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Boone's lair: Officials think park can play a major role in county's tourism master plan
Journal Photo by Jennifer Rotenizer
Virginia Johnson and her father, Tommy Johnson, of Fuquay-Varina walk out of Boone's Cave.
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Published: July 13, 2009
CHURCHLAND - Rainy weather one recent Thursday couldn't keep people away from Boone's Cave Park.
When Sheila Zuccaro, an outdoor recreation specialist at the park, left for supplies, she saw only one car. By the time she got back, there were dozens.
People love to come to the park, where legend has it that Daniel Boone hid from Indians in a cave that sits atop a bluff overlooking the Yadkin River.
Zuccaro said she sees 25 to 30 people a day hike the trails, camp out or fish. Even more come on the weekends. And she usually has no problems.
"Most of the people who come here … they follow the rules," she said.
It didn't used to be that way.
Nearly 10 years ago, state officials, who used to run the park, were ready to close it. Broken beer bottles and condoms littered the park grounds.
To save it, Davidson County took over the park in 2003. But even then, vandals burned down a rustic cabin and dismantled wooden parking-lot markers, leading county officials to discuss ways to provide better security.
Things are better these days, county officials say. And they want to make the park even better with a master plan that will guide future development and help turn the park into a tourist attraction. Last month, they had county residents complete a survey about what they would like to see at the park. The results will be incorporated in the master plan, which should be finished this fall.
"We're continually doing some updates but the bulk of the future out there is going to depend on what that master plan is going to look like," said Charles Parnell, the county's director of parks and recreation.
The park, which is about 100 acres, was created in 1909, when the N.C. General Assembly incorporated the Daniel Boone Memorial Association. The park was originally 5 acres, and increased to more than 100 in 1970 when the association transferred the land to the state and it became a state park.
In the years since Davidson County took over, officials have built a new ranger's cabin. They have also upgraded the shelter area and put in new bathrooms. In 2006, a class from Davidson County Community College built a copy of a 1740s cabin.
Zucarro said that county officials have increased the number of primitive campsites from four to 12, and have added three miles of trails in the past two years.
Last year, the county put in a trail for people who want to take their canoes and kayaks to the Yadkin River, Zucarro said.
The master plan that's in development will help county officials figure out what else they might want to do, Parnell said.
In 2005, Davidson officials completed a countywide master plan for tourism and recreation, and out of that came the idea to do a specific plan for Boone's Cave Park.
The Piedmont Triad Council of Governments is drafting the master plan for the park.
Guy Cornman, the county's planning director, said that county officials would love to put a visitor's center at the park. Recently, an arrowhead that's about 7,000 years old was found along one of the trails.
"We would like to have an exhibit area for those to be displayed," he said.
County officials also have been working to develop walking trails and water trails throughout the county, and they see Boone's Cave Park as a critical part in that, Cornman said.
"That's one of the anchor points," he said.
Parnell said that Davidson County officials want to make the park better without taking from its natural beauty.
"We're not going to put a carousel out there ...," he said. "It's going to stay in its natural setting."
■ Michael Hewlett can be reached at 727-7326 or at mhewlett@wsjournal.com.
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