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!!

I attended the Fall Salamanders Program yesterday and saw two large marbeled salamanders! It was a…read morebeautiful day for an outdoor learning experience with our salamander expert Stephanie. We hiked into the woods and she knew exactly where to look for the stunning little creatures. I have hiked the Preserve and it is lovely and a good workout with steps and small hills. There is a great visitors center with info and bathrooms too. Hemlock Bluffs is a small park that makes a huge impression. You should definitely check it out and have fun!

I visited Rocky Branch Greenway a recent morning while staying nearby for business. I searched and…read morefound it was not too far from the hotel and it being a nice morning to get out and exercise I did just that. I found the trail to be shaded and varying terrain. Some parts flat, but more common were gently hills. The scenery was beautiful, even for parts of the trail along a busy road. I found it a great way to get away from the city and into a little nature. My main complaint would be a lack of good signage. I seemed to be on the trail for the most part but may have gone off into a nearby trail system by accident. Either way I enjoyed the walk/run, the scenery, the available trash bins (as there was some trash I picked up and was appreciative of the bins) and the experience was very pleasant. I'll certainly go again.

I live near downtown, but I don't love running on sidewalks all the time--especially Raleigh's…read moresidewalks, which can be really bumpy, uneven, and easy to trip. And, there are a lot of lights, which can mean a lot of stopping/waiting. Therefore, I was thankful to learn that the Rocky Branch Greenway--part of the Triangle's wonderful trail system--goes within a half mile of most parts of downtown Raleigh! It is a 3.5 mile trail from south of downtown through NC State's campus. You have to cross several roads, including Western Boulevard at a stop light. Parts of it are wooded (passes through part of Pullen Park), part of it are along the NC state athletic facilities, part of it is along Western Boulevard itself (my least favorite stretch), part is near neighborhoods/apartment complexes, and one stretch is in front of a grassy green at the Dorthea Dix campus. I would caution against running it at night because the wooded parts aren't well lit and there are several tunnels. Although parts of this trail can be boring and it isn't very long, it's still nice to have a trail so close to an urban area. And, it is easy to connect from the ends of the Rocky Branch Greenway to other parts of the Capital Greenway--e.g. from the NC State side you can easily get to the Reedy Creek Trail and from the Wilmington Street Side you can get to the Walnut Creek Trail just by going a block up the road (there are signs). I can't imagine doing a longer run from downtown without using it! If you're curious, here's a link to a Wiki with a lot of information and pictures: https://trianglewiki.org/Rocky_Branch_Greenway.

Historic Oak View County Park currently is on 27 acres. The pecan grove is 11 acres of that. When…read moreOak View was a working cotton farm it was over 900 acres. I took a guided tour of Historic Oak View County Park and learned some of its history. Wake County purchased the land for an office park before learning on the land's history. The property was saved from demolition and has since been added to the National Register of Historic Places. They are still learning more about it from research. Fourteen slaves were owned on the farm before the Civil War. Afterwards, some purchased land on Oak View and became sharecroppers or tenant farmers. The Farm Center History Center is where you can get information before you start exploring the park and it is a small museum. The goats are either found in the livestock barn or at the goat pen near the Tenant House. A cotton gin house can be toured and you can read about the cotton process. A cotton field is outside the building. They also have bee hives to pollinate the plants. A Plank Kitchen built in 1825 is the oldest building remaining on the property. It has a garden near it. The Main Farm House is open to tour, both the original house and the additions. Then there is the Tenant House replica that was brought to the park from Wendell as it had the same features of the buildings that had been torn down. I like that the park had walkways and ramps. The pecan grove is huge and each November the public can take some pecans home. While I was there, some people were fishing and others were having picnics. The goats can be fed carrots and apple slices.

This is a great park to explore with a little one. The space is huge and it's pretty easy to stay…read moresocially distant. They recently did a story book walk through the parks department that was neat. If you get lucky you may catch the goats out, but we haven't been so lucky yet. I've ready that you are allowed to feed them some carrots if the employees okay it. They do have a chicken coop as well which my son loved. He spent quite a bit of time just staring at the chicken walking around. If you follow the path to the left of the entrance it heads to a pond and if you follow it to the right there is a small cotton field and an old cotton wagon in the back of the old gin silo. It's a great spot for family photos, every time we have been we have seen people walking around with their photographer. The pecan trees and historic houses make for great photos. Right now due to COVID the bathrooms are closed. There is plenty of parking here. I know they offer so much more than what is currently available during COVID. Definitely a park to keep on the radar!

