Battle Park
Park
90 acres2.8 mi of trail
OWASA AccessSourwood LoopRainy Day TrailBent Beech Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: (User:Wgreaves) · CC BY 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill has 78 miles of mapped trails, 3.6 for every square mile of land
12% of Chapel Hill’s land is conserved, about 1,671 acres. 91% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Battle Park (2.8 mi), Cedar Falls Park (2.6 mi), Coker Pinetum (1.4 mi).
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #9 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
1,671 acres · of 21.6 sq mi of land
Trails
78 mi
3.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,243 ac
20 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
91%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
56 mi
26 mi lanes · 21 mi paths
Highest peak
617 ft
Nunn Mountain
Lakes & rivers
8
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Chapel Hill?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Chapel Hill have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Chapel Hill is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #9 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 Chapel Hill’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical NC town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails3.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (78 mi) · NC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land20 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,243 acres) · NC 8 · U.S. 13BParks close to home91% of residents within a half mile of a park · NC 51% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 93%
LessMore
North Carolina towns of 2,500+ (290)Ahead of 97%
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 Battle Park, with 2.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cedar Falls Park
Park
74 acres2.6 mi of trail
Cedar Falls Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Coker Pinetum
Nature preserve
35 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Greendale Park
Park
15 acres1 mi of trail
Battle Branch Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Pritchard Park
Park
35 acres0.9 mi of trail
Library Loop
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
William L. Hunt Arboretum
Managed by NC Botanical Garden (UNC)
15 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Southern Community Park
Park
67 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
North Forest Hills Park
Park
9 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 24 parks & preserves
Battle Park90 acres · 2.8 mi of trail
DirectionsCedar Falls Park74 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
DirectionsCoker Pinetum35 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsGreendale Park15 acres · 1 mi of trail
Pritchard Park35 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
William L. Hunt Arboretum15 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · NC Botanical Garden (UNC)
Southern Community Park67 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsNorth Forest Hills Park9 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsUmstead Park24 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsEmily Braswell Perry Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Memorial Grove1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCommunity Center Park14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsEphesus Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHargraves Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJordan Game Land1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
DirectionsHomestead Park43 acres
DirectionsMason Farm Biological Reserve42 acres
DirectionsJones Park10 acres
McCorkle Place7 acres
DirectionsBooker Creek Basin Park5 acres
Polk Place4 acres
DirectionsMerritt's Pasture2 acres
Burlington Park2 acres
Westwood Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,671 conserved acres
12% of Chapel Hill’s land. Who manages Chapel Hill’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land565 ac
Town or city292 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits217 ac
Regional Water Districts28 ac
State conservation25 ac
Not recorded1,078 ac
Local Recreation Area · 500 acLocal Other or Unknown · 471 acState Conservation Area · 400 acState Other or Unknown · 260 acLocal Conservation Area · 171 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 37 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 19 of 63 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Chapel Hill Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 513 | Unknown |
| Carolina North Forest State Conservation Area | Other state land | 394 | Open |
| North Carolina Botanical Garden State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 94 | Unknown |
| University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill - Battle Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 91 | Unknown |
| Piedmont Nature Trails Local Recreation Area | Other state land | 84 | Open |
| Orange County Water and Sewer Authority Property Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 76 | Restricted |
| Town of Chapel Hill - Cedar Falls Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 67 | Open |
| Town of Chapel Hill - Southern Community Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 66 | Open |
| Meadowmont Park Local Park | Town or city | 66 | Open |
| Morgan Creek Trail Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 59 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
52 places to go in Chapel Hill
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Chapel Hill
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Chapel Hill
Hargraves PoolIn Hargraves Park
DirectionsKessing Outdoor Pool
DirectionsPlus 1 public pool without a name on the map.
Playgrounds in Chapel Hill
Oakwood Park PlaygroundIn Oakwood Park
DirectionsUmstead Park PlaygroundIn Umstead Park
Directions32 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Chapel Hill
Carraway Village Bark Park
DirectionsPlus 8 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Chapel Hill
Cedar Falls
DirectionsPeaks in Chapel Hill
Nunn Mountain617 ft elevation
DirectionsIron Mine Hill522 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Chapel Hill
Large Picnic Shelter at Southern Community ParkIn Southern Community Park
DirectionsSmall Picnic Shelter at Southern Community ParkIn Southern Community Park
DirectionsPlus 2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 35.4 miUnpaved · 71.4 mi
Crow Branch Overlook Loop3.4 mi
Wormhole3.3 mi
Pumpkin Loop2.1 mi
Neverland Outer Loop1.8 mi
Dry Creek Trail1.8 mi
Neverland Inner Loop1.8 mi
Cedar Falls Trail1.3 mi
Battle Branch Trail1.1 mi
The Vine1.0 mi
Sticks N' Stones Trail1.0 mi
15 more trails
Goat Hill
1.0 miFarmhouse Spur
0.9 miLibrary Loop
0.8 miQuail Hill Loop
0.7 miLittle Creek Trail
0.6 miOWASA Access
0.6 miShagbark Loop
0.5 miSourwood Loop
0.3 miLovers' Loop
0.3 miRainy Day Trail
0.3 miBent Beech Trail
0.3 miDeer Track Trail
0.2 miFan Branch Trail Community Extension
0.2 miCedar Top Trail
0.2 miOak Hickory Connector
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
56 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
26 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
21 mi
off-road bike paths
8.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
106Tennis
32Basketball
21Beach volleyball
20Soccer
19Golf
15Baseball
6Football
6Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →15 places on the National Register, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks
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.
Chapel Hill Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1971
About itChapel of the CrossBuilding · listed 1972
About itLeigh FarmBuilding · listed 1975
About itMeadowmontDistrict · listed 1985
About itRocky Ridge Farm Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1989
About itChapel Hill Town HallBuilding · listed 1990
About itGimghoul Neighborhood Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1993
About itOld Chapel Hill CemeteryDistrict · listed 1994
About itCarolina InnBuilding · listed 1999
About itBeta Theta Pi Fraternity HouseBuilding · listed 2005
About it3 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Chapel Hill: 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) | 52 | 55 | 63 | 73 | 80 | 87 | 90 | 88 | 82 | 73 | 62 | 54 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 4.9 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Chapel Hill →
Next door
Chapel Hill and its neighbors
Chapel Hill has the second most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Chapel Hill
Where can I hike in Chapel Hill?
The longest trail networks: Battle Park, 2.8 miles; Cedar Falls Park, 2.6 miles; Coker Pinetum, 1.4 miles; Greendale Park, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Chapel Hill 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 Chapel Hill’s trails?
Battle Park and Cedar Falls Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Chapel Hill?
56 miles of bike routes are on the map: 26 of painted or protected lanes, 21 of off-road paths and 8.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Chapel Hill?
14,405 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Chapel Hill or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,243 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Chapel Hill have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #9 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 Chapel Hill 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 →