Beautiful, unique, storybook hideaways..I was quite shocked on how awesome this park is. It offers a variety of trails and options for a quick walk, or a more moderate hike. Through it all, theres many picturesque hideaways and trails 2 explore! Most definitely worth checking out anytime of the year.

Was a little confused about where to park to get to the trails. Otherwise an amazing way to do my virtual turkey trot across the miles with my friends Janet and John who were back home. The trails are beautiful and well maintained. Other visitors were friendly and kind ️

If you are looking for a way to kill a few hours before your flight out of RDU look no further than this gorgeous park. I spent just a couple hours here and I am sure I barely scratched the surface of what is offered here. The trails are marked only the by markers on the trees and it really feels like you are out in the wilderness. Easy to get sidetracked but the bright markers on the tree help you get back on track. I would definitely come back if I am ever in the area again.

This park is great for all sorts of activities! The Big lake is great to just sit and relax, and there were a bunch of good options for biking as well. The park map they have doesn’t perfectly match what Google Maps shows, but it is still pretty easy to find your way around on the trails. The view by the Big lake is beautiful.

Beautiful park with plenty of trails to walk. Notable ones are the Company Mill Trail and the Sycamore Trail, both of which are longer trails but have beautiful views along the way. Company Mill features a grist mill, while Sycamore Trail covers a large part of the heart of the park and features a walk along the river and has a lovely spot to sit and read roughly halfway through the hike.

It’s a very nice park that is well maintained. The trails are fantastic, and the views of the lake are nice. I came in Autumn, and the leaves are beautiful. The camping spaces are nice, and there are plenty of restrooms and other facilities for use.

We camped here for a few days and loved it. Tents only. Bathhouse was conveniently located within the camping loop. Disappointed in the hours the bathrooms are closed during the day for cleaning because they definitely werent cleaned well but we made it work. Gates close at 8pm so if you need to be out later... find somewhere else because they will not let you in. Good amount of trails and the lake area was beautiful. We will return.

One of Raleighs treasures and something I hope many generations can cherish. A great place to reconnect your mind and body with nature that is with in quick driveGreat trails for gravel and trail running.Would love to see public transit options to increase access

We loved every part of our Sals Branch hike trail! We couldn’t help but come out and enjoy another beautiful area of NC this Mother’s Day! No better way than to celebrate Mother Earth and me ️ the trail is very well kept and clearly marked. Shaded from the sun do you can come anytime ️

Cute camping spot! Plenty of distance between camp sites, and lots of amenities! Only problem was we couldn’t find where they said the sold fire wood

Great trails, well kept. Clean restrooms and ample parking.

This place is huge! The first time I came here for a hike, I was overwhelmed with the size of the park. I walked for 3 hours and didnt seem to make it very far lol!The second time I came here, I brought my son and tried out the bike trail. We biked for over 7 miles and had a blast!If youre starting out on your fitness journey, this may not be the place to begin. If youre a bit more seasoned, this park has a lot of fun challenges available. Youre rewarded with some great scenery and history for the effort.This is a beautiful park!

I love this park very reasonable camping, clean sites bathroom and facilities. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to get out of the house especially these days. Also for being so close to the airport not a bother at all.

Umstead Park has been a great place to go to exercise while practicing social distancing over the last couple of months. Its best to go during the week as things can get relatively crowded on the weekends. There are a lot of trails so do your homework and find the right trail for you. When we meet other hikers coming towards us or runners passing us, we will get off the trail to let them pass. Enjoy the fresh air, stay healthy, and share the trail.

One of my favorite state parks! The views are amazing! I especially loved canoeing on Big Lake.

Great mt bike trails. Legs are burning this morn.

Great state park to relax and take a walk, the visitor center was very clean and the staff was helpful. They had a nice exhibit for the kids, there are a few trails that are mild and enjoyable... parking can be a bit scarce on the weekends.

Easy hiking on multiple trails. Long or short walks on paved or non paved trails. With around 28 miles (I believe) of trails you can easily spend a full day exploring and catching a glimpse of wildlife including deer. Winding creeks throughout the park make for a very soothing and relaxing hike if thats what youre looking for. Its also a great place to go for a picnic in the middle of a busy work day with all the picnic tables in a quiet place. Located right near the airport, its a nice place to get relaxed before a flight thats sure to put you on edge. Its the last thing one would expect to find in such a busy area. A true gem!