This is a semi paved 20-30 mile walking/running/bike path that connects Apex, Cary, and Durham. It…read moregoes through Wake, Chatham and Durham county. The south end is flat dirt with pine needles and small gravel that line the path, as you gravel north, it turns into a paved path. I love coming here to ride my bike. During the waking hours of 9am-6pm it is fairly populated so I feel plenty safe. The path crosses a road every 4-5 miles or so with parking near most road crossings. Today when I was out, people were running virtual marathons and it was very exciting to see. Bathrooms are available at maybe half the parking areas (the larger ones). No it is not lit, no street lights. Rules are to stay right, pass left, and no motorized vehicles unless a wheelchair. Love it here!

Great rails to trail. Wide paved path and crushed course sand path next to paved to ride/run on…read more You have to cross roads about every mile, but it is set up to give you the right of way. Good amount of use so everyone should feel safe.

Bottom line: Indian Creek Greenway and & Trailhead is a wonderful resource for Morrisville…read moreresidents. It is well maintained and includes a greenway trail, shelters, bathrooms, playground and other items (see pics). The Deets: The Town of Morrisville really does a great job providing resources for its citizens, and one of the examples is the Indian Creek Greenway & Trailhead located across from Town Hall. This town provided facility has a playground for kids, two shelters with picnic tables, open area space in the middle, restrooms near the shelters and playground, arboretum, viewing deck near the woods with historical information, parking area, and an almost 2 mile greenway trail. The times I have visited this town park it has been maintained, clean, and kept well. The shelters appear to be available to be reserved for an individual/group by the listings I saw posted next to each shelter A and shelter B. The yard/green areas have been well groomed the times I have gone by there. The site playground is colorful and clean in appearance. This site is a valuable recreational asset for the residents of Morrisville and glad it well maintained for use, very nice!

As one of Cary's longest and most popular trails, I had to come to see what all the hype was about…read morehere. Ironically, it wasn't my first time here at the Robert V. Godbold Park (2050 Northwest Maynard Road, Cary) entrance, but I stumbled upon a route I hadn't taken before. Very scenic and nice for short walks or walks that I can stretch out into longer walks. The park is convenient to my home, and the parking here is great.

We are all entitled to our own opinions, right? Well here's mine:…read more Parking: 5 Location: 5 Decor/ambiance: 5 Customer Service: na One of the CLEANEST, nicest, most attractive trails in the area. One thing about Cary is you can count on them to have clean trails. This one here trumps most Raleigh trails. This trail features lush greenways and breathtaking views. When you enter the Crabtree lake area the sunset is amazing to witness. The trail seems super safe as it doesn't really feature many dark areas. Most of the Black Creek trail is in the back yards of homes. The trail is ideal for walker and runners. Its also great for bikers. I have witnessed hover-boards on the trails but i'm sure they shouldn't be out there as no motor vehicles are allows.

Oh, it's a small park for sure. Dorothy Park is open space and without lines. There isn't a ball…read morefield or a playground here, but they have some open space to walk, sit, throw a ball or just watch the local fauna thanks to the stream that bisects the park. What's for dinner? The usual question, which I worked out while sitting on the bench in this cute park. [Review 11849 overall, 1631 of 2019.]

Every day for 2 weeks I would pass this park on the way to drop my son off and we'd say to each…read moreother, "We're going to visit this park, it's so cute!!" Ok, so it's teeny tiny. If you have multiple kids who need to burn off energy, this may not be the best option for you. Like I said it's tiny, it's in a very quiet residential area with cars (though it is not busy) and city trucks, and there's no playground. But it's a beautiful urban park to sit and take an older child to see nature, hear the birds, climb and explore the big rocks, and view the little stream from the little bridge. And it's across the street from the Higgins greenway (though this part of the greenway isn't the nicest). It's very peaceful and relaxing.

When I moved to Raleigh our real estate agent has told us about the Greenway, but when I purchased…read moremy house I had no idea we lived so close to an entrance, or how much I would enjoy this wonderful place. It is not often a government gets something right, but in the case of the Greenway they nailed it in my opinion. Laid out nicely along the Neuse River. Trash cans set up so people can dispose of their garbage. A great place to jog, walk or ride your bike. I wish more cyclists would announce themselves when coming up from behind, but hey what would the world be without assholes. Enjoy a relaxing couple of ours and take a hike. Relatively flat and you can go as far as you like.

Great place to bike, run, or walk! It was so beautiful and kept me entertained during my entire…read moreride. I also appreciate how easy it is to follow because I get lost easily. I parked at the baseball fields off of buffalo road and headed up towards the dams at falls lake, and I enjoyed every minute of it. The trail is super wide, so there's plenty of room to pass safely. Make sure to pack you own water, I didn't see anywhere to fill up.