People are very gracious on this trail... if you ask the right questions and respectful native…read moreNCers will be very open to tell you about their favorite spots...

Lovely place to hike and be in nature. Just you and the woods and perhaps a few people if the…read moreweather is nice.

We came here for a weekend girls trip. We stayed in one of the cabins at the campground. On…read moreSaturday we came to the park to hike the trails. We chose the 2.5 mile Raven Rock Trail. It was a great hike both easy and slightly challenging. Raven Rock was beautiful and many photo opportunities were available. There are several stairs that you will walk down and remember you will have to come back up. Walking at a steady pace going up and down the stairs will definitely raise your heart rate but isnt to challenging. The Visitor Center is nice with a short history display to walk through, t-shirts for sale, bathrooms, park maps and the attendant was most helpful in letting us know which trails have the best views. There are benches strategically placed on the trail as well as containers to dispose your trash and recycleables. There are no restrooms on the trails. There is no cost to walk the trails. There are a few shelters located within the park. We will definitely go back again.

beautiful place, with a handful of trails to choose from or do all.. highly recommend, kid friendly.read more

The river trail is 5.5 miles in total length, 4 miles between the two parking lots on the trail…read more The best parking/access is on the north side near the Jordan soccer complex. The trail is enclosed by trees so you don't really get much views of the river, but it's a nice trail in the forest. It's paved and wheel chair accessible. Bikes and scooters etc are allowed. There is also access to several mountain biking trails along the path. The trail is mostly shaded, but doesn't get much breeze because of the forest so can be muggy during hot weather. This is one of the best options for walking in the area since the city is not pedestrian friendly. There are emergency beacons along the trail about every 1 mile for safety, and it's a fairly busy trail so I would consider it to be safe to solo joggers or hikers.

Will forever be my favorite trail in Fayetteville. Many different routes to take and so pretty…read more Love seeing the seasons change

I attended the Fall Salamanders Program yesterday and saw two large marbeled salamanders! It was a…read morebeautiful day for an outdoor learning experience with our salamander expert Stephanie. We hiked into the woods and she knew exactly where to look for the stunning little creatures. I have hiked the Preserve and it is lovely and a good workout with steps and small hills. There is a great visitors center with info and bathrooms too. Hemlock Bluffs is a small park that makes a huge impression. You should definitely check it out and have fun!

This place is designated as a preserve. This means that there are ample paths and boardwalks, but…read moreyou aren't supposed to go off of them. The bluffs are a couple of stories high; even without greenery in full bloom. It's tough to see all the way down. The area serves as a safe harbor for numerous birds, and with the geography of the bluffs you get a lot of echoing birdsong. It's a free space, and there are educational and playground facilities at the entrance.

Walking next to a river is always a wonderful experience. With that being said, trails should be…read moreclearly marked and fallen trees should not block paths. This trail is poorly kept. It's really unfortunate because this site could bring in out of towners who will in turn spend money in the community. We love the outdoors and visit different hiking spots weekly. Shallow Ford barely ranked 3 stars. In addition, they only have 3 campsites that have a blocked view of the river. Do not recommend.

Great hiking. Can walk around in here for a good 2 hours or so uneven path with roots and rocks be…read morecareful some place slightly incline, but not steep. Check it out if in the area

Nice place to take the Grand kiddos for a walk...run down the trails. Throw rocks (pinecones) in…read morethe pond, look for tad poles. Have a pic nic. Great for a few hours of killing boredom with littles.

Not the most exciting trail, but worth doing if you have some down time and want to see some…read moreRockefeller History. The Carver Creek State Park is broken into two different sections: Long Valley Farm Access (with the historic Rockefeller Retreat House) and the Sandhill Access (just flat trails for hikers/horses). They are about 20 minutes apart. Between the two, I'd go to the Long Valley Farm Access since the history component whereas the other is just trails. Overall, there is really not much else here and you can complete it within an hour an a half or so. The loop is 2 miles long, but if you go straight back then it's about 1.5 miles total.

Wonderful experience will definitely go back Great trails very educational we sat at the water…read morefor quite awhile serene and peaceful

Fantastic local place for woods walking. This park is often crowded on the weekends in their…read moreparking lot. Your car will get dirty driving in on their gravel road. They offer a few hiking trails plus cooking grills.

A good place to bike, walk your dog or just plain walk/ jog. I've been through pumpkin loop and…read morecrow branch overlook and I prefer the crow branch since we never realized there was a whole retention pond to walk alongside!! Beautiful and able to see a mix of wildlife if you look closely enough and slow down. We've seen crayfish, mushrooms, even owls and deer out there. Really love this spot and glad it's close to home! It doesn't have water like drinking fountains or legitimate bathrooms is the only reason it's not a full 5 star. Otherwise I'd consider it a 4.5. There is also a small pollinator garden area that comes up on the left when starting from MLK side. Love this place.

Near the university campus, this offers a retreat for runners. The entry road is of dubious…read morequality, but it isn't that long. Some gravel roads continue to run through the area but are pedestrian only most of the time, and a series of hiking and bike trails interlace each other throughout the area. The aesthetic of Carolinian forests is distinctive and it was a peaceful environment. The trail marking could stand to be clearer and I got turned around a bit. It's definitely worth checking out the area.

If your into trail running or biking this is a great place to get in some miles. Just finished 13…read moremiles of trail running. Second day in a row, did 10 miles yesterday. Just make sure you follow the directional signs.

I've lived in Raleigh for over 20 years and only recently discovered these delightful gardens just…read morea short drive away. There were two separate areas, the Lake Trail and the Waterfall Trail. The Waterfall Trail was more of a true trail, winding through the woods. The Lake Trail primarily looped around the lake. It would have been nice to have distance markers on the sign. There is a port a potty at the trailhead.

I brought my furry son here for his last hike. Unfortunately his cancer had started to wreak havoc…read moreon his body. Jax loves exploring in the woods, going on walks, and playing in water. This was the perfect spot. I'm sure we probably weren't supposed to let him in the pond but it was his last day with us so we let him splash around the edge. The trails were still viable even given all the leaves had fallen. It was a really peaceful walk and we made great memories. There weren't people there at the time we went which I was thankful given our circumstances. Unfortunately it hadn't rained enough lately to produce the waterfall in the waterfall trail but we did get to see a little one on a different trail. If you walk the waterfall trail and get to the top, there's an intersection where you'll see lots of people carved their names in a tree. Stop by and look up, if you see JAX, that's in honor of my boy. Enjoy your fur babies, your children, and your own life, stop and smell the flowers. Take a walk on a sunny day and feel the sunshine in your face. We're only here for a short while.