Last Friday, I took some time off from work to visit another one of North Carolina's State Parks. This time around, I checked out Merchants Millpond, up in Gates County (in the northeastern part of the state). This may be one of the most beautiful parks I've been to. One may canoe or kayak in the pond (canoes can be rented from the visitor's center), and though I didn't do that on this trip, I'll definitely be back to do so.

The pond is home to the American alligator, with this location being at the northern extent of their range. I didn't see any alligators on this trip, but I did get a chance to see quite a lot of other wildlife, including wild turkeys, a number of skinks and lizards, several snakes, turtles, and plenty of birds. I'm sure you would encounter even more wildlife while canoeing around the pond.

As usual, I took my camera along with me and took some photos of the park. I highly recommend visiting this gem in the North Carolina state park system.