Goose Creek State Park

About 20 minutes East of Washington, North Carolina and a million miles from ordinary, you’ll find Goose Creek State Park. A few hundred years ago, this area was occupied by the Secotan and Pamlico Indians, members of the Tuscarora tribe. Even the notorious pirate, Blackbeard, called this area home. Today, Goose Creek State Park spans over 1,672 acres along the Pamlico River and attracts more than 275,000 visitors each year seeking a different kind of treasure –relaxation.

The park offers a quick getaway for folks looking to escape the day-to-day and pop over for a visit with Mother Nature. Camping, boating, beaches, hiking, nighttime s’mores around a campfire — it’s all here.

On the Water

Boating: The boat ramp at Dinah’s Landing on the west side of Goose Creek is conveniently located near the river. Motorboating and sailing are popular activities.

Paddling: Tall, overhyping trees lining the creek banks create a peacefulness best experienced by canoe or kayak. Day users can access Goose Creek from dinah’s landing, while overnight campers access it at the end of Campground Rd.

Fishing: The creek and the river have plenty of freshwater and saltwater fish, especially in warmer weather. Species including largemouth bass, bluegill and white and yellow perch. A state fishing license is required.

Swimming: Following a short path from the last two parking lot, through the main picnic area,to the designated swimming area. A sandy beach offers access to the shallow waters of the Pamlico River. The swimming area is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, free of charge. Please be aware that there are no lifeguards on duty. Water shoes are recommended.

Goose Creek State Park - Palmetto Boardwalk

Goose Creek State Park - Flatty Creek Trail

Trails

Flatty Creek Trail
0.3 Mile/ Easy

This trail loops through an upland forest and incorporates sections of boardwalk across wetlands. The trail features a pier that affords views of both Flatty Creek and the Pamlico River.

Goose Creek Trail
2.5 Miles/ Easy

This trail runs from the campground at the mouth of Goose Creek to the swimbeach on the Pamlico river. Boardwalks pass through black gum and cypress swamps.

Huckleberry Trail
0.3 Mile/ Easy

This trail winds its way through patches of huckleberries and acts as a connector-trail through Live Oak and Mallard Creek trails.

Ivey Gut Trail
1.8 Miles/Easy

This trail winds through the forest and provides peaks of Upper Goose Creek through trees along the way.

Live Oak Trail
0.5 Mile/ Easy

This trail features a canopy of live oaks draped with Spanish moss. This loop trail follows the shoreline of the Pamlico River for a short distance and then turns inlands and passes a historic cemetery dating from the 1880’s.

Long Leaf Trail

1.3 Miles/ Easy

This multi-use trail allows hikers to explore an area where long leaf pine trees once dominated the landscape. Hikers can explore tar kilns, a historic cemetery and an overlook at the beginning of Goose Creek.

Palmetto Boardwalk Trail
0.5/ Easy

This wheelchair-accessible trail features a rambling boardwalk across a freshwater marsh. A junction with tar kiln trailhead can be found at the base of the boardwalk.

Mallard Creek Trail
1.2 Miles/ Easy

This Trail takes visitors to a small overlook on Mallard Creek, where red-winged blackbirds, herons and egrets have been spotted. Tar-kiln Trail originates along this trail at about the half way mark

Tar-Kiln Trail
1.3 miles/Easy

This Trail is located between Mallard Creek and Palmetto trails. Remnants of the long leaf pine logging industry of the 1800s and early 1900s are still evident here.

Woman at the beach — Enjoy your lunch outside as you watch the water roll in.

Picnicking

River Access Picnic Area: Located near the riverfront, this is a pleasant spot for lunch or dinner. In the midst of a mixed forest, the area is spacious enough to accommodate several families. A picnic shelter houses four tables, one of which is wheelchair- accessible, with adjacent grills placed throughout. Four additional tables are located nearby at the swim beach.

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Flicker Field Picnic Area: Conveniently located across from the visitor center, this shelter offers eight tables with two adjacent grills. One grill, as well as one of the tables, is wheelchair-accessible. Four additional tables sit under trees at the edge of the open field, providing a perfect space for family activities.

