Henry Anderson III Community Park
Park
54 acres1.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Elizabeth B. Thomsen Ethomsen · CC BY 2.5AOutdoors
Outdoors in Carrboro
Carrboro has 29 miles of mapped trails, 4.5 for every square mile of land
12% of Carrboro’s land is conserved, about 516 acres. The biggest trail networks: Henry Anderson III Community Park (1.7 mi), Adams Tract (0.8 mi). 88% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #8 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
516 acres · of 6.5 sq mi of land
Trails
29 mi
4.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
472 ac
22 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
24 mi
16 mi lanes · 6.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Carrboro?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Carrboro have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Carrboro is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #8 of 290 in North Carolina. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Carrboro’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical NC town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails4.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (29 mi) · NC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land22 acres of park per 1,000 residents (472 acres) · NC 8 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home88% of residents within a half mile of a park · NC 51% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 93%
LessMore
North Carolina towns of 2,500+ (290)Ahead of 98%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Henry Anderson III Community Park, with 1.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Adams Tract
Nature preserve
28 acres0.8 mi of trail
Red TrailYellow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Martin Luther King Jr. Park
Park
10 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 7 parks & preserves
Henry Anderson III Community Park54 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsAdams Tract28 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsMartin Luther King Jr. Park10 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsCharles Herman Wilson Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
The Commons9 acres
DirectionsUniversity Lake8 acres
Henry Baldwin Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
516 conserved acres
12% of Carrboro’s land. Who manages Carrboro’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land350 ac
Joint27 ac
Town or city3 ac
Private owners1 ac
Not recorded170 ac
State Conservation Area · 335 acLocal Recreation Area · 111 acLocal Other or Unknown · 38 acRecreation or Education Easement · 27 acState Other or Unknown · 16 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 16 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina North Forest State Conservation Area | Other state land | 335 | Open |
| Town of Carrboro Open Space - Anderson Community Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 55 | Open |
| Town of Carrboro Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 38 | Unknown |
| Town of Carrboro Open Space - Adams Tract Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 27 | Open |
| Smith Soccer Park State Recreation Area | Other state land | 16 | Open |
| Town of Carrboro Open Space - Martin Luther King Jr. Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 13 | Open |
| Town of Carrboro Open Space - Wilson Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 8 | Open |
| University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill - University Lake State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 8 | Unknown |
| NC Land and Water Fund Project State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 8 | Restricted |
| Triangle Land Conservancy Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 5 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
37 places to go in Carrboro
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Carrboro
John D. Boone PlaygroundIn Charles Herman Wilson Park
DirectionsSimpson Street Mini Park
DirectionsWinmore Pool Playground
DirectionsPlus 22 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Carrboro
4 dog parks without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Carrboro
5 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Carrboro
Carrboro Community GardenIn Henry Baldwin Park
DirectionsCarrboro Community Garden at MLK, Jr. ParkIn Martin Luther King Jr. Park · Carrboro Community Garden Coalition
DirectionsWinmore Community GardenFee · Winmore Community Association, Inc.
DirectionsTrails & water
19 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 20.3 miUnpaved · 28.2 mi
Occoneechee Loop3.0 mi
Lowlands Loop1.7 mi
Nature Observation Trail1.4 mi
OWASA Corridor1.3 mi
Tripp Farm1.1 mi
Maytag0.7 mi
Duke Energy Corridor0.7 mi
Red Trail0.6 mi
Lake Hogan Farm Greenway0.4 mi
Duke Power Easement0.4 mi
9 more trails
OWASA Easement
0.4 miNumber 5
0.3 miJedi Spur
0.2 miWinmore Bike Path
0.2 miThe Glade
0.2 miLegends Greenway
0.1 miOWASA Access
0.1 miHogan Lake Trail
0.1 miYellow Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
24 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
16 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
6.0 mi
off-road bike paths
2.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Hogan Lake TrailBike route
0.5 miCourts & fields
52Tennis
12Basketball
9Baseball
4Soccer
4Pickleball
3Football
3Beach volleyball
2Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Carrboro: April and May
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.0 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.6 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| High (°F) | 51 | 55 | 62 | 72 | 79 | 86 | 89 | 87 | 82 | 72 | 62 | 54 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 4.9 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Carrboro →
Next door
Carrboro and its neighbors
Carrboro has the second most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrboro | 12% | 4.5 | 22 | 88% | A |
| Chapel Hill | 12% | 3.6 | 20 | 91% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Carrboro
Where can I hike in Carrboro?
The longest trail networks: Henry Anderson III Community Park, 1.7 miles; Adams Tract, 0.8 miles; Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Carrboro is conserved land?
12% of its land, against a typical 3% for a North Carolina town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Carrboro’s trails?
Henry Anderson III Community Park and Adams Tract don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Carrboro?
24 miles of bike routes are on the map: 16 of painted or protected lanes, 6.0 of off-road paths and 2.5 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Hogan Lake Trail.
Is there public land near Carrboro?
10,665 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Carrboro or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 472 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Carrboro have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #8 of 290 in North Carolina. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Carrboro neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →