Simba and I hiked Snow’s Cut Trail in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, a short waterfront trail overlooking a channel that looks surprisingly natural today. Boats cruise through the water, people fish from the shoreline, and trees line portions of the banks, but Snow’s Cut isn’t a natural river. It’s a man-made channel excavated nearly a century ago as part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, and its construction permanently changed the geography of this part of the North Carolina coast.
The approximately half-mile trail follows the shoreline from the Bridge Barrier Road area toward the public boat ramp. It’s an easy hike compared with many of the longer trails Simba and I explore, but there is plenty to see along the way. The natural path winds beneath trees, periodically opening to views across the water where boats pass between the Cape Fear River and the protected waterways along the coast.
Knowing the history makes the scenery considerably more interesting. Before Snow’s Cut existed, Carolina Beach and Kure Beach weren’t located on an island at all. Excavating this relatively short channel severed the historic Federal Point peninsula from the mainland, helping create the landmass now known as Pleasure Island.
🥾 Hiking Snow’s Cut Trail
Snow’s Cut Trail is approximately half a mile long, making it a relatively quick hike for visitors exploring Carolina Beach. The route follows the northern shoreline of the channel beneath a canopy of trees, with natural surfaces and occasional openings providing access to the water…