Wander Report: Eno River State Park - Durham, NC

A great hike for kids - Cox Mountain Trail

Just off Interstate 85 in Durham, NC, a hidden gem called Eno River State Park hides in the thick forest. Since my family had never been there, we did not know what to expect when we arrived to the park on Saturday, August 8th. Of course, we had done some on-line research of the park to plan our hike for the day and the good reviews that the park received on the websites were well deserved. We were set to hike the Cox Mountain Trail.

The weather when we met up Saturday morning was a little overcast and for August, cool at about 77 degrees. We were to meet at the Eno River Park office. Let me tell you, if you have a large group meeting - do not meet at the park office. Parking is not plentiful at the office. We had 34 total people (13 kids 8 and under) participate in our August club hike.

The trail head for the Cox Mountain Trail is located at the very end of the park's main road that feeds into a circular parking lot. There is plenty of parking down here and clearly marked signs showing the trails. For all of us parents, it is also important to note that there are full service restrooms here at the trail head as well.

Crossing the suspension bridge

The trail begins with a stroll through the park picnic shelter area and quickly turns toward the river. The trail is marked by blue trail blazes. About a quarter of a mile into the hike, you reach the river and one of the coolest features of the hike is right here.  A 50 foot suspension bridge crosses the Eno and below is a great area to let the kids get their feet wet in the river. We brought water shoes and change of clothes for the kids just in case we got a little too wet.

After crossing the river, the trail's only real climb awaits you.  It is a rocky terrain with wooden railroad tie steps to help navigate the inclines. The trail is surrounded by hardwood forest here. Close to a mile and a half in to the trail you come back to the river and hike along side the river for about half a mile. It is a great place to view and listen to local wildlife. We were lucky to see turtles, butterflies, toads, Cherry millipedes, Stag beetles and a Northern Ring Neck snake. Thank goodness our resident expert Sam (8 years old) was there to identify every insect we came across.


The hike is a loop that circles back and let's you cross back over the suspension bridge to get back to the trail head and parking lot.

Wandering Notes:

Distance = 3.7 miles loop

Elevation Gain = 350-400 feet elevation gain

Difficulty = It is a great choice for hiking with kids. It is not too difficult terrain to traverse and there is plenty to keep their attention. It took us around 2.5 hours to complete the hike with a break in the middle for snacks and a couple of play/explore breaks around the river.

We paired our hike with a trip to FULLSTEAM Brewery in Durham, NC. A family-friendly, dog-friendly tavern that has a wonderful selection of craft brews and an arcade to make any 40-ish year old jealous. The adults had a little tasting party while the kids played board games and pinball.  

My personal favorite was the Summer Basil, a Farmhouse ale that was quite refreshing and had a unique blend of flavor. I normally lean towards the extreme hoppiness of the IPA's, but the Summer Basil had a good controlled hops flavor. Honorable mentions were Carver, a sweet potato lager and the Rocket Science IPA.