However, if the climate warms significantly, alligators could adapt. On our daytrip, we enjoyed the rockers on the back porch of the visitor center and imagined that we were guests at a great lodge destination (just pretending!). It offers a little bit of everything, including alligators. The millpond began being referred to as Merchants Millpond and was later renamed. The next time we come, we'll plan to camp in one of the areas accessible by canoe. Different seasons bring different wildlife. Looks like a great camping spot there. After I broke into the black water my concerns settled. I had no idea such a wild place existed at the East Coast! Merchants Millpond is the hidden gem of the NC State Parks! Spring and summer rain bring an abundance of frogs. Popular trails include Bennetts Creek Trail, Lassiter Trail, Coleman Trail and Cypress Point Trail. Twisted trees shadowing moss-covered trails, wildlife darting past or peeping from a tall branch, waterway canals with Spanish moss draping the water, Bald Cypress Trees looming like giants and reptiles dipping in and out of the water; while the description provided sounds more like a landscape from a Grimms’ Fairy Tale, it actually exists in Gatesville. On your journey, you can glide along the surface of the acidic water, most of which is covered with various aquatic plants like a red and green layer of floating duckweed, water fern, or yellow cow lily. There is a limit on the number of boats allowed. Wildlife officials confiscated it because alligators were a protected species. The Visitor Center has a knowlegable, friendly staff, restrooms, programs, exhibits, brochures, and a wonderful "backporch" with comfortable chairs to sit and enjoy views of the Millpond. The permit form notes:5, In 2012, Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries seized an alligator in Virginia Beach. Change ). In such solitude, it seems you're living more inside a storybook than an actual place. If you DO have the time to spend, there’s the Lassiter Trail (a level 6 mile hike), and a 6-mile paddle trail along Bennett’s Creek. Ask bendewberry about Merchants Millpond State Park, Ask DRJ7374 about Merchants Millpond State Park, Ask Bodowin about Merchants Millpond State Park, Ask Jenn T about Merchants Millpond State Park, Ask andives about Merchants Millpond State Park, Ask maas_johnf about Merchants Millpond State Park, Hotels near Merchants Millpond State Park, Hotels near (PHF) Newport News-Williamsburg Airport, Merchants Millpond State Park: Tickets & Tours. Last month, a reptile biologist tried to subdue an alligator lying in a highway ditch in Carteret County. This is the first time in my life that I didn’t have to tell my family not to do stupid things. Well said. Of course, north of Richmond are some great areas too! Source: National Park Service, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, A state permit is required to keep a pet alligator or cayman in Virginia. Before the asteroid impact 65 million years ago that wiped out the dinosaurs (except birds), a type of crocodillian lived in the swamps which ultimately became the Midlothian coal fields south of Richmond.3, A U.S. Perhaps a motorized wheelchair would have gone much better? As for the fish, we were told that the park is home to two primitive fish species – the bowfin and something super Jurassicky looking called a long-nose gar. Check it out! Here’s what I’m covering. You can rent a canoe and go gliding through a cypress forest submerged in shallow tea-colored water. Thank you! As for trails, the Cypress Point Trail (about 0.34 of a mile) provides a nice, flat path.