Photo: Abhiram Juvvadi · CC BY-SA 4.016% of Raleigh’s land is conserved: 15,748 acres
The biggest trail networks: William B. Umstead State Park (33.4 mi), Lake Johnson Park (6.1 mi), Durant Nature Preserve (4.7 mi). 91% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 107 miles of mapped trail cross Raleigh, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #15 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Raleigh?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Raleigh have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Raleigh is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #15 of 290 in North Carolina. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Raleigh ranks #116 on Outdoors.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is William B. Umstead State Park, with 33.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lake Johnson Park
Durant Nature Preserve
Horseshoe Park
Reedy Creek Trail
Cedar Hills Park
All 172 parks & preserves
15,748 conserved acres
16% of Raleigh’s land. Who manages Raleigh’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 929 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 83 of 372 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| William B. Umstead State Park State Park | Not recorded | 5,334 | Open |
| Wake County Open Space Land Local Recreation Area | County | 778 | Open |
| Centennial Campus Open Space Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 506 | Open |
| City of Raleigh Greenway - Neuse River Greenway Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 487 | Open |
| City of Raleigh Open Space - Lake Johnson Metro Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 473 | Open |
| City of Raleigh Open Space Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 398 | Open |
| Schenck Memorial Forest State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 395 | Unknown |
| North Carolina State University Agricultural Research Land State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 377 | Unknown |
| Dorothea Dix Park Local Park | Town or city | 309 | Open |
| City of Raleigh Greenway Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 302 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
263 places to go in Raleigh
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
3 swimming spots without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 more public pool
Plus 1 public pool without a name on the map.
176 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
2 more dog parks
39 dog parks are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
2 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Plus 5 scenic views without a name on the map.
Plus 15 picnic areas without a name on the map.
1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
25 named trails and 37 lakes & rivers
15 more trails
265 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
131 places on the National Register, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 19 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
119 more on the History page.
The best walking months in Raleigh: 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 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| High (°F) | 52 | 55 | 63 | 73 | 80 | 87 | 90 | 88 | 82 | 73 | 62 | 55 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 5.1 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 5.1 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Raleigh →
Raleigh and its neighbors
Raleigh has the most mapped trails of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh | 16% | 0.7 | 21 | 91% | A |
| Cary | 9% | 0.7 | 19 | 90% | A− |
| Garner | 7% | 0.6 | 27 | 82% | A− |
| Wake Forest | 11% | 1.2 | 23 | 85% | A |
| Durham | 9% | 0.7 | 7 | 66% | B |
| Knightdale | 5% | under 0.1 | 17 | 87% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Raleigh
Where can I hike in Raleigh?
The longest trail networks: William B. Umstead State Park, 33.4 miles; Lake Johnson Park, 6.1 miles; Durant Nature Preserve, 4.7 miles; Marsh Creek Park, 2.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Raleigh is conserved land?
16% 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 Raleigh’s trails?
William B. Umstead State Park and Lake Johnson Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Raleigh?
265 miles of bike routes are on the map: 88 of painted or protected lanes, 141 of off-road paths and 37 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: East Coast Greenway (NC), 1 (North Carolina) and Richland Creek Trail.
Is there public land near Raleigh?
61,667 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Raleigh or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 9,929 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Raleigh have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #15 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 Raleigh neighbors.
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 →