William B. Umstead State Park
Rating
Price
Free
Duration
2 to 4 hours for a hike plus a picnic, or a full day if you add boating at Big Lake
Best Ages
All ages, with infants riding in a carrier, toddlers doing the short loops near the picnic areas, and kids 7 and up able to handle the longer creek trails
About
Umstead is the 5,600-acre block of forest sitting between Raleigh, Durham, and RDU airport, and it is the single best free thing families can do outdoors in the Triangle. There is no entrance fee and no parking fee. You can spend an entire Saturday here and pay for nothing but gas and the sandwiches you packed.
Start by picking the right entrance, because this trips up more families than anything else. The park has two sections that are not connected by a short drive. The Reedy Creek section is entered from Harrison Avenue in Cary and is the side with the wide gravel multi-use trail that bikes and jogging strollers can actually handle.
If half the family is meeting the other half, name the section out loud.
With more than 20 miles of hiking trail, the honest move is matching the trail to the youngest set of legs in your group. Sal's Branch Trail leaves from the visitor center and is a manageable loop for kids who hike regularly. Potts Branch near the picnic area is shorter and gentler and works well for preschoolers.
Company Mill and Sycamore are the longer, hillier loops, and Company Mill in particular is a favorite with older kids because it crosses Crabtree Creek on a wooden bridge and runs past the ruins of an old mill site. That is a multi-hour commitment though, so know what you are signing up for with a six-year-old.
Big Lake is the other draw. It has a dam and boathouse built by Depression-era work crews, and rowboat and canoe rentals run on a seasonal, limited-days basis, so confirm with the park before you plan the day around getting on the water. Swimming is not permitted anywhere in the park, which is worth telling kids before you arrive rather than at the shoreline.
Fishing is allowed with the appropriate North Carolina license.
A few realities: this is an entirely outdoor park with no rainy-day fallback, it closes at sunset with hours that shift by season, cell service drops in the creek bottoms, and midsummer afternoons in the low areas are humid and buggy. It is also directly under the approach path for RDU, so planes pass low overhead. Most kids consider that a feature.
Ask at the visitor center about junior ranger materials and ranger-led programs, which cost nothing and give a hike some structure. For current hours, trail closures, boat rental season, and program schedules, check the North Carolina State Parks page for the park.
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 any time of year, or weekend mornings before about 10 if you want a parking spot at the Crabtree Creek entrance. October and April are the two best months here, and midsummer afternoons are humid and buggy in the creek bottoms.
Wait Times
No line to enter. The real bottleneck is parking, and the lots near the visitor center and Big Lake fill up midday on nice weekends.
Nearby Food
There is no food service inside the park, so pack in whatever you plan to eat and use the picnic areas and shelters. Once you leave the Crabtree Creek entrance, Glenwood Avenue and the Brier Creek area a few minutes north carry a heavy concentration of restaurants, from fast casual to sit-down. Relish Craft Kitchen & Bourbon Bar is the closest restaurant in our directory. If you exit the Reedy Creek side instead, you come out near Cary and the Harrison Avenue corridor. Check hours before counting on any specific place.
Why Kids Love It
This is 5,600 acres of woods where kids are allowed to do the things they usually get told not to do: rock-hop a creek, poke around old mill ruins, climb over roots, throw sticks in the water. The Company Mill Trail crosses Crabtree Creek on a wooden bridge and passes the remains of an old sawmill site, which turns a hike into a treasure hunt for anyone over about six. And planes on final approach into RDU pass low overhead, which is either an annoyance or the best part of the day depending on how old your kid is.
Pro Tips from Parents
- There are two separate entrances and they are not close to each other by car. Agree on which one before the family splits into two vehicles.
- For strollers and balance bikes, use the Reedy Creek Multi-Use Trail, which is wide packed gravel. The hiking trails are roots, rocks, and stairs, and a stroller becomes a wheelbarrow within ten minutes.
- Match the trail to the legs you brought. Sal's Branch is a shorter loop from the visitor center, Potts Branch near the picnic area is easier still, and Company Mill and Sycamore are multi-hour hikes that will break a five-year-old.
- Swimming is not allowed in Big Lake. Bring water shoes for creek wading on the trails instead, and set that expectation with kids before you arrive.
- The park closes at sunset and hours shift with the season. Check the North Carolina State Parks page for the current closing time so you are not hustling back to the car in the dark.
- Cell service is spotty in the creek bottoms. Screenshot the trail map at the visitor center or grab a paper one before heading out.
What to Bring
- More water than you think, since there are long stretches between fountains
- Closed-toe shoes with grip for everyone, because the trails have roots, rocks, and creek crossings
- A packed picnic and a trash bag, since you carry out what you carry in
- Bug spray from May through September, especially for the creek bottom trails
- A carrier rather than a stroller if you have a baby and plan to hike
- A change of shoes and socks in the car, because kids and creeks find each other
- A paper or screenshotted trail map, since service drops in the low areas
Cost Info
Free Admission
Estimated Cost (Family of 4)
Admission and parking are free, so a hike plus a packed picnic costs a family of four exactly nothing.
The only on-site spending is seasonal boat rental at Big Lake, which is priced by the boat by the hour and runs a limited season and limited days, so confirm availability and current rates with the park before you build the day around it.
Everything else, gas and the food you bring, is on you.
Tips to Save
- This is one of the free things to do between Raleigh and Durham, so treat it as the anchor of a cheap Saturday and spend nothing else.
- Pack a cooler and use the picnic areas rather than driving out to eat.
- Ask at the visitor center about the North Carolina State Parks junior ranger program and any ranger-led walks, which cost nothing and give kids a reason to pay attention.
- If you want to boat, check which days and season Big Lake rentals actually run before you drive out, since an unplanned trip on a closed day means paying for nothing.
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Contact
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