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I've just begun hiking not too long ago and am surprised to find some really good natural trails. Is there anyone else that is into hiking and can make some local (or within an hour's drive) suggestions?
Well most of the local cities and towns and counties all have good greenway systems for both walking and biking...as well as parks with walking trails.
But for good hiking (ie, narrow hilly trails in the woods), State Parks are always way better.
In the Triangle, the big state parks of course are Umstead and Eno River state parks.
Umstead is great if you're looking for just a huge endless landmass of forest to go hiking thru. Eno River's big plus is that pretty much follows the river, so that adds a scenic aspect, however the downside is that it's a narrow park that basically just along the river banks.
Jordan Lake and Falls Lake are both technically state parks too, but they're more for water recreation than nature hiking.
Others nearby are Raven Rock State Park near Lillington, and Medoc Mtn State park in Halifax County.
Yeah, I found the city's "greenways" are mostly paved and really short. I went to Umstead this past weekend and loved it. I've done Raven Rock aplenty. I'll have to look up Medoc and will check out Eno River in the future, thanks for the info!
^No problem. Oh, another big plus about Eno is that if you're hiking in the warmer months, people often stop by the water, take their shoes off and soothe their feet in the water.
Medoc's a little further out than all the others, but still a decently short drive. Their big plus is the isolation...and few people know it's there.
There is a very long trail up at Falls Lake. It is part of the "mountains to seas trail", or some similar name. My wife and I have been hiking pieces of it as we find the time. It has a number of trail heads along the south end of the lake.
I really enjoy the 5 mile loop out at Harris lake. There are many shorter and longer hikes there as well as mountain biking trails. I also like to go out on the Tobacco trail. You won't have the ups and downs or the tree roots to deal with on the Tobacco trail but my kids love to take their bikes out there!
My favorites are the Eno River and Umstead State Parks. Umstead is 5,579 acres large, and feels like a world away from the city, though it is very close. Enjoy!
Last edited by Green Irish Eyes; 01-23-2011 at 11:57 AM..
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