Mitchell Mill State Natural Area is a unique spot to visit in Northern Wake County. It is a 105-acre tract that has a huge flat exposure of granite that you can walk on and explore.
Getting to the area is easy, but it’s not well represented as a park just from driving by. In fact, there is no parking lot or any real sign showing that this is a state park. All you will see is a small dirt pull-off where a couple cars can park on the side of the road. Then there’s this small sign hidden back in the trees.
This was the only trail I saw to the rock face, but there must be others because we ran into another family that came from a different direction. They must have parked on the other side of the park since there weren’t any cars parked near us.
The Old Mill
They also told us about a small waterfall further back, which I assume is the remnants of the old mill. However, we weren’t able to cross the water safely to get back there. I plan on going back with some more adult help and better shoes and hopefully we can find it! You’ll definitely want to go when it hasn’t been raining as much because the high water will make it tricky to get around!
Rolesville Batholith
The granite you see at the park is part of one of the largest granite domes on the east coast, called the Rolesville batholith. The batholith is actually around 30 miles long, 13 miles wide, and 40,000 to 60,000 feet deep. It’s the largest body of granite in the southern Appalachian region and occupies the eastern third of Wake County, and about two-thirds of Franklin County. I’m also pretty sure it’s why Eastern Wake county didn’t feel the 5.1 magnitude earthquake in 2020!
Mitchell Mill State Natural area protects this granite and also a fragile and rare ecosystem. The land is home to rare plants such as the Narrow-leaf Blue Curl, Elf Orpine, and the Neuse River Water Dog, which is only found along the banks of the Neuse River. Since this park is such a natural, untouched area you will want to cover yourself in bug spray before you visit!
Ephemeral Pools
Today, the rock face is pitted and worn and covered in “potholes” called ephemeral pools. These pools fill with water when it rains and can be home to salamanders, frogs, crayfish and other organisms.
My biggest concern about the pools was that I wasn’t able to tell how deep they were. The kids wanted to get close but I was worried about them falling in over their heads. Some of the pools were also pretty murky due to stagnant water, so I didn’t want the kids stepping in those! We were there when the water was high, so I hear this isn’t a concern during dry seasons.
Another issue we ran into was that algae had grown on the rocks in some places and made it very slippery. We tried to cross over some of the moving water, but my 5 year slipped and fell. Definitely come prepared with water shoes that have a good grip on the bottom!
You can read more about the Mitchell Mill State Natural area here. There’s quite a bit of interesting history about the area if you are into that stuff!
Also check out our map for more fun spots in Northern Wake!