This is an awesome park! Especially when you consider how close to Raleigh it is. You can easily go down a trail a mile or two and feel like youre 100 miles from the nearest city.Company Mill Trail is a personal favorite. Its not too hard, about 6 miles total if you do the whole loop, but you can go 1 mile in, until you get to the creek with the bridge and take a break and then head back if youre not up for the full 6 miles.I highly recommend hiking here!

Love to visit this park every time I am in the Raleigh area. Very nice trails .

I’ve been going to this park for several years. It’s like a wilderness oasis in the middle of the triangle. Considering it’s location the park is surprisingly large with 2 sizable lakes and miles of hiking and multi use trails. The multi use trails are used primarily by people with mountain bikes or cyclocross bikes. The hills are steep and abundant. If you like hills you’ll love Umstead. I hike and cycle Umstead often. Sometimes several times a week. I’m lucky in that I work about 5 minutes from the park so I spend a lot of lunch hours there hiking and having lunch. After a mid day hike in the woods I feel refreshed for the afternoon’s work. Umstead is a well loved and well used park.

Very nice trails and well maintained. Parking areas seem adequate even on busy days.Very convenient location for triangle residents to do some hiking here without having to get far from their residence.

Wonderful park - a ranger will be at the gate to ensure 1-in, 1-out on busy days to avoid overcrowding. Still, only about 1/5 of us had masks on/near our faces on the trails. Those mask-less folks sure are brave. The ranger, standing in the heat for an entire shift, could keep her mask on, but your family going on a stroll cant?

This was the first time visiting the park and it was worth the 2 hour drive. From the short to long trails and the lakes if you want to go and get outdoors you will not regret the trip

North Carolina State Parks never seem to disappoint and this one is no exception. What a fantastic park to take a hike out just get away all nestled between Raleigh and Durham. If it werent for entering the park via two busy highways youd never know how that close to the city. Never heard traffic once. So much to see you almost need 3 days to take it all in. The lakes, creeks and running streams make this an unbelievable place to visit.Took on a group of Boy Scouts on a 10 mile hike and they loved it. Plenty for them to get into between the creeks and woods they had a blast. Cant wait to go back.

Good place for walking and some picnic spots. Nice Small lake with bridge into it. Can take nice pictures from there. There is a little park area where some are playing and relaxing. The trails are okay and have wet patches on the way. Not clean. This park can be improved more so can attract more visitors as it is in nice location.

Awesome here. You can rake a boat and swim there.. you can meet a lot of different animals. Be carefully !!!

Love the area and the park! Great place if you want a hiking or biking trail. You have a chance to camp here or take a boat. You can even take a canoe or go kayaking. Highly recommend!

The Awesome receptionist had lots of helpful information and knew a lot about the park. Lots of park history info available, pictures, items to purchase to support the park. Highly recommend the visitor center and the park !

Love Umstead! Great trails and easily accessible to people living in Raleigh and surrounding areas. Ive done many solo walks, family walks, geocaching, and camping at Umstead and still have lots to explore. Always love walking by this gorgeous carved log on the multi use trail.

Love to see and feel the wilderness and get away from the regular lifestyle, this is the place, find a spot to relax, walk, hike all surrounded by nature.

If you come to Umstead right now, bring a mask, at least to cover your face when passing people. Sycamore Creek loop, for example, had at least 40 people on it before 10am, and its difficult to give people 6 ft distance when passing. Otherwise, always a lovely experience, one of the best trails in the Raleigh area.

Beautiful and well maintained State Park with campgrounds. No hookups. Short campers wil fit. Longer RVs will not fit. This park is free to visit.

Such a serene and relaxing spot for hammocking and great moderate hiking trails as well!

Great park. Absolutely fabulous. Enjoy

Such a Beautiful park. Ive only been coming here for a year now, but I absolutely LOVE it! It has so much to offer; several trails, lakes, creeks, and things Im sure I havent even discovered yet! I couldnt even count the amount of times I have visited this park. It is absolutely one of my top places to hike and look for critters! The plant life here is also very abundant! Every visit is a new adventure and I hope I never stop. My only complaint is it only stays open while the sun is still up! But I definitely recommend it to anyone and everybody!!

Very beautiful place. My boyfriend and I love to fish at big lake. Amazing trails, great for families, you can camp here, bring your horses, bring your dogs, bring your boat. Just a nice escape from the city.

Great for morning trails.. we loved sal branch trail!

Loved the place and the walk. Will definitely go again.

