Durant Nature Preserve
Rating
Price
Free
Duration
1.5-3 hours
Best Ages
2-11 years
About
Durant Nature Preserve is 237 acres in north Raleigh near I-540 and US-1, and it is the park local families reach for when they want a real outdoor morning without paying for anything or driving out of town. The city designated it a nature preserve in 2010 to protect the land and support environmental education, and the result is a place that feels considerably wilder than a neighborhood park while still having the amenities that make a visit with young kids workable.
The layout is the key thing to understand. Both have parking, and knowing about the second one is useful on a gorgeous Saturday when the first lot fills by eleven.
There are about five miles of trails woven through the property, and they scale to different kids. The Secret Creek Trail is short enough that a four-year-old finishes it feeling accomplished. The 2.5-mile Border Loop Trail is a legitimate hike for a nine-year-old who has been asking to do something harder.
Mountain bikers use portions of the network, so keep smaller kids to one side on shared sections. The trails run mostly through shade, which is what makes this park survivable in a Raleigh July when open playgrounds are unusable by ten in the morning.
Two lakes anchor the property. Fishing is permitted from the fishing docks only, and it is prohibited at the upper lake, which has no docks or piers. That rule is easier to enforce if you tell kids before you arrive rather than after they have unspooled a line in the wrong place.
A playground sits near the 12-acre lake, and there is a sensory and nature play garden that tends to be the highlight for toddlers who would rather dig and touch than climb. Add restrooms, picnic sites, shelters, and drinking water, and the practical bases are covered.
Admission and parking are free, and hours run sunrise to sunset daily. The only money involved is optional, in the form of registered nature programs and the summer day camps that Raleigh Parks and Recreation runs here, which fill fast when registration opens. Strollers work near the parking areas and playground but fight you on the root-heavy dirt trails, so bring a carrier for babies.
Check raleighnc.gov for current program schedules, trail closures, and facility details before you go.
Age Suitability
Parent Logistics
Stroller-Friendly
Limited
Nursing / Changing
Unknown
Kid Meals
N/A
Setting
Outdoor
Rainy Day
Not ideal
Plan Your Visit
Best Time to Visit
Weekday mornings, or right after opening on a weekend. The north entrance lot on Camp Durant Road fills by late morning on beautiful spring and fall Saturdays. Fall color around the lakes and spring wildflowers are the two peak windows, and the trails stay comfortable in summer because most of the mileage is shaded.
Wait Times
No tickets and no lines. The only real wait is for a parking spot at the north entrance on a nice weekend late morning, which can mean circling for five or ten minutes. The south entrance on Spottswood Street is the usual pressure valve.
Nearby Food
There is no food service inside the preserve, so pack a picnic and use the picnic sites and shelters. When you want a meal, drive back toward the Falls of Neuse Road corridor in north Raleigh, which is the closest cluster of family restaurants, coffee shops, and grocery stores. Relish Craft Kitchen & Bourbon Bar is the nearest sit-down option in our directory. Nothing is within walking distance of either park entrance, so fill water bottles and load the cooler before you turn onto Camp Durant Road.
Why Kids Love It
Two hundred and thirty-seven acres with two lakes means kids get actual variety instead of one loop around a field. There are around five miles of trails, from the shorter Secret Creek Trail that a four-year-old can finish to the 2.5-mile Border Loop for kids who want a real hike. Fishing docks give big kids a reason to sit still, the playgrounds handle the little ones, and the sensory and nature play garden is the sleeper hit for toddlers who want to touch and dig rather than climb.
Pro Tips from Parents
- There are two entrances and they are not interchangeable. The north entrance on Camp Durant Road, off Durant Road, is the one attached to this address. The south entrance is on Spottswood Street off Gresham Lake Road. Decide which you want before you navigate, and use the south entrance when the north lot is full on a nice Saturday.
- Fishing is allowed from the fishing docks only, and fishing is prohibited at the upper lake, which has no docks or piers. Tell kids this before you get there so nobody sets up in the wrong spot.
- The Secret Creek Trail is the right pick with preschoolers. Save the 2.5-mile Border Loop Trail for kids who reliably walk a couple of miles without needing to be carried.
- The sensory and nature play garden is worth seeking out with toddlers and is often quieter than the main playground.
- The park is open sunrise to sunset with no gate fee, but there is no lighting, so build in enough daylight to walk back out from wherever your trail takes you.
- Mountain bikers use some of these trails, so keep small kids to the right on shared sections.
What to Bring
- A picnic lunch and refillable water bottles, since there is no food service
- Bug spray and sunscreen, particularly for the lake edges in summer
- Closed-toe shoes with grip for root-heavy dirt trails
- A baby carrier rather than a stroller if you plan to hike a full loop
- Fishing gear and any required North Carolina license for older kids
- A change of clothes and a towel in the car, because kids and lake mud find each other
- A trail map screenshot from raleighnc.gov, since the trail network is larger than it looks
Cost Info
Free Admission
Estimated Cost (Family of 4)
Zero.
Admission and parking are both free at this City of Raleigh preserve, and the trails, playgrounds, nature play garden, fishing docks, and picnic areas cost nothing to use.
The only spending here is optional: registered nature programs and summer day camps run by Raleigh Parks and Recreation carry fees, and older kids fishing may need a North Carolina license.
Check raleighnc.
gov for current program fees.
Tips to Save
- This is a free half-day, which makes it among the value outings in north Raleigh.
- Pack a picnic and use the picnic shelters instead of stopping for lunch on the way home, since the nearest restaurants are back on Falls of Neuse Road.
- Watch the Raleigh Parks and Recreation program calendar for low-cost naturalist programs and check registration dates early for Durant summer camps, which fill quickly.
- Bring your own fishing gear rather than buying anything, and confirm North Carolina license requirements for anyone old enough to need one.
- If you also want a splash pad or a pool day, pair Durant with a nearby city facility rather than driving across town twice.
Hours & Contact
Contact
Have a Question?
Frequently Asked Questions
Tickets & Booking
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