Looking for another place to take a walk? I heard that Mine Creek trail in North Raleigh was a great place to explore and play in the creek, so we packed up the kids and headed off on a new adventure!
Mine Creek Trail is a part of the Capital Area Greenway and consists of five segments which combined will give you a 6.5 mile trail system that goes from Sawmill Road, past Shelley Lake and the Sertoma Art Center, and all the way to North Hills Park. The path varies along the way from paved trails to rugged dirt paths.
North Hills Drive Entrance
In my opinion one of the best spots to enter the trail is at North Hills Drive, just south of Lynn Road. You can plug in Lynnwood Park Apartment homes in Google Maps and it will take you right near there. There isn’t a parking lot, but there is on street parking.
The trail entrance has a steep decline which may be difficult for strollers. The rest of the path is wide and paved though so once you get down there you will be good to go!
When we first started walking we went left through the tunnel since my kids immediately wanted to run through. They also loved seeing the artwork, and I was glad to see that everything was very PG. There were some familiar characters painted on the walls like pikachu and a panda bear and my kids enjoyed seeing the pictures and hearing their echos. Who knew a tunnel could be so entertaining?!
Once we emerged from the tunnel we found a great spot to play in the creek. It was easy to get down to the water and the creek was slow moving and shallow. Perfect for wading toddlers and preschoolers to enjoy safely!
We were pretty happy with our find so we didn’t go any further on this portion of the trail. However, I’ve heard from some friends that there are some deeper areas if the bigger kids want to actually submerge themselves and swim around instead of just wading. We saw lots of walkers and runners on the trail so it must be a popular spot!
Sawmill Road Entrance
On our first outing to Mine Creek Trail we ended up at the Sawmill entrance since that is all that Google shows on the map. This isn’t the best route for young kids though. The trail is right off of busy Sawmill road, and while there is only street parking like at North Hills Drive, it’s not as wide as a road so it felt much more dangerous. Be careful with the kids since the cars zoom by here pretty fast.
This part of the trail is a dirt path with a rough terrain. Definitely not stroller friendly and more of a rugged hiking experience. However, you will still meander along Mine Creek, but I didn’t see as many fun spots to play in the water.
We visited after a big rainstorm so everything was pretty muddy. The trail got a little flooded in some spots so we had to get creative in order to traverse the mud. I was glad I had my husband with me on this excursion! If we visit again we will be sure to come at a drier time!
This trail leads you through some neighborhoods, so you will see houses and backyards along your walk. We felt like we were a little close to the other houses and worried that people might wonder what we were doing in their backyards! We didn’t see as many people here on our walk, so I don’t think there’s as much foot traffic on a typical day. I could be wrong though!
One fun find along the way was a large growth of bamboo! It immediately reminded me of the bamboo garden at De Hart Botanical Gardens, although it wasn’t as big. The kids enjoyed acting like panda bears and hiding in the bamboo stalks. Imagination at it’s finest!
Learn more about the Capital Area Greenway and all the trails that comprise it here.
If you’re looking for more spots to play in the water, try our list of local beaches!