Merchants Millpond State Park, N.C., Or, Perfection As Beauty & Magic; Also, Bennetts Creek, Gates County, N.C.

Merchants Millpond State Park, N.C.

Or

Perfection As Beauty & Magic

Merchants Millpond State Park March '08 Main Image (97K)

By
H. Kent Craig

Also: Bennetts Creek, Gates County, N.C.

Original report © 1998, revised ©2008

Please go to the bottom of the page for the photo gallery, thank you!

There are very few places in the man-made or natural words that when visited, universally evoke the exact same unqualified gut-level reaction from all those that view them for the first time of "ah, this place is perfect ! Merchants Mill Pond State Park in Gates County in extreme northeastern North Carolina is one of those rare places.

A medium-sized coastalplain pond, just a few feet above sealevel, not five miles across at its broadest point, the outline of it looks totally un-spectacular on a map. But just as soon as you venture out atop its coffeebrew-dark waters, as soon as the spirits alive in the ancient bald cypress and tupelo trees begin speaking unconsciously to you as you paddle past them, as soon as the sprites that live within the gnarled houses of the rootballs begin beckoning you to their home in the Enchanted Forest at the headwaters of the pond, then you begin to willingly welcome the spell of beauty and wild, natural perfection that's being cast over you.

Merchants Millpond is the perfect place to take someone new to canoeing, because: 1) powerboats aren't allowed on the lake, only paddlecraft or ones with electric trolling motors allowed, 2) keeping in mind that this is a State Park and wearing of lifejackets is mandatory while on the water at all times, the meandepth is less than a fathom, is less than head-high in most places on the pond, 3) there's plenty of room between the cypress and tupelos out in the pond proper to maneuver around, but they're close enough to make nudging close to them interesting, 4) having a protective border of trees around the perimeter, wind isn't usually a factor, and 5) everyone on the water will be like yourself, i.e., so enraptured by the beauty and specialness of it all, that universal politeness and consideration will reign.

You don't even need a master canoeist to tag along and show you the ropes. If you've never been in a canoe in your life, simply show up at the park and rent one. Just put on your life jacket (furnished as part of the canoe rental fee but you're not required to wear it if you don't want to), get in, and start paddling easily, slowly. Look up, look around. Soak in the timelessness of the experience. Let the magic of the moment draw you in. Let your spirit soar with the various birds as they flit from tree to tree. Hear the absolute quiet that's broken only by the gentle slurping of other paddles from nearby canoeists. Taste the pristine air on your tongue. Let your imagination run wild, see the fairies and woodnymphs that dart along the shoreline seeking cover from mortal eyes as they go about their business; they might not be part of your imagination, after all. Listen to the story that the pond tells as your paddle warbles effortlessly through the syrupy-colored pure and fresh water.

Literally close to the middle of nowhere, getting to Merchants Millpond is a chore for most people (it's a 4-1/2 hour drive from Raleigh, for example), but it's a trip well worth the trouble. Find Highway 158 in northeastern N.C. on any highway map going from Bertie County to Gates County, following 158 past Gatesville; turn right on to SR 1403 (there will be a small sign with arrow indicating where the park's at) and go approximately 1-1/2 miles to the park entrance. The phone number at the ranger's station at the park is 252-357-1191.

Adjacent to Merchants Millpond, where the pond drains into, is Bennetts Creek. Bennetts Creek is also a special, unique paddling experience, but I wouldn't recommend it for beginning canoeists, especially running Section 2 of it, which like many estuarine creeks, is long and winding and full of cutbacks and crossovers and highwater bends and bights and can make for a very frustrating day canoeing, seemingly going around almost literally in circles at times. Both sections, despite the best efforts of volunteers to keep the channel clear, tend to be full of snags and sweepers and downed trees in general, which can be a challenge for those unfamiliar with how to navigate over and around them. That said, Bennetts Creeks offers its own mirror-beauty of being similar but different to Merchants Millpond, tending to have more birdlife and a wider variety of actual wildlife such as alligators and snakes and bobcats and otters and such than Merchants usually does.

One time my old canoeing buddy Jesse Jones, whom I ran the Black R. with so much, and I prepared to canoe Merchants with his girlfriend and my wife along with us in separate canoes. As we were going to launch that chilly spring early morning, before the park officially opened for business that day (which is okay, BTW), Jesse noticed a tiny, little 3"-4" baby water moccasin lying on the bank near us, a bulge in its stomach from having recently eaten. As I screamed bloody murder for him not be so stupid, he picked it and closely examined it, holding it inches away from his face. As the body heat from his hand began to slowly increase its metabolism, it tried to lazily strike at his nose and lips, then went for his hand, but was so stiff and lethargic from the morning's cold that it moved like a stream of equally cold molasses. If it had been the least bit quicker, it would have bit Jesse, and we would have had one big mess, since a little water mocassin can kill you every bit as quick as a much larger one. Don't let this scare you from canoeing Merchants Millpond, though; moccasins are much more scared of people than you are of them, and in a dozen or more trips to Merchants Millpond over the years, I've never seen any water snake of any kind, let alone a moccasin, actually swimming in the pond (this particular one was on the dam above the pond). I have seen a couple of water snakes but no moccasins down Bennetts Creek.

Below are the put-in's/take-out's for Sections 1 & 2 of Bennetts Creek. Again, Bennetts Creek while being totally estuarine flatwater, is not for the beginning canoeist, and I wouldn't canoe Section 2 unless I was in shape and could canoe 10-12 hours straight if I had to, if I ran into heavy headwinds or lots of snags and sweepers or other conditions that would make my paddling day very long indeed. It's worth the trip down Bennetts at least once, the natural beauty from Merchants does mostly continue on downstream to the Chowan River, but be prepared, carry emergency gear, extra flashlights and batteries, etc.

Bennetts Creek, Gates County, N.C.

Section 1

Put-in: Gates County Route 1400 Bridge (the creek from below Merchants Millpond Dam)
Take-out: NC 37 Bridge, just outside Gatesville
Distance: 5.5 miles

Section 2

Put-in: NC 37 Bridge, just outside Gatesville
Take-out: NC Wildlife Access Area at Cannon Ferry on the Chowan River & at the end of Chowan Couty Routes 1232 & 1231, respectively.
Distance: 15.1 miles

Photo Gallery Of Merchants Millpond State Park, N.C.

Ranger station at the park . . . bring your own canoe or kayak or rent a canoe, paddles, life jackets and gear from the park for about $4 an hour.	They replaced the 180+ year-old low water dam with a new one recently.
Launching ramp and side pier next to the ranger's station	Keep the free map of buoy trails on the pond that the rangers will give you. It can be somewhat confusing on the lake at times but you're never more than five minutes' paddle away from a buoy trai.