Goose Creek State Park - Wildlife - White-tailed Deer

Goose Creek State Park - Wildlife - Osprey

Flora And Fauna

Large grasses and sedges, including sawgrass and black needlerush, dominate the beautiful brackish marshes near the Pamlico River. Growing up to 8 feet, they provide food and shelter for resident waterflow.

Evergreen shrubs and trees grow in the ecotone between marsh and swamp. Red cedar and loblolly pine trees form an overstory. The brackish marsh gradually fades into the swamp where the canopy reaches up to 90 feet. The park has one of the furthest northern populations of the dwarf palmetto. Bald cypress thrives along the Goose and Mallard creeks while black willows grow in the interior lowlands.

Goose Creek is a haven for birds.The brackish marshes are home to marsh wrens, waterflow, rails and several species of herons and egrets.Barred owls and red-shouldered hawks reside in the wooded swamps and shrubs thickets. In the spring, a host of birds arrive from the south to nest. The growing population of osprey and bald eagles is an environmental success story, considering their declining numbers years ago due to insecticide, DDT.

In cooler weather, the nearby Pamlico Sound is a major wintering area for waterfowl. Ducks, including bufflehead, scaup and ruddy ducks, enjoy the open water adjacent to the park. In addition, black ducks, mallards and wood ducks inhabit the creeks and swamps. Tundra swans and Canada geese also winter in the area and have been seen at Goose Creek.

Frogs, turtles and snakes enjoy the wetlands of Goose Creek. Minks, muskrats, racoons and river otters enjoy the brackish marshes. Gray squirrels, opossums and white-tailed deer find food and protective cover throughout the park. Marsh Rabbits live in moist areas, while eastern cottontails prefer the drier uplands. The tracks of elusive bobcats, black bears, gray foxes, and red wolves confirm the presence of these rarely encountered creatures.

The Goose Creek Educations Center was the first of its kind in the state of North Carolina.

Visitor and Education Center

Explore the natural side of Goose Creek at the park’s environmental education and visitor center. Inside there are interactive exhibits that teach visitors about the park’s natural resources and wildlife. Taxidermy hawks stalk you from the rafters. Stuffed black bears and bobcats peer around the corners.

The Discovery Room has a bird observation station- a sitting area with an excellent view of the bird feeders outside. Here you can relax and observe the birds feeding or take a short walk to the butterfly garden to see what plants are currently blooming and the butterflies they attract during the different seasons.

Cabin — Stay over night in one of our cabins, park your RV or pop up a tent on one of our primitive sites.

Staying Over

Tent, trailer and RV camping

Goose Creek State Park offers two camping areas: a newly opened loop with RV campsites and cabins and a primitive tent campground located between Goose and Flatty creeks.

The RV camping area has 22 sites that all have full hook-ups (electric, water and sewer). One site is wheelchair accessible. Each campsite has a tent pad, a fire ring with grill, a picnic table and a lantern hook. A bathhouse is located near the loop entrance.

Further down at the end of Campground Road, 14 well-spaced campsites can each accommodate two tents and each provide a fire ring, grill, picnic table and lantern hook. Parking for two vehicles is located at each site. One site is wheelchair accessible. Water spigots and composting toilets are located nearby.

All tent, trailer and RV campsites allow up to six people per site.

Camper cabins

Six camper cabins are also available at the RV camping area. Each cabin can accommodate up to six people; one bedroom has a queen bed and the other has two sets of bunk beds. Campers must bring their own pillows and sleeping bags or linens, as these are not provided. The cabins have electric outlets and a heating and air-conditioning unit. There are no restrooms inside the cabin, and campers must use the nearby bathhouse and water spigots. A picnic table, fire ring, charcoal grill and a lantern hook are provided at each cabin

One cabin, campsite #24, is wheelchair accessible. Smoking is not permitted in any of the cabins. Pets, except for service animals, are not allowed. Each cabin has parking space for two vehicles only. On weekends and holidays, a two-night minimum stay for cabins is required.

Group tent camping

Two primitive group tent sites are located near the end of the main park road and are open from mid-March through late November. Each group site has two fire pits and two grills. Up to 26 people can occupy each site. Flush toilets and water spigots are located nearby.

Reservations are required.

Map

Website

Fact Sheet