Bond Park
Park
284 acres5.7 mi of trail
Lake TrailPine Cone TrailPaw Paw Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Carpenter Historic District · Photo: KimWrenn · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Cary
9% of Cary’s land is conserved: 3,667 acres
The biggest trail networks: Bond Park (5.7 mi), WakeMed Soccer Park (1.9 mi), Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve (1.7 mi). 90% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 46 miles of mapped trail cross Cary, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #22 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
3,667 acres · of 61.1 sq mi of land
Trails
46 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,384 ac
19 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
90%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
166 mi
32 mi lanes · 109 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
16
1 beach · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Cary?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Cary have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Cary is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #22 of 290 in North Carolina. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Cary’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical NC town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (46 mi) · NC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land19 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,384 acres) · NC 8 · U.S. 13BParks close to home90% 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 83%
LessMore
North Carolina towns of 2,500+ (290)Ahead of 93%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Cary ranks #160 on Outdoors.
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 Bond Park, with 5.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
136 acres1.7 mi of trail
Chestnut Oak Loop TrailSwift Creek Loop TrailBeach Tree Cove Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Swift Creek Bluffs Nature Preserve
Managed by Triangle Land Conservancy
23 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail signWebsite ↗
Crabtree Creek Mitigation Project
Managed by Wake County
464 acres0.8 mi of trail
Lake Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Thomas Brooks Park
Park
244 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Middle Creek School Park
Park
115 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 68 parks & preserves
Bond Park284 acres · 5.7 mi of trail
DirectionsWakeMed Soccer Park151 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
DirectionsHemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve136 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsWalnut Street Park13 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSwift Creek Bluffs Nature Preserve23 acres · 1 mi of trail · Triangle Land Conservancy
DirectionsCrabtree Creek Mitigation Project464 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Wake County
DirectionsThomas Brooks Park244 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsMiddle Creek School Park115 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsDavis Drive Park17 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsPenny Road Elementary School Park30 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsKildaire Park18 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsKoka Booth Amphitheatre14 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsMcCrimmon Park24 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Town Of Cary
DirectionsCarpenter Fire Station Road Park21 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City Of Cary
DirectionsMarla Dorrel Park16 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsJack Smith Park46 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Cary
Green Hope Elementary Park14 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsDowntown Cary Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Cary
DirectionsHarold D Ritter Park33 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsNorth Cary Park29 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMacdonald Woods Park14 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Stevens Nature Center6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsPlanned Park112 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWilliam B. Umstead State Park74 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsCary Tennis Park24 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Cary
DirectionsCarpenter Park16 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSears Farm Road Park13 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsEd Yerha Park12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAnnie L Jones Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsKettleBridge Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
White Oak Creek Greenway164 acres
DirectionsMills School Park105 acres
DirectionsFuture Kit Creek Park59 acres
Diavolo at New Hope Disc Golf48 acres
DirectionsSymphony Lake37 acres
DirectionsCedar Fork District Park31 acres
DirectionsHinshaw Greenway25 acres
DirectionsSpeight Branch Park23 acres
DirectionsRobert V. Godbold Park21 acres
DirectionsAmerican Tobacco Trail18 acres
DirectionsSpeight Branch Greenway16 acres
Prestonwood Soccer Complex15 acres
DirectionsTarbert Gatehouse Trail13 acres
New Hope Church Road Traihead Park12 acres
DirectionsLions Park7 acres
DirectionsKids Together Park7 acres
DirectionsMorrisville Community Park6 acres
DirectionsR. S. Dunham Park6 acres · Town of Cary
DirectionsPirates Cove Greenway4 acres
Veterans Freedom Park3 acres
DirectionsLexie Lane Park3 acres · Town of Cary
DirectionsAnnie Jones Park2 acres
DirectionsHeater Park2 acres
Urban Park2 acres
DirectionsDorothy Park2 acres
DirectionsJordan Game Land1 acres · North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Lake Crabtree County Park1 acres
DirectionsLochmere Lake Park1 acres · Lochmere HOA
DirectionsStonewater Clubhouse Playground1 acres
DirectionsBattery Hill Park1 acres
Old Library Park1 acres
DirectionsWeldon Ridge Common Area1 acres
Mullis Park1 acres
Hyde Park1 acres
Kay Struffolino Park1 acres
DirectionsRose Street Park1 acres
DirectionsMarq at Weston Courtyard and Meeting Area1 acres
DirectionsJamestowne Park1 acres
Who protects it
3,667 conserved acres
9% of Cary’s land. Who manages Cary’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city331 ac
County197 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits91 ac
State conservation64 ac
State natural resources1 ac
Not recorded3,577 ac
