One of my favorite places to go when I want to be with nature is right here in my own hometown!! Umstead Park - Many people that visit the area are completely surprised that we have a resource like Umstead Park right in the middle of the city. The Park is centrally located between the airport and situated between Cary and Raleigh. One can enter on the Cary side at the Reedy Creek entrance off of Harrison Avenue or off of the Ebenezer Church Road in Raleigh.
Umstead Park in Raleigh, NC has it all---I've written about other parks in the area but Umstead beats them all. Umstead has hiking, horse back riding, bike trails, boat rentals, camping, picnic areas, and even educational/nature programs. The resources are amazing. There are 16 miles of moderate to easy hiking trails, 16 miles of biking and bridle trails, 3 lakes, 4 group campgrounds, and 2 camping areas.
When I used run my "long runs" I used to come out here with the NCRC. This group runs long runs on the trails. They even have marathons and Ultra Marathons(100M) here. My knees don't cooperate anymore but it sure is fun to watch.
Here are a few of the Hiking Trails out at Umstead that you might enjoy:
- Beech Trail - Reedy Creek (0.5 miles, easy)
- Bridle and Bike Trails (16 miles, varies)
- Company Mill Trail - Reedy Creek (4.5 miles, moderate)
- Company Mill Spur - Reedy Creek (0.2 miles, easy)
- Schenck Forest Inspiration Trail - Reedy Creek (0.5 miles, easy)
- Loblolly Trail - Reedy Creek (6 miles, moderate)
- Oak Rock Trail - Crabtree Creek (1 miles, easy) Pott's Branch Trail - Crabtree Creek (0.75 miles, easy)
- Sal's Branch Trail - Crabtree Creek (2.2 miles, moderate)
- Sycamore Trail - Crabtree Creek (6.5 miles, moderate)
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Just take a look at the natural beauty of this park. If you have the opportunity to escape for just an hour or two this should be your destination of choice. Be careful, though, there is lots of wildlife in the forest including snakes, bats, deer, mosquitoes, squirrels, and other wildlife.
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