Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve
Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve is the 7th park we’ve visited in our 2025 North Carolina State Park Challenge. This park is know for its longleaf pine trees, and specifically the oldest known longleaf pine tree! They know this information thanks to the UNC Greensboro’s Carolina Tree Ring Science Laboratory, and this April they celebrated the tree’s 477th Birthday! If you have the chance in look out for this event in the future (it’s called Party for the Pine) this year they have a whole birthday bash complete with birthday cake, guided hike to see the famous tree, prescribed burn, and games!
This park (similar to Carolina Beach State Park) has one main parking lot and many intersecting trails. Most trails are 1 mile or less, but because they all intersect you can easily make it a longer day of hiking. We started off on Bower’s Bog Trail but then continued on to Lighter Stump Trail, Pine Island Trail, Holly Road Trail over the Moccasin Crossing to Gum Swamp Trail to Pine Barren’s Trail back to the Visitor Center. We took our time along Pine Barren’s Trail to listen to and spot the woodpeckers along the pines. Then we headed over to the Boyd Tract Access to follow the Round Timber Trail to the location of the oldest Known longleaf pine. You’ll walk through a gorgeous meadow with lots of picnic table to get to the start of the trail. I would definitely recommend stopping here at either the picnic tables or bring blanket to sit on for a quick break/lunch. The location of the oldest longleaf pine is marked on the park map, but there isn’t a marker along the trail. There are two green posts with a little path where you can see that people have just barely stepped off the trail to look at this tree. Overall this was a great park for a casual day out exploring. It’s not a park with high mountains or strenuous trails, but that’s why we love the NC State Park system so much is there is a park for everything and everyone!
Park Details:
ADDRESS: 1024 Fort Bragg Road, Southern Pines NC28387
HOURS: November-February: 8am-6pm
March-October: 8am-8pm
VISITOR CENTER: Open Daily 8am-5pm
PASSPORT STAMP: In the Visitor Center
ENTRANCE FEE: No fee
TRAILS: 7 Miles of hiking trails
ACTIVITIES: Hiking and Horseback Riding
DOG RULES: Dogs are allowed on all trail, as long as they are on a leash. Dogs are not allowed in park buildings. Please pick up after your pet.
Check out our videos about this Park on instagram @axel.theadventurepup
