Contributed by Ranger Nick Botello-Hernandez, Goose Creek State Park
On January 1st, 2024, New Year’s Day, Goose Creek State Park celebrated its 50th anniversary, being established in 1974. The day of the event consisted of two guided hikes: one on the Palmetto Boardwalk and the other on the Live Oak Trail along the swim beach.
There were also other activities throughout the day, such as a ranger-led Tar kiln demonstration. Tar production is the extraction of terpene from resinous trees by form of burning.
Included in the celebration activities were musket firing demonstrations, cooking demonstrations, and plenty of food vendors on site to feed the crowds.
Goose Creek State Park is located in the Coastal region of North Carolina in Beaufort County, about 34 miles southeast of Greenville. Goose Creek has 24-hour access to primitive and RV campgrounds, great hiking trails, and water sports including swimming, fishing, and paddling. But there are also some very unique natural landmarks that make Goose Creek a special place: a 1,596-acre hardwood swamp, a cypress swamp, and a 375-acre brackish marsh bordering the Pamlico River that has been designated a national natural landmark. This stretch of shoreline also happens to be the longest bit of publicly-owned, undeveloped, low-salinity shore in North Carolina.
Now there’s something to really be proud of.
Come visit and explore Goose Creek this year to celebrate 50 years as a North Carolina State Park and a NC Science Trail Partner!
