The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river that runs for over 200 miles through North Carolina before flowing directly into the Atlantic Ocean. The scenic flatwater river travels through diverse coastal vegetation and offers lots of opportunity for wildlife viewing. Much of the river is part of a designated canoe trail with multiple access areas making it easy to customize trips of varying distances. This section of the river covers over 22 miles of rugged wilderness waterway between the Riegel Course Road access and Davis Creek Access and is a good option for an overnight camp trip if you can find a dry campsite. They can be a little hard to come by and are only available during the first 10 miles or so of the run. There are side channels (original path of the river) that take off from the main channel that eventually loop back but exploring these will add some additional mileage. The river is tidally influenced more and more as it continues towards to the coast so be sure to check tide charts and tables before setting out and also be aware that windy weather can result in rough paddling conditions.