Great little hidden gem. There isnt much parking and we had heavy rains this week so there were some slick/wet areas on the paths but its such a beautiful, peaceful setting. The enormous beech trees were really special. The stairway to heaven isnt marked very well but the views from the upper trail were great. LOTS OF STAIRS up though. We couldnt figure out if there was a way to loop around from the end of the upper trail to the greenway so we ended up coming back the way we came. My Fitbit says I climbed 20 flights of stairs.

Beautiful trails, peaceful walk by the creek.

Had such a great time walking here!! Not very much parking so keep that in mind but really nice spot to go for a walk.

Good hiking trails. But not much parking

Small but perfect getaway into nature. Hard not to enjoy the natural trails and magnificent beech trees.

Nice little set of trails along Swift Creek. They take you right by the creek as well as up on the bluffs that rise nearly 100 above the creek. Saw a dozen or more types of birds on my early winter hike here today. The round trip hike is less than 2 miles, but is a nice escape for some wild peace.

Easy 1.7 mile loop with one fairly steep part which has stairs. This is a great place to bring the kids and the dog for a 1 hour hike. The parking area on the eastern side has room for about seven cars and it is next to what smells like a sewage treatment plant (the only unpleasant part of the hike).

Nice quick hike thru nature.

Nice short trail, almost entirely shaded. Some river access for wading. LOTS of poison ivy right along the trail though.

Fairly easy trails, great for family hikes!

Great selection of plants for purchase. Many exotic hybrid plants. Some interesting landscaping to showcase their talents. Enjoyed the visit and will definitely be back in the spring when its better planting season.

Shhhh. Don’t tell anyone about this place.

Great place to hike! Very beautiful and great for hiking on a nice day.

For a stroll through the woods, this nature preserve is a great option. It’s not one of the better outdoor options in the triangle, but it is serene and very walkable! If you’re looking for a slight challenge, check out the Stairway to Heaven portion of the trail.

What a great little walk and creek!

Nice quick walk in a sliver of woods that parallels Swift Creek. The Stairway to Heaven is much appreciated.

Nice place to hike. Very hilly and lots of roots so not good for young children or if youre not used to hiking.

Very peaceful, quick timeout from a hard day

Nice little gem of a nature preserve. Overall hike was about 1.5 miles out and back.Trails are narrow and maintained. There are two trails in the preserve, yellow and blue. Yellow is the main trail that’ll take you up the bluffs to walk along the ridge line. I’d guess you climb about 60-100feet up the stairs. Moderate stair climb.Overall this is a good change of pace hiking area if you don’t want to go to Umstead, Bond Park or Hemlock Bluffs - both those places are nicer and better maintained. Swift Creek was quiet and I didn’t see another person.Small parking lot off Holly Springs Road. No bathroom and no trash cans.

Really cool hiking trail hidden just outside of Raleigh

This is a really pretty area. The trails were pretty tight, smaller than other places relatively close, like Hemlock Bluffs. Its a short trail, but I really liked it. The creek area is beautiful.

Beautiful breast pocket nature preserve

Great place we had never been before, but we will be back to explore all it has to offer

Make sure you walk to the end of the trail and meet this big old tree and the photogenic turtle.

Swift Creek Bluffs Nature Preserve is a nice place to take a walk in the woods, especially with your dog. Its only about 1.7 miles in total. While there is a section with a steep climb, steps are provided, and it is short. So, its not much of a hike. Still its better than walking around in your neighborhood.

Beautiful place to talk a walk and enjoy the creek and see wildflowers in the spring.

Best place to walk in this heat!

Great place to hike...some strenuous sections

Beautiful area, trail directions are confusing

Great place for a walk.

Amazing hidden gem rescued by the great efforts of the triangle land conservancy. High species diversity. Could be a short hike or a rigorous climb up stairs through a significant American Beech forest.

Great area for short hikes. There are two main trails summing a total length of approximately 1 miles. Very interesting landscape similar to hemlock bluffs. Beautiful mature beech trails and a small scattering of hemlocks, which are uncommon to this area.Unfortunately, we ran into a couple irresponsible dog owners who felt they were exempt from leash laws. I imagine loose pets are common to this area because 1) there is no rule enforcement and 2) there isnt much foot traffic.

