Wood County Forest
Nature preserve
689 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
–Not graded
Outdoors in Cary
Few parks or trails are on the map in Cary
3% of Cary’s land is conserved, about 786 acres. 693 acres are parks and preserves, 1,998 per 1,000 residents. 0.6 miles of mapped trail cross Cary.
Conserved land
3%
786 acres · of 35.1 sq mi of land
Trails
0.6 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
693 ac
1,998 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,276 ft
Cary Mound
Lakes & rivers
1
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
786 conserved acres
3% of Cary’s land. Who manages Cary’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County682 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service67 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)38 ac
Local Conservation Area · 682 acConservation Easement · 104 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 104 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood County Forest Local Conservation Area | County | 682 | Open |
Things to do
1 places to go in Cary
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Peaks in Cary
Cary Mound1,276 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The walking year in Cary
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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 24 | 29 | 41 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 57 | 42 | 29 |
| Rain (in) | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 1.8 | 1.4 |
February is the driest month (1.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Cary →
Next door
Cary and its neighbors
Cary has the second most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cary | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Rock | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hiles | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sherwood | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Cary
Are dogs allowed on Cary’s trails?
Wood County Forest doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Cary?
76,608 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cary or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 693 of them inside the town line.
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 →