Cedarock Park is a nature preserve, historic farm, and passive-use park located near Bellemont in

Alamance County, North Carolina Alamance County (), from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved September 18, 2012. is a County (United States), county in North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

. The park opened in 1975 with Ronald Dean Coleman serving as the Parks Director for the county at the time. He envisioned a natural area just a few miles from town where anyone could come and explore some of the most beautiful property Alamance County has to offer.

Geographic setting

Cedarock Park sits on the banks of Rock Creek, a tributary of

Great Alamance Creek Great Alamance Creek, also called Big Alamance Creek, is a 37-mile longMeasurement Tool on Alamance County GIS found on theAlamance County Website/ref> creek that is a tributary of the Haw River. The creek's headwaters are in Guilford County, ...

on the northwestern side of the Cane Creek Mountains. Located in the

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

region of

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, the land is hilly and at times steep.

Human history

Prior to its use as a park, the land was used as a farm by the Garrett family beginning in 1830.Farm History – Alamance County
. Alamance-nc.com (2010-05-03). Retrieved on 2010-12-25. The site of the Garrett farm is part of the Cedarock Park Historic District and is known as Cedarock Historic Farm, an educational site where visitors can learn about farm life in 19th-century North Carolina and interact with

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...

s and

donkey The donkey or ass is a domesticated equine. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a separate species, ''Equus asinus''. It was domes ...

Activities

The park has of trails for

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

mountain biking Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability ...

, and

horse riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding ( Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

, including some trails that are

handicapped accessible Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, ...

. It has numerous

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors (Al fresco dining, ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event su ...

shelters,

campsites Campsite, campground, and camping pitch are all related terms regarding a place used for camping (an overnight stay in an outdoor area). The usage differs between British English and American English. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an ...

, a

fishing pond A fish pond or fishpond is a controlled pond, small artificial lake or retention basin that is fish stocking, stocked with fish and is used in aquaculture for fish farming, for recreational fishing, or for ornament (art), ornamental purposes. ...

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...

s, three

gazebo A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or Gun turret, turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden, or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. In British English, the word is also used for a tent-like can ...

s, and two disc golf courses.Cedarock Park – Alamance County
. Alamance-nc.com (2010-11-18). Retrieved on 2010-12-25. The most popular trail at the park is the handicapped-accessible trail that leads to an old rock dam used for water diversion for a now-demolished

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

. The dam site is erroneously called a

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

in several places in park literature.

References

Protected areas of Alamance County, North Carolina Museums in Alamance County, North Carolina Farm museums in North Carolina Farms on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina History museums in North Carolina Parks in North Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Alamance County, North Carolina Protected areas established in 1973 1973 establishments in North Carolina {{AlamanceCountyNC-NRHP-stub