It’s located just off Kildaire Farm Road close to the Whole Foods store which we go to often, but we’d never set foot in Hemlock Bluffs and it turned out to be exactly what we were looking for.
Beech Tree Cove is an easy 0.9-mile mulched trail and is generally flat with a few small inclines and is stroller accessible if you have young kiddies.
We then continued on with the longest trail in the preserve, the 1.2 mile Chestnut Oak Loop Trail which winds through the upland forest with ridges, ravines and creeks.
Again this is a mulched trail with some light inclines and an overlook with views to Swift Creek. Both of these trails easy and manageable with young kids and good for any type of footwear.
The Swift Creek Loop Trail as it includes views of the Hemlock trees, East Bluffs, and Swift Creek.
A common evergreen in the North Carolina Mountains and are present at this preserve along the north facing bluffs because the bluffs provide a cool, moist microclimate in which the hemlocks thrive.