Singletary Lake State Park
Encyclopedia
Singletary Lake State Park is a North Carolina state park in Bladen County
, North Carolina
in the United States
. Located near Elizabethtown
, it covers 659 acres (2.7 km²) and surrounds Singletary Lake, one of the largest Carolina bay
s. Singletary Lake State Park is southeast of Elizabethtown on North Carolina Highway 53
in North Carolina's Coastal Plain region. It serves primarily as a group camp but is open on a limited basis for year round recreation including hiking, fishing and observing nature.
under the leadership of Richard Singletary who received a grant for land in Bladen County
from the government of the Province of North Carolina
in 1729. The early settlers quickly cleared the land for farming
, ships masts, other wood products and naval stores
. Singletary Lake, a Carolina Bay
was not drained for farming as many of the bays in the surrounding area.
The government of the state of North Carolina began to take an interest in Singletary Lake and other Carolina Bays in the 1800s. The North Carolina General Assembly
blocked all further private claims on lakes. Soon after, the state assembly pass legislation that granted ownership of all lakes greater than 500 acres (2.02 km²) in Cumberland
, Columbus
and Bladen Counties to the state. The formation of Jones Lake
, Lake Waccamaw
and Singletary Lake state park
s can be traced back to this piece of legislation.
The growth of the cotton
, turpentine
and lumber
industries in the area of Singletary Lake State Park eventually was greater than what the soil could support. The fertility of the farmland was depleted and most of the standing timber had been clear cut from Bladen County. The land could no longer support the demands of the people living on the land. Farmers were no longer able to produce sustainable crops and many were forced to leave their farms.
The National Park Service
began purchasing the land surrounding Singletary Lake in 1936 for a recreational demonstration project
. Out of work young men were employed by the Civilian Conservation Corps
, which was established by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt
in 1933 during the Great Depression
many of the facilities of Singletary Lake State Park. The land was managed by the Resettlement Administration
until 1939. From 1936 until 1939 youths working for the CCC built the Singletary Recreation Center. They constructed an office, maintenance buildings and recreation facilities on the shore of Singletary Lake. The CCC also built a ten cabin camp
with a dining hall, workshop and rec hall.
Singletary Lake State Park was established in 1939 when management of the park was transferred from the federal government to the state government. The cabins built by the CCC became Camp Ipecac which is still in use by large groups like the Boy Scouts of America
and 4-H
. The park became state property in 1954.
Singletary Lake State Park has provided more than recreation to the citizens of North Carolina. It was used by the American Red Cross
during the 1945 floods of the Cape Fear River
as a refugee center. Soldiers training for World War II
at nearby Camp Davis
used Singletary Lake State Park for special anti-craft training
.
lakes that stretch from New Jersey
to Florida
along the Atlantic Coastal Plain
. Exactly how the lakes were formed remains a mystery. What is known is that Singletary Lake is not fed by any stream but relies entirely upon rain. The land beneath and surrounding the lake is mica-rich sandy clay and sand that is from the Upper Cretaceous era with a thin layer of Pleistocene
deposits covering it. This land is lower than the surrounding land and drains very poorly, creating Singletary Lake.
Singletary Lake is surrounded by a bay forest. This forest consists primarily of bay trees such as the loblolly, red bay
, pond pine
and Atlantic white cedar. The understory consists of huckleberry
, leucothoe
, gallberry
and pepperbush. Turkey Oak
, blueberry
, holly
and Longleaf pine
can be found at the higher elevations away from the shoreline.
The forests of Singletary Lake State Park provide a habitat for a variety of animals that are fairly common to an eastern woodland habitat. Wild Turkey
, White-tailed deer
and rabbits
can be spotted on from time to time. Wood Duck
s live on the lake. Red-cockaded Woodpecker
s can be seen in the forest as can Red-tailed Hawk
s and Pileated Woodpecker
s. Singletary Lake State Park is also home to box turtle
s, fence lizards
, southern toads
, and Carpenter frog
s.
The Tukey Oak Natural Area is a 133 acre (0.54 km²) natural area that was set aside by the Society of American Foresters
in the early 1960s. The aim of the natural area is to preserve the forest in a natural state for scientific study and educational opportunities. The Turkey Oak Natural Area is in the southeastern portion of Singletary Lake State Park in a bay bog and along a sand ridge.
