NC is home to many different types of environments, from the beach to the mountains and lots of things in between and with the weather cooling down it is the perfect opportunity to explore those places. Pictured is Umstead State park, which has lots of beautiful trails to hike on. (Photo given by permission of William B. Umstead park instagram)
As summer is turning into fall and as the weather starts to cool down, it is the perfect time to go outside and enjoy nature.
One great activity that you can do is hiking at William B. Umstead State Park. There are over 20 miles of beautiful and scenic hiking trails at Umstead.
You can also bike at Umstead where there are over 13 miles of multi-use trails. Umstead is a popular place for people to visit. In 2017, there were 1.84 million visitors. If you want to camp there are also campgrounds at Umstead that you can use, but you need to reserve them.
Another great activity to do outside is fishing. There are tons of ponds and lakes all over NC that are great for fishing, including a lake at Umstead, Lake Johnson, and Shelly Lake..
There are also plenty of little lakes for fishing and walking or running around including Lake Lynn and Lake Johnson. Both lakes are surrounded by pavement for runners, walkers and bike riders to use. Lake Johnson also has a nice bridge that goes over the lake that is a great spot for fishing.
There is also the Capital Area Greenway that has over 100 miles of trails in Raleigh and surrounding towns. A very popular trail on the Greenway is a 27.5 mile trail along the Neuse River that is great for running, walking, or bike riding. The Neuse River is also a great place to go for a swim or relax and tube down the lake.
Some great places to walk is the American Tobacco District in downtown Durham and downtown Raleigh. Both of those places also have great shops to go in if the outdoors isn’t exactly what you want to do.
Running, walking, biking, or just getting outside in general is great for your physical and mental health and there are plenty of places all throughout NC and also just in the Raleigh/Durham area to go outside and do some of those activities.
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