On Saturday, October 22, the Lumber River State Park will move even closer to becoming the premier state park in North Carolina. After several years of hard work by the State Park Citizens Advisory Committee and our local park rangers, a new area of the park will open at Chalk Banks, just north of the town of Wagram.

When the Lumber River State Park was first announced almost 15 years ago, hundreds of local citizens provided input about what they thought the park should look like and what it would contain. With assistance from the state division of Parks and Recreation and the Parks and Recreation Department of North Carolina State University, an extensive master plan was developed. With support from dozens of sponsors, assistance from county governments in the Lumber River basin, and the Natural Heritage Trust Fund, a park began to materialize.

Since the Lumber River is 115 miles long from where it first begins at Drowning Creek to the South Carolina state line, the master plan called for a central park headquarters at Pea Ridge near Boardman. This location is where the current US-74 and the future I-74 crosses the Lumber River. It also called for major park facilities at both the upper end and the lower end of the river, with dozens of primitive campsite areas along the river for canoeist to use as they floated the river.

The first facilities developed were at Princess Anne, which is now a popular and well-used location. Another step toward completion of the master plan will take place with the opening of Chalk Banks.

Grand opening ceremonies for Chalk Banks is planned for Saturday, October 22. The public is invited to attend, with a special invitation to all of those who love to use the Lumber River for canoeing and camping.

The dedication ceremonies will begin at 11 a.m. with comments by several people who have helped make this segment of the park a reality. Picnic facilities, camping, nature trails, and displays by several groups will be available for visitors to enjoy. A lunch of hot dogs, chips, and soft drinks will be provided at noon for all those attending.

Canoe rides will be provided by state park rangers and the Upper Lumber River Canoe Club beginning at 11:30. Those wishing to float the river will leave from Chalk Banks and float to the US-401 bridge, which will take about one hour. Vans will be available to transport canoeist back to the Chalk Bank boat launch area. Canoe floats will depart on 30-minute intervals.

Since its development over 10 years ago, the Lumber River State Park has now become one of the largest state parks in the state. With the addition of Chalk Banks, the Lumber River State Park is now over 8,000 acres in size and is the third largest state park in North Carolina.

I would venture to say that most of the citizens of Robeson County have never visited the park facilities located at Princess Anne. However, this park is heavily used, not only by local citizens but from nature lovers from across the state and across the nation. More than 65,000 people visited the park last year. With the opening of Chalk Banks, less than 25 miles from Fayetteville and thousands of military families, the use of this park should increase drastically in the future.

The greatest use of the park facilities has been for families or groups to use the beautiful and convenient facilities for picnics, hiking, or just to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It is not uncommon to see several groups of people at the various picnic areas during the weekdays, but on the weekends almost all of the picnic areas will be in use.

The park facilities are used extensively for camping. With convenient restrooms, ample parking, beautiful scenery, and spacious campsites, many families spend the weekend enjoying the wonders of nature and the peace and quite of the outdoors.

More people use the beautiful Lumber River for canoing than most would realize. Locals enjoy the convenience of being able to put their canoes in the river and float for a couple of hours. But the Lumber River State Park is host to many others from across the state and across the United States, that come to enjoy the beauty of black water Lumber River. Being a North Carolina Natural and Scenic River, and a National Wild and Scenic River, the Lumber River is well recognized as one of the most enjoyable locations on the east coast for canoeist.

Go to Chalk Banks on October 22. Help celebrate another major development of your Lumber River State Park. Slow down, relax, enjoy the beauty of the Lumber River.

E-mail address: Everett_Davis@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 10/14/05