Photos by Mary Sonis
One of the best ways we’ve found to maintain good humor and balance during this stressful time is to limit news to prescribed times of day and get outside to take walks to enjoy the gift of a beautiful North Carolina spring and summer. Walks are restorative and the North Carolina Piedmont offers a wide variety of interesting plants and fauna. In addition to the Chapel Hill and Carrboro greenway system – see links – you can find a peaceful walk at a number of additional locations found in these amazing and diverse landscapes. Hot
Brumley North was named the #2 spot of 2,528 eBird Hotspot in North Carolina for May 2022! The ranking looks at the number of bird species reported at a specific location. Read about what makes this spot so unique for our fine feathered friends!
- ADAMS PRESERVE 1.25 miles of unpaved trails, consisting of a .7 mile loop trail and a number of access trails, on a 27 acre woodland preserve, bounded on the north by Bolin Creek and on the east by Estes Drive Extension. Parking is in Wilson Park. Owned and maintained by Carrboro and Orange County.
- BATTLE BRANCH TRAIL A 1.5 mile unpaved trail with picturesque overlooks and some steps that connecting UNC’s Forest Theater with the Chapel Hill Community Center Park located across from University Mall. Maintained by the North Carolina Botanical Garden.
- BOLIN CREEK TRAIL A 1.5 mile 10′-wide paved trail through meadows and woods. Parking entrances at the Community Center Park and Bolinwood Drive in Chapel Hill. This trail was joined in 2018 by a new extension that runs along the Bolin Creek to Umstead Park and then joins Tanyard Branch. The entire valley flooded during Florence and endures frequent damage from storms.
- TANYARD BRANCH TRAIL From Umstead Park you can take this .4 mile paved trail, connecting Umstead Park to the Northside neighborhood. Parking is available at Umstead Park off of Umstead Drive, Chapel Hill.
- P.H. CRAIG TRACT This was one of the favorite places to hike in the Chapel Hill- Carrboro area until 40 out of the 77 acres owned by P.H. Craig were timbered two years ago. Some wooded portions remain along the creek. This property borders Bolin Creek and joins the forested Adams Tract to the south and Carolina North to the north. All together these three properties contain 425 acres of diverse vegetation and remarkable wildlife in the midst of a rapidly urbanizing Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
- COKER ARBORETUM A series of sandy and paved paths wind around this beautifully landscaped garden. Located on UNC campus, at the corner of Country Club Road and Raleigh Street at 399 East Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill. The closest parking is the paid lot at Morehead Planetarium. For more information, read The Chapel Hill Recorder article: Coker Arboretum.
- DRY CREEK TRAIL 1.2 mile unpaved trail, starting at Cedar Falls Park off of Weaver Dairy Road; ample parking. This unpaved trail has some rocky, steep slopes.
- DUKE FOREST 7,000 acres of wooded land, with many miles of unpaved trails. One convenient entrance is located off of Whitfield Road near Sunrise Road and the New Hope Fire Station. Park off the street near the trail entrance.
- ENO RIVER STATE PARK More than 4,000 acres of natural beauty along 14 miles of winding riverbanks. Parking can be found at Cabelands (on Howe St off Sparger Rd), Fews Ford (Cole Mill Rd) and Pleasant Green (on Pleasant Green Rd).
- FAN BRANCH TRAIL 1.6 mile 10′-wide paved trail, with a few steep slopes. Connects Southern Community Park with Southern Village, where parking is available at either end.
- HANK ANDERSON III COMMUNITY PARK .4 mile crushed gravel loop of woods, a pond and feeder creeks. Accessible from the ample parking area. Located on Highway 54, west of Carrboro, past Carrboro Plaza on the right.
- JOHNSTON MILL NATURE PRESERVE 3 miles of wooded, unpaved trails. Several entrances. One is located 1.1 miles east of NC Highway 86 on Mount Sinai Road, with a parking area on the right just before New Hope Creek. Another entrance is located on Turkey Farm Road.
- LOWER BOOKER CREEK TRAIL .8 miles, 10′-wide paved trail. Connects Eastgate Shopping Center to Booker Creek neighborhoods. Limited parking available at Markham Drive.
- MEADOWMONT GREENWAY 10′-wide paved paths on both sides of Highway 54, and begins at Rashkis school. Natural surface trails are located in Meadowmont Park in the north side of the development.
- MORGAN CREEK TRAIL .85 miles, 10′-wide paved trail that leads along the creek, through the woods to Merritt’s Pasture. Parking is available at the entrance, right off of Fordham Blvd./54 East, just past Kingswood Apartments.
- NORTH CAROLINA BOTANICAL GARDEN Nearly 800 acres of preserved land with nature trails, carnivorous plant, aquatics and herb gardens. Parking is located at the entrance at 100 Old Mason Farm Rd (off US Highway 15-501). Office and display gardens are currently closed but trails are open.
- OCCONEECHEE MOUNTAIN STATE NATURAL AREA 3 miles of unpaved trails. Overlooking the Eno River, the mountain has an elevation of 867 ft., which is the highest point in Orange County. Parking at the entrance at Virginia Cates Rd (off Orange Grove Rd) in Hillsborough, NC.
- GEORGE AND JULIA BRUMLEY FOREST PRESERVE Located near Route 86 off of New Hope Church Road and NC 10. Over 600 acres of hiking and biking trails. The northern tract on NC 10 is preferred by birders and hikers. Trail bicyclists dominate the southern tract.
- THE PARKER PRESERVE Woodland trails on a 127-acre property that borders Mason Farm Biological Reserve.
- MASON FARM BIOLOGICAL RESERVE A two-mile loop trail circles this 367-acre wildlife preserve and natural area in Chapel Hill, home to over 800 species of plants, 216 species of birds, 29 species of mammals, 28 species of fish, 28 species of reptiles, 23 species of amphibians, and 67 species of butterflies. Mason Farm is a place for research, education, and appreciation of the natural world.
Twilight Thursdays at the Botanical Garden – https://ncbg.unc.edu/event/twilight-thursdays/
Photo guide to 9 breathtaking North Carolina waterfalls – https://triangleonthecheap.com/north-carolina-waterfalls/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=Feedblitz%20email&utm_campaign=Web&utm_content=1015368