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Umstead and Raven Rock are great local options (if you go to Raven Rock, take the kids to Sunni Sky as a post-trip treat). Hanging Rock is a longer drive but a great state park!
Falls Lake for boating/canoeing/SUP/camping
Hanging Rock for a more challenging hike with a fantastic view (though a longer drive from triangle)
Raven Rock for a more moderate hike (can be crowded on weekends with parking issues)
Occoneechee for a moderate/easier hike with a nice view (closer to triangle)
Eno River for swimming/wading locally
Umstead for a local shaded hike
I also like camping & boating at Jordan.
Live in Raleigh and like to do moderate hiking and some kid friendly activities for age 5-15.
Hanging Rock is great, but its almost 21/2 hours from Raleigh. It has a lake for swimming, boating and fishing and great trails. For just hiking and picnicking, Raven Rock and Eno River are closer.
I have 4 kids aged 10,10,10 and 8 that love to hike. Of the parks on your list, they like Hanging Rock the best. I agree with them and for a full day trip I don't even think the others are that close. I'd gladly spend a day at any of these places, but to me Hanging Rock has the best variety for a day. Many of the other parks have a decent hike or two. Hanging Rock has a bunch. Mountains (the Sauratown Mountains are not gigantic but they rise above the surrounding countryside pretty impressively), waterfalls, caves, swimming holes. Really neat place.
I asked my kids to rank the parks we've been to, here's what we came up with:
1. Hanging Rock - favorites are Hanging Rock, Tory's Den, Lower Cascades
2. Pilot Mountain - Jomeokee trail around the pinnacle
3. Raven Rock - we live in Fuquay so this is kind of a homer pick. It's a good trip and pretty close to home. If you're looking to spend 2-4 hours this is a great place.
4. Eno River - great Piedmont hiking. Much of the hiking at Piedmont parks is like that at Umstead - trails through forest with a small attraction like a stream. Eno is better because many trails interact with the river which is nice.
5. Morrow Mountain - a decent number of hikes with elevation changes. Has a pool, boat rentals on Lake Tillery. You won't get a ton of views with the leaves grown in this time of year. We camped there when we went so it automatically is better in their book.
6. Occoneechee Mountain - my kids say the best hike close to home. They like rocks and this is the closest thing to a mountain we've found around here. It's a State Natural Area, so it doesn't have any real amenities like those that you'd find at a state park. You'd be hard pressed to spend a whole day here, but for a few hours it's great
7. Umstead - close to home, lots of miles of trails. Some of them cross/interact with streams, but these hikes are mostly about taking a long walk in the woods. Don't let their ranking fool you, if you want to take a long hike and stay close to home this is your place. The multi-use trails are fun to bike. Company Mill trail is a good 5 miler that is moderate due to length but not terribly difficult.
The rest:
-Cliffs of Neuse - has a swim lake and a number of short trails. I don't recall being able to see the cliff (you park on top and look down to the river) and that was disappointing. Perhaps we were in the wrong spot. Kayaking the river would probably be fun.
-Jordan/Falls - if we were talking about something other than hiking these would be higher. They have several beaches and campgrounds. Hiking wise, Falls gets a leg up because the Falls Lake Trail is part of the Mountains to Sea trail, however if you're trying to loop back to where you start this isn't ideal. The Red/Blue loops at New Hope Overlook at Jordan are some of our favorite 3/5 milers. If we're visiting Falls for the day, we prefer Blue Jay Point, which is a Wake County park.
-Weymouth Woods - The longleaf pine forest is cool, but if I were picking a place to drive to it would be low on the list.
-Kerr - like Jordan/Falls as far as hiking goes, but worse. Again, boating/camping are another story. The lake is much bigger but the focus is on boating/camping.
We have yet to visit Mayo River, Haw River, Carvers Creek, or Medoc Mountain.
The state parks have a small booklet you can get for free at any park called a Passport. You collect stamps at each park you visit. (National Park Service does something similar but more "elaborate"). I'll give you a warning, the kids find it addictive. We've gotten around 15 stamps so far and have been to a handful more parks before we knew about the Passports. We just picked up Stone Mountain this past weekend which is another to consider for a longer day trip.
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