Awesome park in the heart of the Triangle that offers miles and miles of natural and bridle trails for hiking, trail running, biking and horseback riding. Overnight camping is available on the north end of the park (access from Glenwood Ave.)Umstead is the perfect park for getting away from urban life and returning to nature. Trails like Company Mill and Sycamore Loop Trail offer very technical terrain with considerable elevation change (for this area), making them great options for trail run training.

Some nice trails to walk

My wife and I have taken our dog on a few hikes throughout the trails here. Exceptionally beautiful and not overly crowded.

Very relaxing and therapeutic to be there early in the morning!!! Love my morning run at nature! No pain no gain

Very nice park! Went on a hike with some friends and got lost... However with the help of Annie and Ranger Billy we were able to get back to the car in less than 15 minutes.

Good trails all well kept with some great views

Amazing park! My family and I take the whole day to hike a small portion of the park.

One of the best parks around for hiking, camping and all around family fun!

No Google fiber hookups for my xbox. Laaaame.

A great park to take a stroll in if you live between Durham and Raleigh by the airport. Most of the trails are covered by trees, but still take some sunscreen with you during the summer. I havent come across too many mosquitoes, but spraying yourself before a stroll through the woods is a good idea.There really arent tall grass in the woods, so you can easily cut across if you need to take a shortcut. Not sure if you need to reserve shelters for picnics in advance, but they seemed to get filled by 9am on a nice Saturday morning. But there always has been ample amount of parking.The park is also very clean, so you wont find trash along the way.Because it is near the airport, you can hear the planes taking off and landing from time too time, but it isnt too bad.Overall, a nice park to take a stroll in if you live nearby.

The boat rental process is really simple and fun for an afternoon of paddling. The trail system is extensive and well marked. Its a great place for trail running! Parking is hectic on the weekends, so plan to get there early if you want to park inside the park.

Loved my experience here, will definitely come again soon.

Great for hiking and dog friendly!

Beautiful multi use park. Camping, hiking, horse trails, fishing, biking, grilling and picnicking! The trails are a little confusing but the ranger we met was most helpful. I will be back over and over to this gem.

1st time visit was absolutely wonderful! Being outside is my temple and Umstead was a fantastic temple..I recommend you walk from the visitor center to the lake sit and enjoy the sounds around you...it will clear and refocus your mind and help recharge your battery....Peace and Serenity.

Great place to enjoy by yourself or with your family. Swimming, boating, camping, hiking, biking, group gatherings, picnicking. Plenty to do and lots of fun. Park offers activities for children and adults. Lifes Short, Take a Hike

We go hike/walk the park several times a week; great trails and a nice little lake!

Nice wide trails, as if they knew wed someday have to socially distant from others.

I love Umstead park. Took the family there the other day and the kids had a blast. The visitor center is clean and well kept. They had a few coloring pages for the kids (free of charge), and plenty of maps are available for the hiking trails. Bathrooms were pretty clean, and water fountains actually worked.

We hiked a few trails, moderate and easy. Saw evidence of the two recency hurricanes storm damage (Florence and Michael) they have recovered nicely. Beautiful tall trees abound.

Great place for a hike.

The Central Park of Raleigh... amazing place to walk, hike, bike or just take pictures around

Those of us that live in the area are fortunate to have a state park so close by to urban areas. I run often in the park and sometimes fish. It is a great getaway, as the park is fairly large with numerous trails and lakes. The hills can be quite challenging, but its a good place to train for running. The turkey creek loop is challenging and scenic, and can be used for running, cycling, and horseback riding. I have camped here once, and it was a pleasant experience, just need to request a space in advance. There is a large downed tree on Graylyn trail that was beautifully carved by an artist, that is worth seeing.

Very well kept park. Lots of trails

Great trails for running and hiking. Opens for parking at 7am for automobiles. Parking can be found outside the park on Ebenezer Church Road for earlier trail running. Long and short trails to run. Scenic. Safe environment. You will see runners, bikers and horseback riders.

Great State Park to do some hiking at. Trails could be better marked with more signage and direction but the trails are very well shaded and great for kids, adults, and dogs. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a fun outdoor activity that also is a good source of exercise.

Perfect place to waste some time before a long flight. Near RDU there are many restaurants nearby that you can get a bag lunch and have picnic in the shade under the pines on k e of the many tables. Then take a leisurely walk along the trail down to the water.

Beautiful park. Well kept. Lots of shade. Lots of nature.

Some trails are gorgeous while others are swampy

This place is gorgeous, nice wooded are to bring the family or visitors.

