Croatan trail gives riders a new option

The Croatan National Forest Off Highway Vehicle trail near New Bern has been in place for about a year and word is just getting out about this unique place to ride ATVs and trail bikes. Street vehicles such as SUVs are not allowed on the trails.

Personnel of the Croatan National Forest office maintain the 8-mile trail, parking lot and a restroom facility.

“We pick up the litter for those who can’t hit the trash container, keep the restrooms clean and mow and grade the trail,” said Robert Kaylor with the U.S. Forest Service, which manages the park.

“It’s only open to vehicles with a wheelbase of 50 inches or less and there are other rules. It’s in a remote area and that makes it difficult to patrol. But we now have an enforcement officer on duty now and things are getting better,” he said.

Dennis Foster, asistant district ranger for Croatan National Forest said the OHV trail was built on Black Swamp Road for a reason.

“There were illegal off-road vehicle trails in use there already,” Foster said. “So we made the trail part of the forest plan. There were public hearings and people wanted it. The illegal riding was damaging endangered plants and habitats. Now that the trail’s there, it has substantially reduced damage caused by illegal riding in other parts of the forest so it’s been a great success for everyone. Trails and camping are our biggest needs. We can’t keep up with the demand.”

The trail gets dusty when the weather is dry and muddy when it’s rainy, which is just what OHV riders like. The trail is never more than a mile from Black Swamp Road so if someone has a breakdown, they don’t have a long walk out. Foster characterized the trail as winding through a pocosin, a Native American term meaning “swamp on a hill.” The understory is very thick and the canopy is mostly scrub oak, pine and bay trees.

It’s open 24 hours a day, except during unusual weather like hurricanes.

Steven Ernst, a Marine at nearby Camp Lejeune, arrived in the parking lot with a trail bike in the bed of his pickup. He spoke with Kaylor, who reminded him to put $5 into an envelope, place the envelope in a box and put a tag showing he had paid the fee on his handlebars.

“A friend of mine told me about the new trail and I thought it would be a fun place to try,” he said. “I just bought my trail bike recently and wanted somewhere to ride it where it is legal. I won’t ride anywhere I shouldn’t go.”

Ernst put on his safety gear and roared off, a dust trail smoking from behind his rear tire and drifting into the pocosin vegetation. Out here in the middle of nowhere, thanks to the multiple-use policies of the U.S. Forest Service, he had found a place where he was welcome to practice his chosen sport.

For a map and more information, visit the National Forests in North Carolina Website at www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/, or call Croatan National Forest, New Bern office, (252) 638-5628.