This Land, Your Land

An update from The Fayetteville Observer says Carver's Creek State Park in northern Cumberland County could open its Long Valley Farm area next May.

The 1,420-acre former estate of James Stillman Rockefeller is being restored to depict life on an early-20th century scientific farm, and renovations of the farm house and other historic buildings, which include a pavilion, a water mill and an electrical generating station, have taken longer than expected, state parks Spokesman Charlie Peek told the newspaper.

The farm area, off of McCloskey Road, will also include two miles of hiking trails, a lake for fishing and canoeing, and maybe canoe and kayak rentals, Peek said.

Carvers Creek was authorized by the General Assembly in 2005. The state is completing its master plan for what is to eventually be a 4,000-acre urban park comparable to Umstead State Park in Raleigh.

The park straddles U.S. 210 and U.S. 401 north of Fayetteville, and extends from the border of Fort Bragg on the west to a section on the Cape Fear River to the east. The two segments of the park are to be linked by a trail for pedestrians and bicycles.

The river area is to eventually offer multi-use trails, multiple campgrounds, fishing, boating, bicycling, horseback riding, picnicking, wildlife observation, and a visitors center and community building.

The state has posted the draft of a master plan for Carvers Creek State Park in Cumberland County and is accepting comments on it through June 22.

The master plan is to be made final sometime this year, and the park is to be developed over several years to come.

The plan's executive summary says the 4,000-acre park* adjacent to Spring Lake, Fort Bragg and Fayetteville "will be similar to other urban state parks, such as William B. Umstead State Park in the Triangle." It is the first state park to serve the Fayetteville area.

The park straddles U.S. 210 and U.S. 401 north of Fayetteville, and extends from the border of Fort Bragg on the west to a smaller section on the Cape Fear River to the east.

The park is expected to be used primarily for hiking, camping and picnicking. "The primary interpretive themes of the park are ecological restoration and the cultural history of Long Valley Farm," a tract with several buildings from the former James Stillman Rockefeller Estate, which are to be operated so visitors may experience "life on an early 20th century scientific farm," the plan says.

A state park’s master plan is essentially a blueprint for long-term development of facilities and recreation opportunities and a guide for protection of natural resources, a Division of Parks and Recreation news release says.

The plan (.pdf) calls for "approximately 20 miles of multi-use trails, four miles of bicycle and pedestrian trails, and seven miles of single-use trails." Other plans include tent and trailer campgrounds, group camping and primitive camping, fishing piers and a boat rental on McDiarmid Mill Pond, day use areas, and opportunities for bicycling, horseback riding, picnicking and wildlife observation, including river overlooks.

There's also to be a visitors center, community building, auditorium, classrooms, gift shop, restrooms, reception area, and offices and support areas.

Written comments about the plan can be submitted by email to max.rogers@ncdenr.gov or by mail to: State Parks Planner, N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation, 1615 MSC, Raleigh, NC 27699-1615.

*This post originally misquoted the much larger "study area" as the park's acreage.