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Clemmons Educational State Forest
Clemmons Educational State Forest outside of Clayton in Johnston County was the original park in the state’s Educational State Forest system. The state’s ESFs were created to teach the public – especially school children – about the forest environment. Each forest features self-guided trails that include exhibits, tree identification signs, a forest education center and a talking tree trail. Ranger-led programs can also be arranged. In addition to trails, Clemmons has a pond and picnic grounds.
Clemmons is a nice place for an easy stroll or a quick workout. Its trails are for the most part wide and easy, and have good signage. Over the course of the entire park there’s 6.5 miles of trail and enough elevation change to make you feel it if you get a good pace going. Here’s the trail map.
Trails have boardwalks over wet areas, such as here on the Geology Trail.
North Carolina’s Educational State Forests are known for the Talking Tree trails, where recordings explain the various tree species and the historical uses of their lumber. The tree below introduced itself as a White Oak.
In addition to about a dozen talking trees, many trees throughout the forest have flip-up identification tags.
On the Geology Trail, there are talking rocks, too. Limestone here.
Trails at the center of the park are crushed gravel and dirt. But the 2.2 mile Demonstration Trail is a wide pathway along the natural forest floor that descends to a bluff over Beddingfield Creek before turning back toward the center of the park.
Here’s a cord of wood demonstrated on the Demonstration Trail.
The 3-mile Watershed Extension Loop requires three easy creek crossings and a climb from the creek up a hill before circling back upon a ridge that overlooks the creek. We didn’t take the trail on this visit in November 2019.
Clemmons Pond and Picnic Grounds
While there are several picnic tables along the Demonstration Trail and the Watershed Loop, as in the photo above, the main picnic grounds are back at the center of Clemmons, overlooking the pond. The pond is adjacent to the parking lot, and a spur off of the Demonstration Trail leads to a lawn on the far side of the pond.
Here we look across the pond toward the observation deck.
In the distance, a Cub Scouts pack crosses the pond’s dam. The observation deck is in dark shade.
A gazebo on the lawn by the pond.
The observation deck has a map of North Carolina’s rivers and river basins etched into the floor and explained in a sign.
Another look across the pond from the observation deck on a fall afternoon.
Here’s a picnic site with grill just below the classroom pavilion that overlooks the pond.
The front of the classroom and, below, its interior.
Here are the exterior and interior of the picnic shelter, which is near the entrance from the parking lot. The interior shows just one side of the double fireplace. Note the stack of firewood beyond the shelter.
Clemmons Educational State Forest is in western Johnston County, just north of Clayton.
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