Singletary Lake State Park is unique among North Carolina state parks. It is used primarily by private groups that have made arrangements to camp at Camp Ipecac or Camp Loblolly Bay, the two group camping facilities at the park. Visitors to the park are permitted access when the camp facilities are not in use.
Camp Ipecac was built in 1939 by the Resettlement Administration
and the Civilian Conservation Corps
during the Great Depression
. It houses 92 campers in ten cabins. It is named for the Carolina ipecac, a herb that is used in traditional medicine. Camp Loblolly Bay was built in 1984 and houses 48 campers. It is more modern than Camp Ipecac and is open year round. Camp Ipecac opens in April and closes in October. Both camps include a mess hall and restrooms. Recreational facilities at the camps include outdoor basketball court
s, a beach volleyball
court and horseshoes
. Charcoal grills are available in the picnic area with picnic tables.
The camps are open only to verifiable organizations of 20 persons or more. Reservations are required.
Local schools and civic organizations are invited to Singletary Lake State Park to take part in a variety of educational opportunities that are led by the park ranger
s. Classes for educators and middle school
students introduce the learner to the ecology of the Carolina Bay
s.
The Civilian Conservation Corps-Carolina Bay Loop Trail is a one mile (0.6 km) hiking
trail that was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. It passes by the shore of Singletary Lake and then winds through the forest of bay trees and shrubs and a second forest of longleaf pine and turkey oak.
Singletary Lake is open to recreational boating and fishing. The waters of the lake have a high acidity level due to the amount of vegetation that is decomposing and the build up peat on the lake bottom. The acid levels have limited the numbers of fish that inhabit the lake and recreation fishing is in turn limited. Yellow perch
is one species that thrives in the lake and the fishing of the perch is permitted by the general public when the group camp is not in use. Campers may bring their own boats to launch on the lake as may the general public. All boats are limited to 10 hp.
Bladen County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 32,278 people, 12,897 households, and 8,937 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile . There were 15,316 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Located near Elizabethtown
Elizabethtown, North Carolina
Elizabethtown is a town in Bladen County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,698 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Bladen County.-Geography:Elizabethtown is located at ....
, it covers 659 acres (2.7 km²) and surrounds Singletary Lake, one of the largest Carolina bay
Carolina Bay
Carolina bays are elliptical depressions concentrated along the Atlantic seaboard within coastal Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and northcentral Florida...
s. Singletary Lake State Park is southeast of Elizabethtown on North Carolina Highway 53
North Carolina Highway 53
North Carolina Highway 53 is a state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina that mainly runs west–east in the eastern part of the state.-Route description:The highway begins near Fayetteville in Cumberland County...
in North Carolina's Coastal Plain region. It serves primarily as a group camp but is open on a limited basis for year round recreation including hiking, fishing and observing nature.
History
The Singletary Lake area was settled by colonistsThirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies were English and later British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States of America...
under the leadership of Richard Singletary who received a grant for land in Bladen County
Bladen County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 32,278 people, 12,897 households, and 8,937 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile . There were 15,316 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...
from the government of the Province of North Carolina
Province of North Carolina
The Province of North Carolina was originally part of the Province of Carolina in British America, which was chartered by eight Lords Proprietor. The province later became the U.S. states of North Carolina and Tennessee....
in 1729. The early settlers quickly cleared the land for farming
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, ships masts, other wood products and naval stores
Naval stores
Naval Stores is a broad term which originally applied to the resin-based components used in building and maintaining wooden sailing ships, a category which includes cordage, mask, turpentine, rosin, pitch and tar...
. Singletary Lake, a Carolina Bay
Carolina Bay
Carolina bays are elliptical depressions concentrated along the Atlantic seaboard within coastal Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and northcentral Florida...
was not drained for farming as many of the bays in the surrounding area.