One of the best place. Being a lover of nature, ive never seen such a beautiful place. This park has so much of beauty!!

Great place to visit, All green, nice lake. One of the best place to do landscape photography.

Great little state park. Occasionally there is wildlife. Overall very peaceful between airplanes flying overhead. We love hiking around. Plenty of trails. Also great place for kids and parties as there are lots of benches and tables and grills.

Beautiful nature area, great hiking trails, great place.

This park will take your breath away a must go to park, I truly loved it

Love this Park..I will be back..

A fine State Park with a good variety of activity opportunities. I have enjoyed a number of trails of differing lengths in spring, fall and winter, and have never come away disappointed. For a first visit, I would recommend the entrance on the US70 - Glenwood Avenue - rather than the other possibilities. The Visitor Center is a good first stop. But there is so much to go for! The only negative factor: the Park, at least in the more northerly parts, is never peaceful. RDU air traffic is the main cause of the noise. Dont let that stop you going, though!

Gorgeous place for fall hiking!

My dog had a good tome at the park.

This is an awesome park that I havent even explored a small fraction of. the only negative is that the service out there is really bad. which could be a positive as well because you really shouldnt be on your phone when out in nature.

Love it. Great for jogging. Relaxing and excellent trails.

We camped here. Easy to find. Nice lake to walk around and boat in if you have time. Humid and very shaded campground. Keep an eye out for frogs! Bathrooms could be a little more upkept. They have fire rings too.

Great place for picnics, walks, hikes, trail runs and great options for all distances and skill levels. Also, beautiful all around.

If you’re looking for a nice little hike, there’s a short trail here with educational information by a lot of the trees — tells you what they are, how they support the environment, and (sometimes) what humans use them for. Definitely a nice little detour just outside of Raleigh!

We enjoyed our Sunday evening

Its a little longer drive to get to the parking lot than at Harrison, but it is shady and beautiful along the roadway. We walked down to Big Lake and then took the 2.8 mile Sals Branch loop. Lots of elevation change and a nice, wide path. Not many other folks out on a Monday morning so it was pretty quiet, except when a jet was revving up for takeoff from RDU. You really dont hear that on the trails on the Harrison side. Regardless, this is a nice place to take a break from the summer heat!

Well maintained trail. Lots of locals and their pets. Trail hikers and runners and families all walking at the same time simply enjoying the nature and peaceful environment.

Great hiking trails and the Big Lake is beautiful. The Sals Branch Trail is a not difficult to hike and you can see the lake.

$26 a night, $20 if youre military or senior. Its a very scenic camping spot. The trees protect you from the full heat of the day. The visitor center is very quaint, with a small museum and options to rent a conoe for $7 and its $5 for a bundle of kindle-dried firewood. The fire pits there have grills installed in them and they keep the property clean. I would rate this place five stars, but you have airplanes taking off 24/7 over it.

Such a great place for a walk.

Emotional support dog or not cannot be off leash, Ranger Jessica phillips was not very nice and was not concerned about me. I treated her the same. Dogs cant be off leash even if its during the slow time because its a danger to snakes. Off leash dogs 35$ + fees 180$

I have visited this park a number of times. Most of the time it is busy. It was cleaner than my last visit.

The William B. Umstead State Park is a beautiful area of Raleigh! It is amazing for people who enjoy all types of outdoor recreation, from canoeing to hiking to just enjoying a day by the lake. Covering over 5,000 acres, Umstead State Park is a must see when visiting Raleigh.

I really enjoyed the various trails in this park. Ive lived in Raleigh all my life and I didnt know that this place existed until this past year when I went on a field trip with my class. I have been multiple times since. This is a great place to clear your mind and be one with nature.

Loved visiting this park. I went out on a canoe and it was very relaxing. The rate was reasonable compared to other places in the area. The Big Lake isnt big but it was nice. Cant wait to go back and visit the trails.

Just what we all need. A place for reflection and relaxation

Closest places to Raleigh to go hiking. Safe and easy, only worry is the humidity during the summer.

Great park with great many trails. Very convenient too.

Set back and relaxFishingHorse hikeHikingBoats

William B. Umstead State Park is something we are lucky to have amongst Raleigh and Cary. Love the peace and quiet out in the middle of nature. It is a very special place to enjoy the scenery.

Really loved this park. I definitely recommend renting a connu and take it for a trip in the pond. Had a great time with my friend. Its a great place to relax on a Saturday or Sunday morning.