Fall Hiking Locations in Cary, NC

One of my favorite things about living in Cary, North Carolina is the abundance of activities that can be done outdoors year round. For our family, the most enjoyable of all of these activities is hiking. Here are some of the best hiking locations in and near Cary, North Carolina in the fall.

Although beautiful year round, Umstead State Park really begins to show itself starting in September. With easily accessible hiking trails with trailheads in both Cary and Raleigh, Umstead truly has something for everyone. One of the few complaints I have about hiking in the Triangle area of North Carolina would be the traffic noise. At Umstead State Park, you can get pretty deep into the forest, making it easy to pretend that you have stepped away from it all. Small streams provide eye candy on most trails, and the wildlife is abundant year round. In the fall, the leaves have begun to turn but have not yet fallen off the trees, so you can still remain lost within the forest while being treated to some truly amazing fall colors. Our daughter's favorite trail is Company Mill Trail. In Cary, Umstead State Park trails start at the end of Harrison in Cary, just past where the I-40 ramps.

Another hiking location in the Triangle area is Bond Park. This hiking location remains open year round, with Greenways leading into a number of neighborhoods and locations throughout Cary stemming from here. There are fewer coniferous trees here than in many other hiking locations in Cary, though those that do exist provide beautiful splashes of green to an already gorgeous hiking location. Bond Park in Cary has plenty of parking at each of the trailheads. There are extremely short trails that are ideal for families with small children, but there are also much longer trails that begin at several different locations. Before or after hiking, Bond Lake offers boat rentals, fishing spots and picnic tables, as well as a playground and shelters. Bond Park is located off of High House between Maynard and the Cary Parkway.

If listening to birds and stepping outside of the busiest sections of Cary, North Carolina is your thing, Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve offers many bird watching locations and educational programs designed for birders of all experience levels. In addition, Hemlock Bluffs offers 3 miles of hiking trails that truly show off everything that North Carolina's fall foliage has to offer. Located on the far end of Kildaire Farm Road, Hemlock Bluffs is on the edge of Cary, and away from the hustle and bustle of the middle of Cary.

Whatever your goal for hiking in Cary, there are many different options. These are just three of the options available for hiking, with other, shorter hiking trail options available by looking at the Town of Cary Parks and Recreation website. Of those, Godbold Park trails are my favorite, with options including playground, tennis and dog park near the trailheads, but the trail system itself is very short for someone looking to go there just to hike. The three options above are the best in Cary for fall hiking.