Lynches River County Park

The Lynches River is a classic Southern blackwater stream, its dark, clear water stained the color of strong tea by tannins released from decaying leaves and cypress in the swamps it drains, not by mud or pollution. It moves slowly through a bottomland forest of bald cypress, water tupelo, and pine, and a long stretch of it has been designated a State Scenic River in recognition of its beauty and its healthy, wild character.

That makes it a wonderful river to paddle. Canoeists and kayakers put in at the park and drift downstream past cypress knees, sandbars, and overhanging branches, with plenty of quiet water and few signs of development. It is a gentle, meandering float rather than a whitewater run, well suited to beginners and to anyone who wants to slow down and watch the swamp go by.

One of the park's signature features is its elevated canopy walkway, a raised boardwalk that climbs up among the trees so that visitors can walk through the forest at treetop level rather than on the ground. From up there the whole structure of the forest opens out, and it is a rare chance to see the canopy, and the birds and squirrels that live in it, at eye level.

Back on the ground, a network of easy nature trails threads through the bottomland forest and along the river, past cypress sloughs and stands of pine. The walking is gentle and shaded, well suited to families and to anyone who wants a quiet woodland stroll with the sound of the river never far off.

At the heart of the park is its environmental discovery, or nature, center, a hands-on facility built to introduce visitors to the plants and animals of the Pee Dee's rivers and swamps. Exhibits and live native animals, often including turtles, snakes, and other reptiles and amphibians, let children get a close, safe look at creatures they might otherwise only glimpse in the wild.

The wider park is rich in wildlife too. The river and its swamps draw wading herons and egrets, kingfishers, owls, and woodpeckers, while turtles line up on logs, alligators turn up in the warmer swampy stretches, and white-tailed deer and river otters move through the bottomland. Bring binoculars and a quiet pace and the park rewards patient watching.

Spring is lovely, with the bottomland forest greening up, wildflowers along the trails, and the river running clear and cool, a fine time for paddling and birding.

Summer is warm and humid but shaded and inviting, the busy season for paddling, picnicking, and the splash pad, with the swamp alive with turtles, frogs, and dragonflies. Fall brings cooler air, turning cypress and hardwoods, and easy, uncrowded trails, and winter is quiet and open, the bare trees revealing the shape of the river and the swamp, with owls and woodpeckers easy to spot.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.