The government of the state of North Carolina began to take an interest in Singletary Lake and other Carolina Bays in the 1800s. The North Carolina General Assembly
North Carolina General Assembly
The North Carolina General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes...
blocked all further private claims on lakes. Soon after, the state assembly pass legislation that granted ownership of all lakes greater than 500 acres (2.02 km²) in Cumberland
Cumberland County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 302,963 people, 107,358 households, and 77,619 families residing in the county. The population density was 464 people per square mile . There were 118,425 housing units at an average density of 181 per square mile...
, Columbus
Columbus County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 54,749 people, 21,308 households, and 15,043 families residing in the county. The population density was 58/sq mi . As of 2004, there were 24,668 housing units at an average density of 26/sq mi...
and Bladen Counties to the state. The formation of Jones Lake
Jones Lake State Park
Jones Lake State Park is a North Carolina state park in Bladen County, North Carolina in the United States in near Elizabethtown. It covers 2,208 acres and includes the Carolina bay lakes of Jones Lake and Salters Lake. Jones Lake State Park is north of Elizabethtown on North Carolina Highway...
, Lake Waccamaw
Lake Waccamaw State Park
Lake Waccamaw State Park is a North Carolina state park in Columbus County, North Carolina, in the United States. Located near the town of Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina, it covers 1,732 acres along the southern edge of Lake Waccamaw, a Carolina bay. Lake Waccamaw State Park is located in North...
and Singletary Lake state park
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
s can be traced back to this piece of legislation.
The growth of the cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, turpentine
Turpentine
Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees. It is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene...
and lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
industries in the area of Singletary Lake State Park eventually was greater than what the soil could support. The fertility of the farmland was depleted and most of the standing timber had been clear cut from Bladen County. The land could no longer support the demands of the people living on the land. Farmers were no longer able to produce sustainable crops and many were forced to leave their farms.
The National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
began purchasing the land surrounding Singletary Lake in 1936 for a recreational demonstration project
Recreational Demonstration Area
The Recreational Demonstration Area program was a National Park Service program during the 1930s and early 1940s that built forty-six public parks in twenty-four states on , chiefly near urban areas in the United States...
. Out of work young men were employed by the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
, which was established by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
in 1933 during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
many of the facilities of Singletary Lake State Park. The land was managed by the Resettlement Administration
Resettlement Administration
The Resettlement Administration was a U.S. federal agency that, between April 1935 and December 1936, relocated struggling urban and rural families to communities planned by the federal government....
until 1939. From 1936 until 1939 youths working for the CCC built the Singletary Recreation Center. They constructed an office, maintenance buildings and recreation facilities on the shore of Singletary Lake. The CCC also built a ten cabin camp
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
with a dining hall, workshop and rec hall.
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
and 4-H
4-H
4-H in the United States is a youth organization administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture , with the mission of "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development." The name represents...
. The park became state property in 1954.
Singletary Lake State Park has provided more than recreation to the citizens of North Carolina. It was used by the American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
during the 1945 floods of the Cape Fear River
Cape Fear River
The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina in the United States. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The overall water quality of the river is continuously measured and monitored by and conducted by the , , and the...
as a refugee center. Soldiers training for World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
at nearby Camp Davis
Camp Davis
Marine Corps Outlying Field Camp Davis is a military use airport located southeast of the central business district of Holly Ridge, in Onslow County, North Carolina, United States...
used Singletary Lake State Park for special anti-craft training
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
.
Ecology
Singletary Lake is one of a series of Carolina bayCarolina Bay
Carolina bays are elliptical depressions concentrated along the Atlantic seaboard within coastal Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and northcentral Florida...
lakes that stretch from New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
along the Atlantic Coastal Plain
Atlantic Coastal Plain
The Atlantic coastal plain has both low elevation and low relief, but it is also a relatively flat landform extending from the New York Bight southward to a Georgia/Florida section of the Eastern Continental Divide, which demarcates the plain from the ACF River Basin in the Gulf Coastal Plain to...
. Exactly how the lakes were formed remains a mystery. What is known is that Singletary Lake is not fed by any stream but relies entirely upon rain. The land beneath and surrounding the lake is mica-rich sandy clay and sand that is from the Upper Cretaceous era with a thin layer of Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
deposits covering it. This land is lower than the surrounding land and drains very poorly, creating Singletary Lake.
