A Black River Weekend

**a Carolina Paddler Article**

by Jim Butler

Photography by Jim Butler, Rich Nathan, and John Butler

-The Black

The Black River, approximately 50 miles long, is a tributary of the Cape Fear River in southeastern North Carolina. There is also a Black River in South Carolina, no relation except the black water. The NC Black is formed in southern Sampson County, approximately 15 miles south of Clinton, by the confluence of two creeks: Great Coharie Creek and Six Runs Creek. The Black River is part of a blackwater system which is nutrient-poor and more acidic than other types of freshwater ecosystems. The higher acidity is a result of vegetation decay and the subsequent release of tannins in the water. This makes for an environment that does not sustain most hardwood tree species and even slows the growth of bald cypress trees.

It is always hard to remember what the inspiration was for the paddle trips I undertake. In this case, I recalled Paul Ferguson mentioning that the Black was his favorite river. For overnight camping trips I look for river stretches that have a low or zero number of portages and nothing much greater than class I rapids. The Black River has no dams or rapids. It meanders through Sampson, Bladen, Pender and Brunswick counties, all coastal low land.

The most well-known section is the Three Sisters Swamp in Bladen County. The Three Sisters is a braid of several channels, approximately one mile long and a half mile wide. It is home to a large cluster of ancient cypress trees more than 2,600 years old. The only way to reach Three Sisters Swamp is by boating the Black River.

When I paddle new rivers, I have a quirky habit of always wanting to start at the headwaters and then try to finish the entire river, making subsequent trips if necessary. For this reason, this article is probably the only Black River report you will ever read that does NOT cover the Three Sisters Swamp section.

My approach to the Black was no different than with other rivers. We decided to start at the beginning of the Black River and paddle as far as we could in two reasonably hard days.

Trip Background

My neighbor and good friend, Rich Nathan, and my oldest son, John, joined me on the trip. John and I paddled my Old Town Camper canoe and Rich paddled his 12-foot Eddyline Caribbean kayak. The three of us have done several overnight river trips together.

The best resource for any eastern NC river excursion is “Paddling Eastern North Carolina” by the previously mentioned Paul Ferguson. Our plan was to do Black River sections 1 and 2 on day one (PENC pages 44 and 45) and sections 3 and 4 on day two (pages 45 and 46).

Hurricane Helene was pounding western NC at the time of our trip. We kept a close eye on the Tomahawk, NC USGS river gage to understand Helene’s impact on the water level for our trip. Ferguson’s estimated minimum for this stretch is 2.3 feet. The Tomahawk gage read over 9 feet when we started and it continued to rise almost 3 feet more during our trip.

The grey segmented vertical line on the chart is the level when we put in.

The average gage height on the river throughout the year is roughly 5 feet so we were going to paddle when the water level was roughly twice the normal height.

When planning overnight trips for the first time I try to scour the Internet for any information I can find. I found Burt Kornegay’s classic Black River article.

Alton Chewning put me in touch with Mitch Lloyd, President of the Lumber River Canoe Club, who is very familiar with the Black River. I talked to Mitch, and he assured me that if the water was under 10-11 feet on the gauge that we would be fine.

I called Danny Baldwin (910-990-6234) to reserve a spot at his Mossy Log campground (1708 Black River Lane, Harrells, NC) for the night. The driveway to the campground is located on the east side of the NC41 bridge. It’s a dirt road with a security gate a mile in that will need a code to unlock. The Mossy Log campground is another three-quarters of a mile. Prices are still the same as in Ferguson’s book: $18. per day for full hook-up, 15. for power and water, $10. for tent.

The campground is set back from the water, 1.7 miles north of the NC41 bridge. There is a boat ramp at the campground.

We had concerns about leaving our car overnight at the NC803 bridge put-in spot because it is supposed to be on Coharie Indian land. Danny told us that we should be fine if we put a note on our car with contact info.

September 28-29, 2025

We had complicated car logistics for the trip. The canoe was on top of my car and the kayak on top of Rich’s car. John would be driving down from Pittsburgh and meet us at the day two take-out spot so we would have three vehicles. Rich and I caravanned from Chapel Hill and stopped first at the put-in spot. We scoped things out and then drove to the Ivanhoe access take-out, where we met John. We left John’s van there and then drove to the campground where we left Rich’s car with all our camping gear. We then drove my car up to the put-in.

Left to right – John Butler, Jim Butler, Rich Nathan

We put-in at the NC 903 bridge (Hwy 903 is also called Lisbon Bridge Road, Sampson Co. 1134) The launch is easy and there is ample space for parking. We were on the water at 11:30am.

Google maps calls this the Black River. We were actually on the Great Coharie Creek for 1.2 miles until we reached the confluence with Six Runs Creek. The Black River begins at this point, the channel becoming wider and more open.

At 9 feet on the gauge the water was over the banks for many long stretches. There were many downed trees but none requiring portaging

The river widens once Six Runs Creek joins to become the Black. We had a beautiful sunny day and no sign of civilization. John is a hard paddler, and we make a good team in the canoe. We often paddle thirty miles in a day. On breaks, I like to cast a fishing line and John enjoys basking in the sun.

We paddled steadily for 3-4 hours covering approximately ten miles. I hadn’t had a fish bite all day. We had been keeping an eye out and soon spotted a boat ramp for the Mossy Log campground on the right bank.

I made a couple of final casts and caught a nice crappie within sight of the campground.

Insects had not been a problem while we were on the river but the minute we stepped on shore we were immediately attacked by a horde of bugs. The various bugs covered us and all our gear and continued unabated even after darkness set in.

The Mossy Oak campsite is located next to a cluster of homes and a public boat ramp, so it is not exactly remote and secluded. Around dusk, a half dozen large bass boats descended on the boat ramp. The boats were outfitted with an assortment of bright lights and speakers. A popular local weekend activity appears to be racing up and down the narrow river at night with lights flashing and speakers blaring. Once the boats receded into the distance, we could no longer hear them. We retreated to our tents early to escape the bugs.

Early the next morning we woke to fog surrounding our tents. We had left our canoe and kayak next to the boat ramp. When we went to inspect our gear, Rich found minor damage to his kayak paddle. One of the boaters was kind enough to leave a note and cash as compensation for the damage. Luckily Rich’s paddle was still functional.

On the breakfast menu was fresh crappie. The campground has rustic conveniences like a small outdoor kitchen and a picnic table. It also has good toilet facilities and electricity for recharging phones.

The river continued to rise overnight. The Black River does not have high banks so on numerous stretches the water was well into the trees. This is near the campground.

The weather forecast for the day called for a mix of sunshine with scattered sprinkles. We have learned over the years to make sure our rain gear is accessible. Dark clouds appeared overhead, and John and I assumed it was going to be a small sprinkle that would pass quickly. We were mistaken. A deluge descended upon that lasted for about 15 minutes and left us drenched.

The weather was warm, and John usually likes to swim on our river trips. He was already soaked from the rain shower so in he splashed.

We paddled about 17 miles on day two. The number of homes we saw along the river was in single digits for the entire trip.

We finished up in midafternoon and took out at a Wildlife boating access at Ivanhoe Road (Sampson Co. 1100), having paddled 28.2 miles in two days. You can easily divide the trip into 4 shorter sections if you don’t want to paddle as hard. The Black River is about as scenic as any body of water you will find in NC. In 1994, the Black River was deemed an Outstanding Water Source by the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation, and for good reason. We didn’t see anyone else out on the water during the day and there wasn’t development of any kind in sight. If you are looking for a memorable time on the water, the Black River could be the place for you.