Between Wilmington And Fayetteville Is North Carolina's Lakeside State Park With Peaceful Fishing And Hiking

Fayetteville, North Carolina, is steeped in history, having been founded over 250 years ago. It has been designated as an All-American City and is widely known for hosting one of the world's largest military bases, Fort Bragg. Some 90 miles to the southeast, the beachy town of Wilmington is renowned for being North Carolina's cleanest city. Between the two is a unique North Carolina destination with peaceful fishing and hiking opportunities, Singletary Lake State Park.

Singletary Lake, which covers 572 acres, is part of the Carolina bay lakes. These lakes are scattered across the Atlantic coast states from Florida to New Jersey and are essentially depressions in the land that accumulated water and became natural lakes or bays. Although around 500,000 of them are thought to exist in the Southeastern U.S., Singletary Lake is substantially larger than most. A number of the bigger ones, including Singletary, have been developed as state parks in North Carolina.

The land surrounding Singletary Lake was first utilized as a group camp facility. It's since expanded into a public use area for activities such as fishing, hiking, and paddling. Today, the park lies about a dozen miles northwest of the town of Kelly on NC-53 W and spans 649 acres surrounding the lake, including nearly 4 miles of shoreline.  The unique wetlands ecosystem and environment of Singletary and other Carolina bay lakes is filled with an array of flora and fauna. Because of this, Singletary Lake State Park is part of the North Carolina Science Trail and offers a variety of programs and guided tours to help educate visitors on the area's wildlife and natural features.

When most people think of fishing in North Carolina, their mind automatically jumps to some of the state's fabled saltwater destinations, such as the Outer Banks, where the pier is a scenic stop for great catches and lovely sunrises. However, the Tar Heel State also offers some outstanding freshwater angling. Those looking for a peaceful fishing experience will find just what they're looking for at Singletary Lake State Park. Although it is relatively small compared to massive reservoirs such as Lake Norman, North Carolina's largest man-made lake, Singletary Lake offers some outsized angling opportunities.

Unlike most other freshwater lakes across the U.S., Singletary isn't a place where largemouth bass are the primary target species. Instead, yellow perch, brown bullhead, and yellow bullhead are the predominant species here, along with bluegill and catfish. Largemouth bass and crappie are also found here. However, because the water is higher in acidity (which is common in bay lakes), bass and crappie populations are somewhat suppressed. Yellow perch, on the other hand, thrive in such conditions. Not only are they plentiful, but they are also relatively easy to catch on live worms or small jigs fished near the bottom.

Regardless of which species they are hoping to catch, anglers will find adequate bank fishing access. There is also a 500-foot pier extending into the lake from which fishing is allowed. Although there are no actual ramps or launch facilities, anglers can also hand-launch small boats, canoes, or kayaks from the shore. Fishing is available on the lake for both campers and day-use visitors. It is worth noting that because no river feeds into Singletary Lake, the water level can vary depending on runoff and rain amounts.

Hiking is another way to explore Singletary Lake State Park. While it may not offer the longest hikes in North Carolina, the park does, nonetheless, have some very scenic trails along with off-trail hiking options. The primary hiking option for visitors to Singletary Lake SP is the mile-long CCC Loop Trail. Thanks to the relatively flat terrain, the trail is easy to traverse for hikers of all ages and experience levels. According to AllTrails, this route takes between 30 minutes and an hour to complete. Along the loop, the trail is lined with a variety of trees, such as cedar, cypress, gum, and longleaf pine. It also affords excellent lake views at various points and includes two footbridges, as well as interpretive signage.

Hikers also have the option of doing an out-and-back hike along the eastern shore of the lake or exploring off-trail around the shore. Whichever option they choose, in addition to being treated to views of the bay lake landscape and flora, hikers are also likely to see a variety of wildlife such as whitetail deer, squirrels, raccoons, rabbits, and wild turkeys.

Those looking to stretch a visit to Singletary Lake State Park into more than just a day trip have some options to stay in the park. The site has a vacation cabin, the Canebrake Family Cabin, which can fit nearly a dozen people and is available for overnight rentals. It features three bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom. There are also two large group camp sites open to nonprofits. Camp Ipecac has 11 cabins capable of holding 84 campers total. Camp Loblolly Bay can host 48 in its four cabins. Both require a minimum of 20 people to rent.