Carolina Bays are shallow, elliptical depressions oriented in a northwest-southeast direction. Their features are not readily noticeable at ground level, but aerial views show their remarkable similarity and abundance. As many as 500,000 of these Bays exist in the Atlantic coastal plain, with the highest concentration found in North and South Carolina. Researchers believe that Carolina Bays are at least 30,000 years old, yet scientists are not certain of their origins. Common theories conclude that underground springs, wind/wave action, and even meteor showers may have formed the Bays, but no one theory has drawn universal acceptance. Lake Waccamaw is a Carolina Bay, sharing a characteristic elliptical shape with thousands of other Bays that pepper the coastal plain of the Carolinas.
All Carolina Bays are unusual, yet Lake Waccamaw is probably the most unique. While most Bays are small, averaging about 500 feet in length, Lake Waccamaw covers nearly 9000 acres. Although all Carolina Bays were once lakes, the great majority have gradually filled with sediment and vegetation. Lake Waccamaw is one of the few Bays which still contains open water. But it is the local geology’s affect on the lake water which makes Lake Waccamaw truly unique. While the water in most of the remaining Carolina Bays is highly acidic, limestone bluffs found along the north shore of Lake Waccamaw create a more neutral pH in the water. This results in conditions that have nurtured a wealth of aquatic life, including some species which are endemic to this body of water-they are found nowhere else on Earth.
Please, please treat this unique area with the respect it deserves and keep to all trails when exploring. Please take nothing from this area, with the exception of pictures and some education. Also, try to time your trip so that you may start your tour in the visitor’s center, which is open Monday-Sunday, 8am-5pm. The exhibits are excellent. Ask for Mr. Helms (Park Superintendent)...he was very excited about Lake Waccamaw being established as an Earthcache, and he looks forward to meeting you!
NOTE: There are now only TWO logging requirement options for this earthcache. Before logging a find for this cache, please (1) send us the name of any creature that is endemic to Lake Waccamaw, or (2) tell us which carolina bay formation theory described in the visitor center makes the most sense to you. Please send this information to us through our geocaching profile - answers posted in logs will be deleted immediately. Thank you!
If you would like to check out the website for Lake Waccamaw State Park (includes a downloadable map), here’s the link: http://www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/visit/lawa/home.html
***FTF Honors Go To geopoppa!!***
