The Eno Quarry

The Park entrance for the Eno Quarry is located on Howe Street in northwest Durham, near the intersection of Hillsborough Road and Sparger Road. Admission to the quarry is free and the park is extremely popular, especially on summer weekends. Park rangers monitor the gravel lot at the quarry entrance and will turn away cars once the lot is full.

A short drive from downtown Durham and Duke’s campus, Eno River State Park is the perfect place to spend a summer afternoon. In addition to an extensive systen of hiking trails, the park is home to the Eno Quarry, an abandoned stone pit that was mined by the North Carolina Department of Transportation to construct Interstate 85 between 1960 and 1964.

In the 47 years since the end of the quarry’s operation the pit has filled with water to become a four-acre pond. In addition to offering a place to swim, the quarry supports a small population of fish and has several rope swings and jumping-off points around it’s perimeter.

After a day spent swimming and sunbathing, a stop at Cook Out is a must. The fast-food restaurant began in North Carolina and boasts more than 40 milkshake flavors.