The Town of Hillsborough will formally open King's Highway Park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 9.

"King's Highway Park is where visitors can enjoy both our natural and historic landscape - one more reason why Hillsborough is a great place to live or visit," Mayor Tom Stevens said. "We are grateful to the Trading Path Association and our local Eagle Scouts who created the trails."

The park, located at 1001 Ben Johnston Road, includes nature trails,  picnic areas and river overlooks. It is the site of the ford over the Eno River that also was known as the "Great Road to Salisbury." The King's Highway ford concentrated four major traffic streams from the east and northeast and four from the west and southwest.

The first recorded use of the ford occurred in 1737 when a team of surveyors crossed the Eno from the east. They proceeded westward a short distance toward Efland and noted they encountered buffalo there.

The park's two prepared trails were built largely by Boy Scouts, Eagle Scouts and students from Cedar Ridge and Orange high schools under the supervision of Tom Magnuson of the Trading Path Association. The town recently paved the entrance to the parking area and installed signs at the park. Fishing and non-motored boats are allowed in the park, which is open daily from 8 a.m. to 30 minutes past sunset.

One of the trails follows the course of the old road to Wilmington and Salisbury on the north side of Ben Johnston Road. It connects with a riverbank trail leading to a vista point under the railroad trestle and follows the course of the Eno around the great bend.

Park users are asked to not remove any found objects from the park. It is a historic site still under study.

The park also is a "carry in, carry out" park. It has no trash cans, and users are asked to remove any trash they bring in or find.