I was in the area and looking for a nice place to enjoy my lunch. Being in Cary frequently, I can…read morealways find a well-maintained and beautiful park close by. This Nature Preserve was super close so I paid it a visit. Wow is it gorgeous here. Even though you can hear traffic from the parking area, you are quickly whisked away into some of the best nature scenes that Cary has to offer. There is plenty of signage, so you always know where you are. There's also plenty of signage describing what's around you and how to get there. This is one gem of a park!!

Nice shaded pathway especially during the summer. Very dog friendly. There are stairs at certain…read moresections of the loop. Great place for an outdoor casual walk. Would recommend this especially if you want to be outdoors, but it's too sunny.

I came across William B Umstead State Park while staying in a nearby hotel for business. I am…read morealways looking for somewhere peaceful to walk or run when I have the time and so happy to have found this park nearby. I came to find out that the park covers thousands of acres and has all kinds of trails. The entrance I utilized on foot required my constant attention after crossing over the interstate as the sidewalk vanishes and I had to make sure I was on the shoulder to make sure I didn't get squished by cars going into and out of the park. It wasn't that difficult but be aware if you are entering the park on foot from the nearby SAS campus (of which I understand Umstead along with a friend started). There's lots of parking from this entrance and a few trails to choose from. I took the Loblolly trail from the Reedy Creek entrance. It is fairly long at around 7 miles out. It's not a loop. I did about a mile and a quarter of the trail and it was awesome. All covered with a tree canopy the trail is well marked and maintained. It ranged from gravel to vines and rocks to bare dirt. Great scenery and very peaceful. There's enough room to pass other walkers and hikers. I really enjoyed this park. I want to explore it more if I'm in the area again as I had time constraints. I highly recommend this well maintained park and will visit again. Nothing quite like a good walk in nature. Enjoy!

Wonderful trails for biking, hiking, walking (and also some trails are sign-posted to allow…read morehorses). Not crowded. Miles & miles of trails. Picnic tables and pavilions. Creeks and streams. Lakes and ponds. Boating. BE AWARE of closed trails, bridges, etc...stop by the park office AND check the website for closures.

Swift Creek Bluffs Nature Preserve has been on my list for a while. It's off the normal beating…read morepath. This preserve is all nature. Full of trees and hills. It can seem challenging but it's doable. The trail leads to a subdivision where you can turn around . It's a good two miles with other connecting trails to extend the miles a bit. The parking is a challenge. There is an extremely small lot off the road that's easy to miss. Plan to carpool if you're going with a group.

Lovely trails in an urban area! It wasn't long before the car sounds faded and I could only hear…read morethe sounds of nature. Out and back, I walked about a mile. Watch out for some roots, but it's mostly flat. No man-made restrooms, so "go before you go."

The American Tobacco Trail is a great spot for walking, running, or biking. Originally a railroad…read moretrack, it's now a 22+ mile mostly flat trail that runs through parts of Durham, Chatham, and Wake counties, including the Cary and Apex areas. There were plenty of people out walking, running, cycling, and enjoying the trail with their dogs. There are also lots of trees providing shade, making it a nice place to get outside, stay active, and enjoy nature. Depending on which trail you start at there is parking on the side of the road. Also, don't forget to bring your water bottle especially on hot summer days.

Seems there are multiple entries. I put in the address 2584 New Hope Church Rd in Cary into my gps…read moreand got everything in the pics. This place has plenty of parking, a place for rest with tables and a restroom, water fountains and bike repair station. The trail itself is paved with 2 lanes and there is also a side lane that is dirt, very well kept, but all in all, very flat terrain, super tall trees and still felt great although it was a cold day.

An 18 segment trail from Clingmans dome to Jockey's ridge State Park. Segment 1-5 is in the…read moremountains, segment 6-10 is Piedmont, and segment 11-18 is the costal plains and OuterBanks. There is an alternate route from 11A to 16A that is 170 mile paddle route down the Neuse River. Each segments distance varies. Levels of difficulty vary from strenuous to easy. What a fantastic way to see NC. I have not Thru hiked the trail. I have only done portions of segments. I am planning on doing whole segments to complete the entire 1200 mile distance. As well as the paddle portion. Clingmans dome is the second highest point on the east coast at 6,643 feet and what an amazing view. You will cross over Mt Mitchell which is the highest point on the east coast at 6,684 feet. To Jockey's Ridge Dune the largest and tallest active dune in the eastern United States. There are section that take you down paved roads to reconnect with the trail and a couple ferry rides in the outer banks. Places to camp if you do multi day trip, but plan your stops accordingly and research the trail angels for each segment. Explore what NC has to offer, even small sections with-in a segment. And just maybe we will see you on the trail or river. Happy Hiking :-)

I think it's the coolest thing that NC has a cross-state trail that allows you to experience the…read morevast range of natural landscapes the state has to offer. This trail, as the name claims, goes from mountains to sea (the trail is best known as the MST). It's cool enough that the state has all of this, even better that a trail connects them. You could hike this 1,175 mile trail from the highest point east of the Mississippi (Mt. Mitchell) down to sea-level at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The trail passes through several state parks, national forests and national parks, not to mention some of the most significant urban centers in the state. There are paddle sections, dirt trails and paved roads - all manner of surfaces. The trail isn't even truly considered complete yet, but you can piece it together as you go. The idea has existed since the 70s and was officially added to the state park system - and the passport program - in 2000. The trail is about half the length of the AT - which it intersects at the beginning, by the way - but fits entirely in the state. It gives you a good idea of just how long it is. I actually only found out about this trail recently despite its age. This is no surprise, as it passes through the north part of the state and I've spent my entire life in the two largest cities it doesn't pass through in the southern part of the state. Somehow this just makes the idea even more novel to me. If you don't know about this trail, read up! Get out there and hike it in one of the 10 state parks it touches. Or, chances are it even goes through your city or town already and, like me, you just didn't know. It will be cool to connect with a piece of Earth that connects the entire length of the state.

