The best hiking near Raleigh

Hiking near Raleigh means accepting that the terrain is flat. Within that constraint there is more than people think: a 5,599-acre state park with 22 miles of trail, a Durham park with the only genuine climb inside an hour's drive, a preserve where hemlocks grow hundreds of miles south of where they should, and roughly 60 miles of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along Falls Lake.

Mileage and difficulty are given where an official source states them. Where two sources disagree, both figures are noted, because turning up expecting easy and getting moderate is the most common complaint about lists like this.

Hours below were taken from each business's own published information and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.

William B. Umstead State Park

5,599 acres between Raleigh and Cary with more than 22 miles of trail, and the closest thing to real backcountry inside the Beltline's reach. Company Mill is the classic: a 5.8-mile moderate loop that crosses the creek twice on footbridges.

Hours: Gates Jan-Feb and Nov-Dec 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mar and Sep-Oct 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Apr-Aug 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Visitor center daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Christmas Day.

Address: Crabtree Creek entrance, 8801 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh, NC 27617. Reedy Creek entrance, 2100 N. Harrison Ave., Cary.

Why they made the list

• 5,599 acres and more than 22 miles of hiking trail, the largest hiking area in Wake County by a wide margin.
• Company Mill Trail is a 5.8-mile moderate loop, Sycamore is 7.2 miles moderate, and Sal's Branch is an easy 2.8.
• Two separate entrances ten miles apart, so you can pick a side and avoid the crowd at the other.
• Three manmade lakes inside the park, plus 13 miles of bike trail and 13 of bridle trail.

See the full directory listing

Eno River State Park

More than 30 miles of trail across 17 routes and five access points along the Eno in Durham. Cox Mountain is the one people drive out for, a 3.75-mile loop with the only genuine climb within an hour of Raleigh.

Hours: Varies by entrance. Fews Ford opens 7 a.m. and closes 7 to 10 p.m. seasonally. Pleasant Green and Cabelands open 8:30 a.m. Visitor center daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., to 8 p.m. Fridays Mar-Oct. Cole Mill Access is currently closed.

Address: Fews Ford Access and visitor center, 6101 Cole Mill Road, Durham, NC 27705

Why they made the list

• Cox Mountain Trail has real elevation, which almost nothing else on this list offers.
• More than 30 miles of trail across 17 separate routes, so it takes many visits to exhaust.
• Five access points with different gate hours, which spreads the crowds out.
• Cole Mill Access and its two trails are closed right now, so check before choosing an entrance.

See the full directory listing

Falls Lake State Recreation Area

Roughly 60 miles of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail run along Falls Lake's southern edge, part of a segment that totals 80.7 miles from Eno River State Park to the Falls Lake dam. This is the long-distance hiking on Wake Forest's doorstep.

Hours: Day-use areas Jan-Feb and Nov-Dec 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mar-Apr and Sep-Oct 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. May-Aug 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Visitor center Mon-Fri 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Address: 13304 Creedmoor Road, Wake Forest, NC 27587

Why they made the list

• About 60 miles of continuous Mountains-to-Sea Trail along the lake's southern shore.
• A Wake Forest address, so this is the closest state recreation area to our readers.
• Camping, swimming and boat access alongside the hiking, which none of the day-use parks here offer.
• Holly Point is closed for construction and not every access area runs year round, so check first.

See the full directory listing

Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve

A Cary preserve where eastern hemlocks survive far south of their normal range, clinging to north-facing bluffs above Swift Creek. Four short trails, a nature center, and a set of stairs that makes the 0.8-mile loop feel longer than it reads.

Hours: Preserve daily 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Entry outside these hours is prohibited. Stevens Nature Center Mon-Sat 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sun 1 to 5 p.m.

Address: 2616 Kildaire Farm Road, Cary, NC 27518

Why they made the list

• Eastern hemlocks growing hundreds of miles south of their usual range, which is the reason the preserve exists.
• Four trails: Chestnut Oak Loop 1.2 miles, Beech Tree Cove 0.9, Swift Creek Loop 0.8, West Hemlock Overlook 0.7.
• Swift Creek Loop packs roughly a hundred stairs into under a mile, so it is a workout in a small space.
• The Stevens Nature Center makes it the best option here for hiking with young children.

See the full directory listing

Neuse River Greenway Trail

27.5 paved miles from Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserve down to the Johnston County line, part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Not wilderness, but it is the only way to walk from Wake Forest to Knightdale without touching a road for miles.

Hours: Daily dawn to dusk.

Address: Main trailhead at Anderson Point Park, 20 Anderson Point Drive, Raleigh, NC 27610

Why they made the list

• 27.5 continuous paved miles, which makes it the best long-distance walk or run in the county.
• Fully paved, so it works for a stroller, a road bike or a wheelchair.
• Part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, linking into the statewide route.
• Check the City of Raleigh greenway alerts page before setting out, because closures are posted there.

See the full directory listing

Harris Lake County Park

A 680-acre Wake County park in New Hill, about thirty minutes from downtown Raleigh, where the Peninsula Trail runs five easy miles out along a finger of land into the lake. Quiet in a way the Raleigh parks are not.

