William B Umstead State Park
William B Umstead State Park is the 35th Park in our 2025 North Carolina State Park Challenge. This park is located in the heart of Raleigh with almost 35 miles of hiking trails that shouldn’t be missed! This is our local park that I've been going to since I moved down to Raleigh and it has plenty to offer!
We started off this trip hiking the Pott’s Branch Trail that connects to the Big Lake. This trail and Sal’s Branch Trail are definitely the most popular trails in the park. The path along the side of Big Lake is gorgeous any time of year, but fall is definitely our favorite. During the summer you can rent canoes from the Visitor Center and get them down at the boat house for a paddle around Big Lake. If you want a little more privacy and a longer hike, you can take Sycamore Trail which intersects Pott’s Branch Trail.
There are two entrance to the park- the Crabtree Creek Entrance on the Raleigh side and Reedy Creek Entrance on the Cary side. The Multi-Use Trail connects the two entrances but there is no road connecting the two within the park. If you park at the Multi-use trailhead on a the Crabtree Creek Entrance and follow the path you’ll come across the carved log art. You can tell it has some wear and tear from the years, but someone took some time and did amazing work- it’s worth a pit stop.
There is primitive tent camping at this park, but it is current undergoing a major renovation- the website says the plan is for it to re-open in the Fall of 2025. They are tent sites only, no RV sites (as of now? who knows with the renovations!) but I’m excited for what it will look like when they are done! Enjoy!
Park Details:
ADDRESS: 8801 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh NC 27617
HOURS: November-February: 8am-6pm
March-April & September-October: 8am-8pm
May-August: 8am-9pm
VISITOR CENTER: Open Daily 8am-5pm
PASSPORT STAMP: Located at the Visitor Center at the Crabtree Creek Entrance
ENTRANCE FEE: No Entrance Fee
TRAILS: 34.5 miles of trails
ACTIVITIES: Hiking, Biking, Horseback Riding, Paddling, & Fishing
DOG RULES: Dogs are not allowed in park buildings and must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Please pick up after your pet!
Check out our videos about this Park on instagram @axel.theadventurepup