Persea borbonia
Persea borbonia has a variety of common names, among them are redbay, scrubbay, shorebay and swampbay. It is related to Persea americana or the avocado tree. It is an evergreen tree that is native to North America, north of Mexico.-Description:...
, pond pine
Pond Pine
Pinus serotina is a tree found along the Atlantic coastal plain of the eastern United States, from southern New Jersey south to Florida and west to southern Alabama...
and Atlantic white cedar. The understory consists of huckleberry
Huckleberry
Huckleberry is a common name used in North America for several species of plants in two closely related genera in the family Ericaceae:* Vaccinium* GaylussaciaHuckleberry may also refer to:-Plants:...
, leucothoe
Leucothoe (plant)
Leucothoe is a genus of about 45 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, native to Asia, the Americas and Madagascar.They are shrubs growing to 1-3 m tall, either deciduous or evergreen depending on species. The leaves are alternate, oblong-lanceolate, 2-15 cm long...
, gallberry
Ilex coriacea
Ilex coriacea, sometimes known as Gallberry, is a shrub in the Holly family native to coastal areas in the United States from Virginia to Texas...
and pepperbush. Turkey Oak
Turkey Oak
Quercus cerris, the Turkey oak is an oak native to southern Europe and Asia Minor. It is the type species of Quercus sect. Cerris, a section of the genus characterised by shoot buds surrounded by soft bristles, bristle-tipped leaf lobes, and acorns that usually mature in 18...
, blueberry
Blueberry
Blueberries are flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium with dark-blue berries and are perennial...
, holly
Holly
Ilex) is a genus of 400 to 600 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones world wide....
and Longleaf pine
Longleaf Pine
Pinus palustris, commonly known as the Longleaf Pine, is a pine native to the southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from eastern Texas to southeast Virginia extending into northern and central Florida....
can be found at the higher elevations away from the shoreline.
The forests of Singletary Lake State Park provide a habitat for a variety of animals that are fairly common to an eastern woodland habitat. Wild Turkey
Wild Turkey
The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which derives from the South Mexican subspecies of wild turkey .Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green...
, White-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
and rabbits
Eastern Cottontail
The eastern cottontail is a New World cottontail rabbit, a member of the family Leporidae. It is one of the most common rabbit species in North America.-Distribution:...
can be spotted on from time to time. Wood Duck
Wood Duck
The Wood Duck or Carolina Duck is a species of duck found in North America. It is one of the most colourful of North American waterfowl.-Description:...
s live on the lake. Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Red-cockaded Woodpecker
The Red-cockaded Woodpecker is a woodpecker found in southeastern North America.- Description :About the size of the Northern Cardinal, it is approximately 8.5 in. long, with a wingspan of about 14 in. and a weight of about 1.5 ounces...
s can be seen in the forest as can Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
The Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of prey, one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk," though it rarely preys on standard sized chickens. It breeds throughout most of North America, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West...
s and Pileated Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
The Pileated Woodpecker is a very large North American woodpecker, almost crow-sized, inhabiting deciduous forests in eastern North America, the Great Lakes, the boreal forests of Canada, and parts of the Pacific coast. It is also the largest woodpecker in America.Adults are long, and weigh...
s. Singletary Lake State Park is also home to box turtle
Box turtle
The box turtle , or box tortoise is a genus of turtle native to North America . The 12 taxa which are distinguished in the genus are distributed over four species. It is largely characterized by having a domed shell, which is hinged at the bottom, allowing the animal to close its shell tightly to...
s, fence lizards
Eastern fence lizard
The eastern fence lizard is a medium-sized species of lizard found along forest edges, rock piles, and rotting logs or stumps in the eastern United States...
, southern toads
Southern Toad
The Southern Toad is a medium-sized true toad native to the southeastern United States, from eastern Louisiana to southeastern North Carolina. It is most common in areas with sandy soil. Its coloring is usually brown but can be red, gray, or black...
, and Carpenter frog
Carpenter Frog
The Carpenter Frog is a species of frog in the Ranidae family.It is endemic to the United States, and is known for having a mating call resembling the sound of two carpenters hammering nails, hence the name....
s.
