Historic Occoneechee Speedway
Park
51 acres2.5 mi of trail
Speedway TraceHistoric Occoneechee Speedway TrailBig BendWolf Tree Trace+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Leah Rucker · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Hillsborough
Hillsborough has 5.7 miles of mapped trails, 1.0 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Historic Occoneechee Speedway (2.5 mi). 88% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4% of Hillsborough’s land is conserved, about 153 acres.
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns · #35 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
153 acres · of 5.8 sq mi of land
Trails
5.7 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
132 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.3 mi
2.0 mi lanes · 4.4 mi paths
Highest peak
732 ft
Poplar Ridge
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Hillsborough?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hillsborough have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hillsborough is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns, #35 of 290 in North Carolina. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hillsborough’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical NC town 3% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · NC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (132 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 74%
LessMore
North Carolina towns of 2,500+ (290)Ahead of 88%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to 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 Historic Occoneechee Speedway, with 2.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cates Creek Park
Managed by Town of Hillsborough
16 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 7 parks & preserves
Historic Occoneechee Speedway51 acres · 2.5 mi of trail
DirectionsCates Creek Park16 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Town of Hillsborough
DirectionsEno River State Park95 acres
DirectionsGold Park21 acres
DirectionsRiver Park8 acres
DirectionsOccaneechi Village Replica Site1 acres
DirectionsTurnip Patch Park1 acres
Who protects it
153 conserved acres
4% of Hillsborough’s land. Who manages Hillsborough’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources6 ac
County6 ac
Town or city3 ac
State conservation2 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1 ac
Not recorded140 ac
Local Recreation Area · 42 acState Other or Unknown · 42 acLocal Other or Unknown · 30 acState Park · 16 acPrivate Conservation · 11 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 7 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 17 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange Correctional Center State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 35 | Restricted |
| Town of Hillsborough Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 30 | Unknown |
| Town of Hillsborough Open Space - Gold Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 21 | Open |
| Mountains-to-Sea Trail State Park | Not recorded | 16 | Open |
| Town of Hillsborough - Cates Creek Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 16 | Unknown |
| Eno River Association Preserve - Dimmocks Mill Conservation Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 9 | Unknown |
| NC Land and Water Fund Project State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 7 | Restricted |
| Central Recreation Center Local Park | County | 6 | Open |
| Orange County Open Space - River Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 5 | Restricted |
| Historic Preservation Foundation of North Carolina Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1 | Closed |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
14 places to go in Hillsborough
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Hillsborough
Cates Creek Park PlaygroundIn Cates Creek Park
DirectionsPlus 6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Hillsborough
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Hillsborough
#12 RacecarIn Historic Occoneechee Speedway
Directions#44 RacecarIn Historic Occoneechee Speedway
DirectionsHistoric GrandstandIn Historic Occoneechee Speedway
DirectionsPeaks in Hillsborough
Poplar Ridge732 ft elevation
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Hillsborough
Hillsborough Community Garden
DirectionsPlus 1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
12 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.8 mi
Speedway Trace0.7 mi
Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail0.4 mi
The Everett Copeland Memorial Trail0.3 mi
Mountains-to-Sea Trail0.3 mi
Fiori Hill Trail0.2 mi
Big Bend0.2 mi
Creekside Connector0.2 mi
Wolf Tree Trace0.2 mi
Beach Bluff0.2 mi
Spectator Trace0.2 mi
2 more trails
Overhill Connector
0.2 miTerrace Trace
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
4.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
5Baseball
2Basketball
2Soccer
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →19 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 9 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Burwell SchoolBuilding · listed 1970
About itHazel-Nash HouseBuilding · listed 1971
About itEagle LodgeBuilding · listed 1971
About itOld Orange County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1971
About itSt. Matthew's Episcopal Church and ChurchyardBuilding · listed 1971
About itRuffin-Roulhac HouseBuilding · listed 1971
About itAyr MountBuilding · listed 1971
About itSans SouciBuilding · listed 1971
About itNash Law OfficeBuilding · listed 1971
About itCommandant's HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itHeartseaseBuilding · listed 1973
About it7 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Hillsborough: 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) | 50 | 54 | 62 | 71 | 78 | 85 | 89 | 87 | 81 | 71 | 61 | 53 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 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 Hillsborough →
Questions about parks and trails in Hillsborough
Where can I hike in Hillsborough?
The longest trail networks: Historic Occoneechee Speedway, 2.5 miles; Cates Creek Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hillsborough is conserved land?
4% 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 Hillsborough’s trails?
Historic Occoneechee Speedway and Cates Creek Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hillsborough?
6.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.0 of painted or protected lanes and 4.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Hillsborough?
8,490 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hillsborough or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 132 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hillsborough have?
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #35 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 Hillsborough 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 →