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 long section of the river starts from a put-in at a public access site off of Wilmington Highway and covers almost 17 miles of peaceful, undeveloped waterway to a take-out at Huske Lock. Camping is limited and not easily accessible along this stretch so start early if covering the distance all in one day.