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I wish someone would tell me where to find really good detailed hiking trail information and maps. There seem to be a couple good ones but they are not free. Here is the info for Morrow Mountain. I had to take a picture of the map that was posted at the entrance to the campsites and type this. Hopefully someone else who wants to hike at Morrow will be able to use this.

I made the great decision, and then the frustration decision, to take the kids on the big rock trail. You hike a ways and then there’s a sign: warning, serious injury or death can occur. Then you get to the very end (1.3 miles because it’s a backtrack trail) and there’s this awesome drop and big rocks at the water. The drop and rocks and water view are so spectacular that the kids only wanted to hike the rock trail again and again. I have a picture below of the drop at the end – FUN!!!

Backpack 2.0 miles, easy, white circles

Bridle: Short Loop 3.9 miles, moderate, white circles

Bridle: Middle Loop 5.5 miles, moderate, blue circles

Bridle: Long Loop 9.3 miles, moderate, red circles

Bridle Trails – Equestrians will enjoy the 15 miles of bridle trails in the park. Open roadbeds and narrow lanes have been combined to provide a variety of riding experiences. The bridle trails, which are marked with red spots, completely encircle the foot of Morrow Mountain, pass near beautiful Mountain Creek, one of the finest wildflower areas in the park, and wind through forests of large oaks, beeches, and tulip poplars. Riders following the entire route will come back to the Bridle Trail parking area without having to retrace their route.

Fall Mountain Trail 4.1 miles, moderate, orange triangles

– At 4.1 miles, this relatively rugged trail offers a bit more of a wilderness experience than the other trails. Hiking boots are recommended for crossing the sharp fragments of Rhyolite and other volcanic rocks outcropping near the Falls Dam. Fall Mountain sports many interesting flowering shrubs, including mountain laurel, horse-sugar, pinxter-flower azalea, and witch hazel. Cliff-like rock outcrops afford good views of the Yadkin River, with its maze of islands and relatively swift waters. Along this portion of the trail, one has an especially good chance of seeing such attractive birds as the kingfisher, the blue heron, osprey, wood duck and pileated woodpecker.

Hattaway Mountain Trail 2.0 miles, strenuous, orange squares

– This 2-mile walk takes the hiker up the steep slope of the third highest mountain in the park. The well-developed forest of Chestnut Oaks and Sourwoods along the flattened summit of Hattaway is typical of dry, rocky ridges in the Uwharrie Mountains.

Laurel Self-Guiding Trail .6 miles, easy, red hexagons

– Many of the common trees of the upland hardwood forest are identified in the booklet accompanying this .6-mile trail that begins at the Natural History Museum. In addition to mature oaks and hickories, the trail offers a hillside view of the sparkling Sugarloaf Brand and winds through stands of pines that mark the location of old fields. In May, mountain laurel and pinxter-flower azaleas adorn a ¼ mile section of the trail.

Morrow Mountain Trail 2.6 miles, moderate, blue triangles

– Hikers can begin at the museum parking area and hike for 3 miles to the summit of Morrow Mountain. This trail utilizes portions of three other trails; Laurel, Sugarloaf Mountain, and Mountain Loop. It offers a secluded hiking experience through a mature hardwood forest, crossing streams and gentle slopes, concluding with a strenuous ¼ mile hike up the steep slopes of Morrow Mountain.

Mountain Loop Trail .8 miles, easy, red squares

– this .8 mile trail does just that, it loops around the top of Morrow Mountain. This trail takes the hiker on the adventure of walking on the side of a mountain along with crossing a footbridge over a small ravine. During cooler times of the year when the leaves have fallen from the trees, a splendid view of the Pee Dee River opens up. Yep, the view is amazing. But, I found this trail dangerous. It is literally on the side of a mountain. The hill slopes up from one side of the trail and slopes down from the other. The hill is covered with pine needles so it’s very slipper if you fall.

Quarry Trail .6 miles, easy, blue diamonds

– A .6-mile walk along this trail affords an opportunity to see into the depths of the bedrock that makes up the area. The twisted upturned layers of volcanic slate exposed here by quarrying activities of the past are mute testimony to the ancient cataclysmic formation of the Slate Belt of North Carolina by volcanic action in a shallow sea some 400 million years ago. The bottom of this man-made gorge now harbors a heavy growth of ferns and moisture-loving wildflowers.

Rocks Trail 1.3 miles, easy, blue squares

– As the name implies, the climax of this 2.6 mile trail is a 25-foot-high rock outcrop overlooking the Pee Dee River. One of the densest thickets of mountain laurel in the park is found near the trail’s end.

Sugarloaf Mountain Trail 2.8 miles, strenuous, orange diamonds

– the large field at the beginning of this 2.8 mile trail is an excellent place to see the abundant white-tailed deer, as well as red-tailed hawks and the songbirds of open fields. Climbing the slopes of Sugarloaf, the second highest mountain in the park, the observant hiker can see the typical sequence of rocks found on volcanic monodnocks in the Uwharries (hills produced by the resistance of hard lava rocks to erosion): volcanic slate at the bottom, tuff (volcanic ash) on the sides of the mountain, and the erosion-resistant cap of Rhyolite (volcanic flint) at the top of the summit. The steep trail that completes the loop affords fine views of the valley of the Pee Dee River and Tater Top, a conical hill at the foot of Morrow Mountain.

Three Rivers Trail .8 miles, easy, blue hexagons

– although only .6-miles ling, the attractive trail offers more ecological diversity and wildlife viewing opportunities than many longer trails. The path winds through a swampy woodland to the river bank, skirts and open marsh, and tops a small hill overlooking the junction of the Yadkin, Pee Dee, and Uwharrie Rivers. The trail booklet is rich with information on historic and prehistoric occupation of the area.