EASTERN PIEDMONT ADVENTURES
Wake County by Renee C. Gannon
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ut-of-town visitors and city dwellers alike find peace and solitude within the boundaries of this 5,577-acre park, located just off Highway 70 between Raleigh and Durham, and a few miles away from The serenity of its lakes and streams makes the William B. Umstead Park a favorite place for visitors to get the Raleigh-Durham away from the daily grind. International Airport. From the air, this large LEAVING THE CITY BEHIND splash of green stands The park offers something for all recreational tastes. Visitors out amongst the roadways, subdivisions, strip malls and can ride the 13 miles of marked trails built for a mountain city lights. The park is an oasis for those wishing to escape bike or on horseback, stroll along the many nature trails or a busy life for a few hours or for those visitors looking for a hike on the 20 miles of hiking trails that provide access to nature break in a day filled with touring museums, historic most of the park. Overnight camping fully envelopes visisites and shopping centers. tors into quiet nature, although an occasional airplane flying Farmland at one time occupied Umstead Park, but poor overhead reminds you of civilization. The park features a farming practices led to erosion and underproduction. tent/trailer compound, primitive camping sites and group In 1934, under the Resettlement Administration Act, fedcamping sites. eral and state agencies bought 5,000 acres of this land to Want to fish? Try your luck at catching bass, bluegill and develop a recreation area. In 1966, the park, then known as crappie at one of the three manmade lakes and the many Crabtree Creek Recreation Area, merged with a neighborconnecting streams: the 55-acre Big Lake and the 25-acre ing Reedy Creek park. The new recreation area then became lakes Sycamore and Reedy Creek. Canoes and rowboats are Umstead Park, named after also available for rental at the boathouse on the Big Lake. former Gov. William Bradley Umstead Park offers plenty of open and sheltered picnic Umstead, who had been areas (for a few people up to a large group), with tables, known for his conservation grills and scenery provided. In the Crabtree Creek section, efforts. 40 picnic tables can be found under the trees; and in Reedy A visitor’s center at the Creek, 25 tables. The park also provides drinking water and park’s main entrance features restrooms located throughout the park. Parking lots are also an exhibit on the land’s hisscattered throughout for convenience. tory. The exhibit includes a The park also offers look at daily farm life and a regularly scheduled replica of a grist mill found William B. Umstead State Park educational and interin the park, and an exhibit on 8801 Glenwood Ave. pretive programs. the park’s weather, soil and Raleigh, NC 27612 The park is open wildlife habitats. The center (919) 571-4170 Umstead Park’s miles of trails year-round. Park also features an interactive William.umstead@ncmail.net through its wooded forest prooffices are open 8 a. computer exhibit that shows http://ils.unc.edu/parkproject/visit/ vides a cool, shaded path for visitors the effects of develop- m. to 5 p.m. daily, with wium/home.html runners, walkers, hikers, bikers ment and preservation. the park closed on and horseback riders. Christmas Day.
60 APRIL 2007 Carolina Country
Photos provided by the NC Division of Parks and Recreation.
11 WILLIAM B. UMSTEAD STATE PARK