We spent a day in Martin County exploring some of its best trails in Williamston, NC. These trails offer a mix of adventure and local history. In this post, we’ll share the route we followed from Moratoc Park to downtown Williamston and talk about the highlights we discovered along the way. We hope this inspires you to check out these great spots on your next trip to Martin County. Happy adventuring!
Table of Contents
- 1. Start – Moratoc Park
- 2. River Landing Boardwalk
- 3. Skewarkee Rail Trail
- 4. Downtown Williamston
- 5. Conclusion
1. Start – Moratoc Park
We began our hike at Moratoc Park, where there’s a playground, the Moratoc Building, some other historic buildings, and access to the Roanoke River. Moratoc Park is located where Williamston’s first Wharf once stood, a spot that was important to the town’s early economy. A walking trail goes around the park, and we parked our car in the lot there. We walked down to the Roanoke River next to the Moratoc Building to get onto the River Landing Boardwalk.
2. River Landing Boardwalk
The River Landing Boardwalk runs for 550 feet along the Roanoke River. It’s a beautiful spot, great for watching wildlife, and it ended up being the highlight of our hike. If you want to paddle down the river, there’s a camping platform right off the boardwalk where you can stay overnight. The area is also popular for fishing—we saw a few people casting their lines while we were there.
3. Skewarkee Rail Trail
You can find the entrance to the Skewarkee Rail Trail right across the street from the River Landing Boardwalk parking lot. The trail is just under a mile long, following a paved path that was once part of the Atlantic Coastline Railway. It takes you straight to downtown Williamston.
Early along the trail, you’ll see a plaque marking the site of Camp Williamston, a World War II German POW camp where over 300 prisoners worked on local farms.
4. Downtown Williamston
The Skewarkee Rail Trail finishes right by downtown Williamston. As we walked through the area, we envisioned what the town was like in its heyday and felt hopeful that it could return to that, just like other cities in North Carolina have.
5. Conclusion
After we visited downtown Williamston, we made our way back along the Skewarkee Rail Trail toward Moratoc Park. As we got closer, we found a short path that led straight to the park. We followed it and walked by the historic buildings at Moratoc Park before returning to our car. The whole hike took a few hours, and we learned a lot and got to see the Roanoke River up close. Overall, we thought this day hike was a great success!