I did this trail on July 11th, 2026 by myself.

Aiming to complete my barbecue quest, I made a day-trip to the Fayetteville area with the goal of some 'cue and some brews, with some views to divide the two. Towards that end, I picked Carvers Creek State Park, which is divided into two sections: the Sandhills Access -- the park's main trail system -- and the Long Valley Farm portion -- which contains the historic Rockefeller House. Since it had been some time since I'd hiked, I opted for the former despite the day's balmy temperatures.

The hike itself is a fairly flat walk through a sandy pine forest, and starts right at the main parking lot. The Longleaf Pine Trail is the area's longest trail -- 4 miles one way -- and is the only way to reach several of the park's other trails, including the Little Pond Spur Trail (below) and various extending alternates which I opted to forgo this time, including Turkey Oak Loop Trail, RCW Trail, Dead End Spur Trail, and Fox Squirrel Loop Trail. Much of the first mile is just beside the road in open sun.

After two miles, you'll reach the aforementioned split with Fox Squirrel Spur Trail, which afforded a nice opportunity for a shaded rest on a bench. Continuing along the main trail, I encountered a friendly little Eastern Box Turtle. After meeting back up with the Fox Squirrel Loop Spur, you'll cross the park's titular stream (about 2-3/4 miles in); after that, the forest opens up somewhat.

The end of the trail is fairly unrewarding, but the hike itself is pretty gratifying for the solitude (I met only 5-6 other hikers throughout the day) and as a respite in nature.

For a map of the trail, click here.