with flood debris, dead trees and a depressing amount of litter. This time, the dead trees were still blocking the primary channel, but the water was high enough to paddle around them. Once you were past the litter, the creek itself was quite pleasant, with shores abundant with wildflowers and the ruins of an old bridge that once crossed the creek slowly being reclaimed by the wilderness. We kayaked up the creek to Red Mill Road, about a mile, and the next time the water gets that high we may push further up the creek. 

Returning to the lake, we glided along its mirrored surface among numerous water birds. Because of the typical shallowness of this area, many different types of birds nest here, including ospreys and herons. The one downside of this part of the lake is that you're very close to I-85, so there's a more or less constant drone of traffic. 

Once you pass under I-85, there's only about a mile left to reach the Hickory Hill Boat Ramp. There's a sandy area next to the closest ramp that's great for taking out. We have two vehicles that can carry kayaks, so we'd left my car here. We loaded the kayaks and drove back to the Eno Ramp to retrieve Cheryl's vehicle. 

This osprey feeding the young in it's next is maybe 200 feet from the interstate. Apparently, the birds don't like boat traffic, but pay no to attention to road traffic. 

Note that our detour to Ellerbe Creek turned this into a ten mile paddle. But, if you stuck to a direct route, I suspect you could make the journey in six or seven miles. Alternatively, if you were there in equally high water levels, all the side channels and areas of the lake normally too shallow to explore would give you easily a dozen miles or more to enjoy. It's definitely a route we'll paddle again.