The Tukey Oak Natural Area is a 133 acre (0.54 km²) natural area that was set aside by the Society of American Foresters
Society of American Foresters
The Society of American Foresters is a scientific and educational 501 non-profit organization, representing the forestry profession in the United States of America...
in the early 1960s. The aim of the natural area is to preserve the forest in a natural state for scientific study and educational opportunities. The Turkey Oak Natural Area is in the southeastern portion of Singletary Lake State Park in a bay bog and along a sand ridge.
Recreation
Camp Ipecac was built in 1939 by the Resettlement Administration
Resettlement Administration
The Resettlement Administration was a U.S. federal agency that, between April 1935 and December 1936, relocated struggling urban and rural families to communities planned by the federal government....
and the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. It houses 92 campers in ten cabins. It is named for the Carolina ipecac, a herb that is used in traditional medicine. Camp Loblolly Bay was built in 1984 and houses 48 campers. It is more modern than Camp Ipecac and is open year round. Camp Ipecac opens in April and closes in October. Both camps include a mess hall and restrooms. Recreational facilities at the camps include outdoor basketball court
Basketball court
In basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor with tiles at either end. In professional or organized basketball, especially when played indoors, it is usually made out of a wood, often maple, and highly polished...
s, a beach volleyball
Beach volleyball
Beach volleyball, or sand volleyball, is an Olympic team sport played by two teams of two players on a sand court divided by a net.Like volleyball, the object of the game is to send the ball over the net in order to ground it on the opponent’s court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent....
court and horseshoes
Horseshoes
Horseshoes is an outdoor game played between two people using four horseshoes and two throwing targets set in a sandbox area. The game is played by the players alternating turns tossing horseshoes at stakes in the ground, which are traditionally placed 40 feet apart...
. Charcoal grills are available in the picnic area with picnic tables.
The camps are open only to verifiable organizations of 20 persons or more. Reservations are required.
Local schools and civic organizations are invited to Singletary Lake State Park to take part in a variety of educational opportunities that are led by the park ranger
Park ranger
A park ranger or forest ranger is a person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands – national, state, provincial, or local parks. Different countries use different names for the position. Ranger is the favored term in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Within the United...
s. Classes for educators and middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
students introduce the learner to the ecology of the Carolina Bay
Carolina Bay
Carolina bays are elliptical depressions concentrated along the Atlantic seaboard within coastal Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and northcentral Florida...
s.
The Civilian Conservation Corps-Carolina Bay Loop Trail is a one mile (0.6 km) hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
trail that was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. It passes by the shore of Singletary Lake and then winds through the forest of bay trees and shrubs and a second forest of longleaf pine and turkey oak.
Singletary Lake is open to recreational boating and fishing. The waters of the lake have a high acidity level due to the amount of vegetation that is decomposing and the build up peat on the lake bottom. The acid levels have limited the numbers of fish that inhabit the lake and recreation fishing is in turn limited. Yellow perch
Yellow perch
The yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides...
is one species that thrives in the lake and the fishing of the perch is permitted by the general public when the group camp is not in use. Campers may bring their own boats to launch on the lake as may the general public. All boats are limited to 10 hp.
Nearby state parks
The following state parks are within 30 miles (48 km) of Singletary Lake State Park:- Jones Lake State ParkJones Lake State ParkJones Lake State Park is a North Carolina state park in Bladen County, North Carolina in the United States in near Elizabethtown. It covers 2,208 acres and includes the Carolina bay lakes of Jones Lake and Salters Lake. Jones Lake State Park is north of Elizabethtown on North Carolina Highway...
(Bladen County) - Lake Waccamaw State ParkLake Waccamaw State ParkLake Waccamaw State Park is a North Carolina state park in Columbus County, North Carolina, in the United States. Located near the town of Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina, it covers 1,732 acres along the southern edge of Lake Waccamaw, a Carolina bay. Lake Waccamaw State Park is located in North...
(Columbus CountyColumbus County, North Carolina-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 54,749 people, 21,308 households, and 15,043 families residing in the county. The population density was 58/sq mi . As of 2004, there were 24,668 housing units at an average density of 26/sq mi...
)