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Beginning as run-off from tobacco and corn
fields, the Eno River is part of a triad of rivers that arise in Orange County
and then flow eastward through Durham County, forming the northwestern headwaters
of the Neuse River, our state's second largest river. Forty miles long, the
Eno traverses the rolling hills of Piedmont topography, first running due
south for ten miles before bumping against the Occoneechee monadnock at the
town of Hillsborough.
The monadnock is the beginning of a long west to east ridge that sends the
Eno waters eastward some 30 miles, with an average width of 50 feet, through
gently dropping terrain. The Eno passes within the borders of the city of
Durham about six miles north of its downstream district, then continues east
for several miles past Durham before it finally merges with its sisters, the
Little and Flat Rivers, as all three flow into Falls Lake Reservoir, which
becomes the Neuse River north of Raleigh.
The Eno River drops 250 vertical feet in its 40-mile course, past rock formations
bearing names such as Ship's Prow, Big Rock, and Buzzard's Rock, bluffs covered
with mountain laurel, rhododendron, galax and partridge berry, and through
swimming holes with strange names and histories - - the Devil's Sink Hole,
the Bobbitt Hole, Green's Hole, the Sennett Hole. A trio of historical mill
dam sites on the river also create five miles of quiet, backwater, millpond
habitat. Insulated by the Eno's steep, forested slopes, visitors can escape
from fast-paced urban life - often not far over the crests of the bordering
hills.
On both sides of the river, rich forests and meadows abound with wildlife.
Water quality is very good and supports at least 61 species of fish, an exceptionally
high biodiversity for a river of this length. In addition, there are 12 species
of freshwater mussels, many of which are on federal and state endangered species
lists; seven species of turtles; 14 species of snakes; 15 species of amphibians;
and a healthy variety of mammals including the beaver, river otter, muskrat,
woodchuck, weasel, mink, and white-tailed deer. Over 100 species of trees
grace the parklands with a delicate forest floor covering of herbaceous flowers
Parklands of the Eno River
Eno River State Park
Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area
Penny's Bend Nature Preserve
West
Point on the Eno Durham City Park
To check Eno River levels click on the links below: