Hiking in and around Durham

The Triangle area has many opportunities for hiking, no matter what your pace.

Local Greenways There are over 15 miles of paved greenways throughout the City of Durham, including the popular American Tobacco Trail. This urban trail system links a series of City parks and amenities, and provides a recreational and commuter opportunity for many Durham citizens. To learn more about our greenway trail plans and local "Adopt a Trail" program, visit the City of Durham's Department of Parks & Recreation website. Natural Trails Durham boasts several wonderful parks with natural-surfaced trails for hiking and running. These include: Little River Park and Natural Area West Point on the Eno Duke Forest American Tobacco Trail Dog Parks Dog owners represent a large segment of the Durham community. And while regular leash walks provide a level of exercise that promotes good dog health, access to open space for off-leash play and socialization is equally important. The Durham Dogapalooza Parks are multifunctional facilities designed to offer a safe and controlled environment for dogs and their owners. The Durham Dog Park is located in Piney Wood Park, and consists of 4 separate fenced-in areas! Piney Wood Park is located at the intersection of Woodcroft Parkway and Woodlake Drive. The park consists of more than 3 acres of land.

Other Triangle Trails & Greenways
The Town of Chapel Hill has a robust system of paved trails for use by pedestrians, joggers, rollerbladers and bicyclists.

The Town of Cary has been awarded by the League of American Bicyclists with a “Bicycle Friendly Community Award,”thanks in part to their existing system of off-road, multi-use trails and greenways.

The Research Triangle Park has a dense network of paved trails throughout the business campus. Click here for a map of all RTP trails.

The City of Raleigh boasts a growing system of trails, including segments of the American Tobacco Trail and a new greenway on the NC Museum of Art campus.

State Parks & Day Trips
In addition to these City parks, there are a number of State Parks in the area with great hiking, camping, boating and other facilities. For more information, click on each of the park titles below:
Eno River State Park
Falls Lake
Jordan Lake
William B. Umstead Park

Other Ideas
Tour the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, 55 acres of natural beauty located on Duke University’s West Campus.

Visit the NC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill to tour their collections of plants representing approximately 4,700 species of plants native and naturalized in North and South Carolina, as well as herbs and horticultural plants from all over the world.

Check out the North Carolina Department of Tourism website for information on recreational trails and hiking opportunities throughout the state.

Get Involved
Triangle Greenways Council is a non-profit advocacy group for the promotion of trails and greenways in the Triangle. The Board of the Triangle Greenways Council meets every fourth Monday at the offices of The Healing Place, near the NC State Farmers Market in southern Raleigh at 7:00pm. All are welcome.

The Triangle Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (TRTC) is a state chartered non-profit organization, founded in 1989. Its purpose is to work with local and state government officials to preserve local abandoned railroad corridors for future transportation and other interim uses such as recreational trails. The group’s most ambitious current project is the American Tobacco Trail, a 30-mile trail from Durham to Wake County. The group is also working on the acquisition of the Timberlake rail corridor through northern Durham, which will connect Durham to the national East Coast Greenway Trail from Maine to Florida.

Visit a Durham Open Space & Trails Commission meeting on the third Wednesday of any month. Meetings are held from 7:00-9:00pm in the 2nd floor Committee Room of Durham City Hall. The public is welcome

Thanks to Jeremy Raw and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization for their assistance with this site.
Site designed by: Phillip Barron