Hours: Daily 8 a.m. to sunset. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Address: 2112 County Park Drive, New Hill, NC 27562

Why they made the list

• The Peninsula Trail is five miles and rated easy, which is a rare combination on this list.
• 680 acres and far enough out that it is genuinely quiet on a weekday.
• Mountain bike trails and disc golf on site alongside the hiking.
• One source rates the trail at 4.3 miles and moderate rather than five and easy, so expect the harder version.

See the full directory listing

Clemmons Educational State Forest

Opened in 1976 as North Carolina's first educational state forest, in Clayton. Three blazed trails including the Talking Rock Trail, where recorded exhibits explain the geology out loud. Hours are not published anywhere, which is the catch.

Hours: Not published. The NC Forest Service does not post hours for Clemmons despite its own rules requiring it. Educational state forests are seasonal and typically closed Mondays. Call (919) 553-5651 before going.

Address: 2411 Old U.S. 70 West, Clayton, NC 27520

Why they made the list

• North Carolina's first educational state forest, open since 1976.
• The Talking Rock Trail has recorded audio exhibits along it, which no other trail here does.
• Three trails: Watershed Extension 3 miles, Demonstration Trail 2.2, Talking Rock loop 0.8.
• No published hours and a seasonal schedule, so this is the one on this list you must call about first.

See the full directory listing

Durant Nature Preserve

237 acres in North Raleigh with a 2.5-mile outer loop inside roughly five miles of mostly unpaved trail, looping two lakes. A former Boy Scout camp, which is why it has more genuine woods per acre than the city's landscaped parks.

Hours: Opens daily 7 a.m. Closes by month: Jan 6 p.m., Feb 6:30, Mar 7, Apr 8, May 8:30, Jun-Jul 9, Aug 8:30, Sep 8, Oct 7, Nov-Dec 5:30 p.m.

Address: 8305 Camp Durant Road, Raleigh, NC 27614

Why they made the list

• Roughly five miles of mostly natural-surface trail inside the city limits.
• A 2.5-mile outer loop that works as a single continuous hike.
• Two lakes, one of them twelve acres.
• Closing time changes every month, so check before an evening hike.

See the full directory listing

Lake Johnson Park

Five miles of trail around a 150-acre lake near NC State: a three-mile paved loop plus two miles unpaved, and a 700-foot boardwalk that takes the path straight across the water. Easy to moderate and the most accessible real hike in the city.

Hours: Park and trails daily sunrise to sunset. Waterfront Center Apr-Sep 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mar and Oct 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Nov-Feb 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Address: 4601 Avent Ferry Road, Raleigh, NC 27606

Why they made the list

• A 700-foot boardwalk across the lake, which is the most memorable stretch of trail in Raleigh.
• Paved and unpaved options in the same park, so the difficulty is yours to choose.
• Kayak and paddleboard rentals if you would rather be on the water.
• Sunrise to sunset access on the trails, not gated hours.

See the full directory listing

Annie Louise Wilkerson, MD Nature Preserve Park

A 157-acre preserve on the southern shore of Falls Lake, opened in 2006, with six miles of easy trail and a connection onto the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. The most restricted hours on this list and the least crowded trails because of it.

Hours: Tue-Sat opens 10 a.m., Sun opens 1 p.m., closed Monday. Closing by month: Jan 5:30 p.m., Feb 6, Mar 6:30 (7:30 after DST), Apr 8, May-Jul 8:30, Aug 8, Sep 7:30, Oct 7 (6:30 after DST ends), Nov 6:30 then 5:30, Dec 5 p.m.

Address: 5229 Awls Haven Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614

Why they made the list

• Six miles of easy trail, and a connection straight onto the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.
• On the southern shore of Falls Lake, so it is close to Wake Forest.
• Opens at 10 a.m. and closed Mondays, which keeps it quieter than anything else here.
• Closing time changes monthly and again at the daylight saving switch, so check twice.

See the full directory listing

Frequently asked questions

What is the best hiking near Raleigh, NC?

William B. Umstead State Park is the largest and best option, with 5,599 acres and more than 22 miles of trail between its Raleigh and Cary entrances. Company Mill Trail is the classic route, a 5.8-mile moderate loop. Eno River State Park in Durham has the only real elevation within an hour of Raleigh, on Cox Mountain Trail.

Where is the longest trail near Raleigh?

The Neuse River Greenway Trail runs 27.5 continuous paved miles from Falls Lake Dam to the Johnston County line, connecting Wake Forest, Raleigh and Knightdale. About 60 miles of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail also run along the southern edge of Falls Lake.

What is the best hike near Wake Forest?

Falls Lake State Recreation Area at 13304 Creedmoor Road has a Wake Forest address and carries a long stretch of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. The Annie Louise Wilkerson Nature Preserve on the southern shore of Falls Lake has six miles of easy trail, and Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserve is ten minutes from downtown Wake Forest.

Are there hiking trails near Raleigh with hills?

Cox Mountain Trail at Eno River State Park is the only route within about an hour of Raleigh with genuine elevation gain. Swift Creek Loop at Hemlock Bluffs in Cary packs roughly a hundred stairs into under a mile, which is the closest substitute.

Which trails near Raleigh are good for beginners?

Lake Johnson Park has a three-mile paved loop with a 700-foot boardwalk across the lake, rated easy to moderate. Wilkerson Nature Preserve has six miles of easy trail. The Peninsula Trail at Harris Lake County Park is rated five miles and easy, though one source rates it harder.