Good hiking good view of Swift Creek

A spring beauty place

This short jaunt is seldomly busy and always enjoyable. STEEP inclines.

The trail is definitely a good short challenge.

Swift Creek Bluffs is a small nature preserve owned by Triangle Land Conservancy in Cary off Holly Springs Road. The preserve protects steep bluffs towering over Swift Creek that is home to species typically found out in the mountains. About 1.5 miles of hiking trails lead along the floodplain of Swift Creek and up the Stairway to Heaven past ancient beech trees to the top of the bluff. This is a really great place to see spring wildflowers and a great little natural oasis amidst the subdivisions and golf courses of Cary.

Beutifal trail and creek

Great, well maintained

Lower trails needed some fallen tree clearing. The stairs up the bluff is a nice view and aerobic climb.

Nice park to get away from the loud noises of day to day life but it could certainly use some major upkeep. The trails are very difficult to see and at one point we did get lost. Dogs are welcome but unfortunately, there were no garbage bins anywhere on the path that we could find which left us carting a bag full of poop for the entire walk. Finally, MOSQUITOES! You have been warned. If we stopped to snap a photo, we were instantly infested. My husband and I covered ourselves in bug spray and wore layers and still got roughly 12 bites. This is in late September so I can only imagine the middle of summer.

Beautiful walking trails. The panning lot is very small, but it is rarely full. I would consider this a hidden gem that most people usually drive right past!

A nice place to take a walk in the woods and get away for a bit. The creek is pretty large and our dogs really enjoyed romping around in it. Mosquitoes are BRUTAL when summer hits

Full of poison ivy and giant mosquitoes. There is more poison ivy and poison oak along the trail than other plants.

Love this little trail! It has very scenic paths along a creek and then a staircase of steps up an impressive hill. The whole thing is only like a mile, but it connects up with a longer Trail

Nice trails, some very steep hills. Parking is next to a wastewater pump station, so there is sometimes an odor..

Nice and quiet. Very beautiful and a nice hike.

Low maintenance trails with some elevation

Bluffs and old growth beech trees (plus others, including elms) along a shining stream. One trail was blocked by fallen trunks, but most trails were free and clear. The stairway to heaven trail was enticing.

Didnt go in far into the trail since I was with my best friend and her 4yr old son. There was 2 known others in the woods, but they left by the time we got back. Its quite and looks like it would be beautiful in the spring and summer.. but in the winter its all dead and does have that creep factor. I would definitely come back here next time Im in NC during the nicer seasons.. but yeah, definitely go with another person or group, dont bring the young children. It does need maintenance work as some of the trail was fading because of the leaves on top of the trail.

Beautiful area with great walking trails. Plenty of little critters if you are looking for salamanders and bugs.

Fun little hike next to a beautiful creek. If you take the big stairs to the south it connects to Lochmere Golf Club.

Beautiful place, wish there was a way to get back to the parking lot without doubling back over the trail.

Nice place to take a nature walk.

Cool little nature preserve. Interesting flora, fauna, and geology for the area.

One of my favorite places to hike.

I am not very adventurous plus I walk alone. This place kinda creeped me out. The trails are confusing, there was a bunch of trees down in the main (?) path blocking me from going all the way around, and I twisted my ankle twice on tree roots. It is probably a great place for hikers but not really designed for mall walkers like myself. Just be prepared for a true nature walking trail!

Beautiful views, nice trail

Perfect place to connect with nature. Peaceful and a nice Oasis.

Pretty peaceful. You can hear traffic noises during rush hour time.

Beautiful place buuuuuuut I saw black bear tracks so theres that

Some great hikes and views, and cool shade in summer. Nothing extremely challenging, just a welcome respite from city life, with sighing trees and cool shade

Had a great time, Nice trail and sight. Will be visiting again soon.

Needs maintenance but the natural area is very cool.

Nice main trail with a good climb that is well worth it!

This is a nice trail, gets a little muddy after a rain.

Nice for a walk on a warm day.

Love it. So did my dog.

Incredible spring wildflowers

Well maintained trail.

Go up the bluffs - its worth the hike!

Lots of hills! Come prepared for a workout.

Nice walk, amazing big sycamores.

Like being deep in the forest, quiet and tranquil

Peaceful

Very quite

Dry paths along the creek.

Parking was tricky