Oldest longleaf pines in the world - Boyd Tract - Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, NC 

A short hike on December 22, 2018 in the Boyd Tract of Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, NC. This small park unit is located in the middle of historic Southern Pines surrounded by homes and horse farms. The smallest of the three tracts in the state preserve protects the oldest living longleaf pine trees in the world. The only hiking trail is the Round Timber Trail, but this park is crisscrossed by many horse trails. The Boyd Tract is small so even if you get lost you won't go far until you hit a road.
Beginning at the stately Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities I accidentally zoomed right by the 2nd oldest longleaf pine and began searching for the oldest off-trail. Even though the general locations are denoted on the free map, neither tree is marked and it turns out super old longleaf pines don't look much different from very old longleaf pines. Eventually I ran into a hiker who knew the location and showed me the oldest longleaf pine. It was beat up, years of fires and storms have taken the top and many branches. But you can tell it was old, ~470 years old in fact. The bark looked scarred and the highest limbs were thicker than any limbs on neighboring trees. The 2nd oldest longleaf pine I could easily spot when I looped around and knew what I was looking for. It was a far more impressive tree. Huge trunk, diameter around 3.5 feet, and had a much more impressive canopy of limbs.
Distance - 2.6 miles
Elevation gain - 260 feet
Time - 1 hour and 20 minutes
Hike location
goo.gl/maps/GA...
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve website
www.ncparks.go...
North Carolina State Parks Passport Program
www.ncparks.go...