City: Durham, NC

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (919) 383-1686

Address: 6101 Cole Mill Rd.

Description: At 867 feet above sea level, Occoneechee Mountain is the highest point in Orange County and serves as an anomalous example of mountain ecology in North Carolina’s piedmont. The hike to the top is a workout but affords views of plants and animals usually found much farther west. Catawba rhododendron grows alongside a ravine whose slopes are covered in mountain laurel. Deer and wild turkey inhabit the area’s three acres, which also provide a home for one of the few communities of brown elfin butterfly found outside of the mountains. The views along the river and from scenic bluffs are unequaled in the Triangle. Two ponds and the Eno River provide a place to fish, and picnickers are welcome. The natural area has no camping facilities, so it’s a day-trip destination only. Occoneechee is named for the American Indian tribe that settled near the mountain along the Eno River in the 17th century. The natural area is administered by the Eno River State Park. Admission is free.