Beautiful stroller/bike friendly trail. No street traffic sounds. Quite sounds of nature.read more

Bottom line: Crabtree Creek Greenway is another nice resource provided by the town of Morrisville…read moreto use. Well maintained walkway and bonus that the railroad underpass extension is completed to connect it to Hatcher Creek Greenway, as well as a way to go across a busy road without crossing traffic. I am a fan! The Deets: I have enjoyed walking along Crabtree Creek Greenway recently, with using the greenway/parks resources that the Town of Morrisville provide more so during the pandemic time. It's a nice almost mile and a half greenway path maintained by the town and mainly going beside Cedar Fork District Park with all of its fields and going under the North Carolina Railroad train trestle/bridge so that it links up with Hatcher Creek Greenway in the west. If continuing on in the east, it eventually links up with Cary's greenway that goes on to Lake Crabtree and even Umstead State Park. The path appears to be well maintained by the Town of Morrisville, and well marked with signage as well as provided with benches along the way. There are dog waste stations provided also. Heads up that it is beside part of the park that has the disc golf course, be on the lookout for those flying discs. I like that they completed the railroad underpass section in 2020 with the completion of the new railroad bridge, makes it very nice to use coming in from Hatcher Creek Greenway for an extended walking path. It also links up a way to get to things on the other side of Hwy 54/Chapel Hill Rd without having to actually cross that busy roadway. I enjoy this resource provided by the town and realize it is a great way for the town to give back to the community with a good usable resource.

A lovely place for a hike with nice trails and bathrooms near the trail heads. Lots of convenient…read moreparking.

Umstead is one of my favorite things about the Triangle. I try to visit there several times a…read moremonth. I mostly walk on the paved trails on the Glenwood side, but there are lots of dirt paths too. There are a number of picnic tables and a couple of shelters on the Glenwood side, too.

Trail goes for at least 20 miles and this end of it is compacted soil, so it can be run upon…read morewithout significant damage to one's feet. The surrounding terrain is very reminiscent of the movies you've seen at some time or another of the South, although a bit marshier. Everybody is polite and faster moving vehicles announce themselves, all the way up to the horse riders. The closest analogue trail-wise to me is the Moanalua Valley Trail on Oahu.

I absolutely loved this trail! It is extremely easy to access, with a nicely maintained parking lot…read moreand restrooms before entering the trail. The area is clean, and is easily accessible with a stroller. The trail is well maintained with crushed gravel, and the area around the trail is beautiful. You feel safe, yet can still enjoy being out in the woods and nature. I highly recommend this trail.

OK. This trail saved my literal life, lol…read more I was staying at a nearby hotel and experiencing 12h work days with my team. We love to see it, the hustle, the grind, the capitalism on a j-curve. However, the hotel gym was covered in glass where anyone could see me jiggling and perishing and I do my best jogging outside. I asked my local coworker for a running recommendation and he suggested this trail, saying basically I wouldn't be alone, for better or worse, there are always people on this trail. I needed to be AWAY from work, to clear my head, to improve my mental health and as a bonus, get a little cardio in for my heart. It starts conveniently near the stadium and idk how far it goes because I only did 3mi (1.5mi out and back). I'm somewhat of a nervous, anxious person and I worried mainly about getting stabbed (Portland, OR represent!), being preyed on by wildlife (some of the this-used-to-be-an-old-railroad slices thru the hills made me think of trails where I grew up that had cougars occasionally spotted with the seldom bear). But this trail was so beautiful! The leaves were orangey, there were so many people walking well-behaved dogs and I never felt lonely or at risk. I ran with both headphones in around 7am at a brisk 28 degrees and found the trail wholly lovely. Something I noticed that I loved (and normally don't see, especially in my regular neighborhood route) was the distance marking every .25 mi. It was really nice to know I didn't have to keep looking at my watch to see my distance, I always knew within a 1/4 mi how far out I was from the start. Anyone visiting Durham would enjoy this I think, for walking or jogging, unless you're really looking for something more isolated. If I find myself in Durham again, I'd absolutely do my jogging here, unless it was humid because I live in the PNW and the humidity does not suit my temperament.

A quality rail to trail project, this outdoor attraction adjoins some other parklands, and is far…read moreenough from the downtown of any of the nearby metropolitan areas to be relatively quiet and safe and to offer some interesting views of the countryside. Having said that, it's long enough that there are sections of it for which the verdict is apparently different. Everything was in good condition when I visited, though water fountains in the neighboring park were shut off for the winter.