Local Recreation Area · 3,056 acLocal Park · 330 acState Other or Unknown · 242 acState Park · 173 acLocal Other or Unknown · 163 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 73 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 44 of 137 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake County Open Space - Crabtree Creek Mitigation Project Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 930 | Open |
| Town of Cary Open Space - Future Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 318 | Open |
| Town of Cary Open Space - Fred G. Bond Metro Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 289 | Open |
| Town of Cary Open Space - Tom Brooks Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 244 | Open |
| Wakemed Soccer Park Local Park | Town or city | 160 | Open |
| American Tobacco Trail Park Local Park | County | 139 | Open |
| NC Land and Water Fund Conservation Agreement State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 135 | Restricted |
| Wake County Open Space - Middle Creek Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 127 | Open |
| Town of Cary Open Space Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 118 | Open |
| Wake County/Town of Cary Open Space - OS-017 Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 112 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
202 places to go in Cary
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Cary
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Cary
AXIS Community Pool
DirectionsBexley Pool
DirectionsGregory South Pool
DirectionsMarq at Weston Swimming Pool
DirectionsRiggsbee Farm HOA - baby pool
DirectionsSAS Building Gn
DirectionsPlus 2 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Cary
Amberly Glen Neighbourhood Playground
DirectionsAmberly Glen Playground
DirectionsBexley Playground
DirectionsCopperleaf Community Playground
DirectionsCornerstone Play Area
DirectionsFryars Gate Playground
DirectionsKids Together PlaygroundIn Marla Dorrel Park
DirectionsKraft Family YMCA Playground
Directions12 more playgrounds
Lazy Daze PlaygroundIn Bond Park
DirectionsOver The Moon Play Space
DirectionsPark Village Playground
DirectionsPlayground - Park at Langston
DirectionsSpraygroundIn Downtown Cary Park
DirectionsThe NestIn Downtown Cary Park
DirectionsThe Nest Splash PadIn Downtown Cary Park
DirectionsTot Lot
DirectionsTwin Lakes Playground
DirectionsTwin Lakes Swings
DirectionsUrban ParkIn Urban Park
DirectionsWest Park Playground
Directions137 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Cary
Barkyard: Biggies
DirectionsBarkyard: SmallsFee
DirectionsLarge/Medium Dog AreaIn Jack Smith Park
DirectionsSmall Dog AreaIn Jack Smith Park
DirectionsPlus 25 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Cary
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Cary
Beach Tree Cove OverlookIn Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve
DirectionsEast Hemlock Bluffs OverlookIn Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve
DirectionsWest Hemlock Bluff OverlookIn Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve
DirectionsPlus 6 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Cary
7 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Cary
Disc Golf CourseHours: Open 24 hours
DirectionsMiddle Creek Disc Golf CourseHours: sunrise-sunset · In Middle Creek School Park
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Cary
Carpenter Community GardenIn Carpenter Park · Town of Cary
DirectionsCary Senior Center Community GardenIn Bond Park
DirectionsPlus 1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
18 named trails and 16 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 9.7 miUnpaved · 28.8 mi
Regency Trails3.5 mi
Lake Trail2.9 mi
Kildaire Farms Trail2.3 mi
Sludge1.8 mi
Regency Creek Trail1.4 mi
Chestnut Oak Loop Trail1.0 mi
Hubcap Trail0.8 mi
Oxxford Hunt Greenway0.7 mi
Transformers Loop0.6 mi
Swift Creek Loop Trail0.5 mi
8 more trails
Pine Cone Trail
0.5 miPaw Paw Trail
0.5 miFarmington Woods Trail
0.5 miCary Tennis Park Trail
0.3 miBeach Tree Cove Trail
0.2 miJ-Line
0.1 miSkywalk
0.1 miSymphony Lake Greenway
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
166 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
32 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
109 mi
off-road bike paths
25 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
162Tennis
49Baseball
48Soccer
32Basketball
12Pickleball
11Football
10Beach volleyball
7Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Page-Walker HotelBuilding · listed 1979
About itNancy Jones HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itCarpenter Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2000
About itGreen Level Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2001
About itCary Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2001
About itUtley-Council HouseBuilding · listed 2002
About itIvey-Ellington HouseBuilding · listed 2008
About itLiberty Warehouse Nos. 1 and 2Building · listed 2008
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Cary: 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 | 14.0 | 14.6 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| High (°F) | 52 | 55 | 63 | 72 | 79 | 86 | 90 | 88 | 82 | 73 | 62 | 55 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.0 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 5.0 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Cary →
Next door
Cary and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cary | 9% | 0.7 | 19 | 90% | A− |
| Morrisville | 4% | 0.2 | 7 | 91% | B− |
| Raleigh | 16% | 0.7 | 21 | 91% | A |
| Apex | 4% | 0.2 | 11 | 83% | B− |
| Durham | 9% | 0.7 | 7 | 66% | B |
| Holly Springs | 10% | 0.6 | 27 | 87% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Cary
Where can I hike in Cary?
The longest trail networks: Bond Park, 5.7 miles; WakeMed Soccer Park, 1.9 miles; Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve, 1.7 miles; Walnut Street Park, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Cary is conserved land?
9% 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 Cary’s trails?
Bond Park and WakeMed Soccer Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Cary?
166 miles of bike routes are on the map: 32 of painted or protected lanes, 109 of off-road paths and 25 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Cary?
40,104 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cary or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,384 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Cary have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #22 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 Cary 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 →