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Top 5 (off the beaten path) Triangle Parks for Fall Foliage

July 7, 2015October 30, 2014 by Kris Montgomery

With the peak of Fall foliage on our heels in the Triangle, I wanted to recount some of my favorite local parks for capturing beautiful autumn pictures. There are a lot of obvious places to visit such as Umstead Park, Historic Yates Mill Park and Pullen Park, so here’s my Top 5 (off the beaten path) Triangle Parks for Fall Foliage:

Edna Metz Wells Park (intersection of Smallwood Dr & Clark Ave in Raleigh) – gorgeous yellow and orange colors
Brookhaven Nature Park (5125 Berekeley St in Raleigh) – a little bit of every color, but check out the reflection of the trees on the small pond
Brookhaven Nature Park
Fearrington Village (Pittsboro, NC) – even though it’s not technically a park, there’s still lots of open space for wandering and gorgeous trees bursting with color
Crowder District Park (4709 Ten Ten Rd in Apex) – hiking trails, a pond, playground and more among a spectrum of trees
Eliza Pool Park (1600 Fayetteville St in Raleigh) – open spaces and playgrounds surrounded by colorful trees

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Brookhaven Nature Park

November 13, 2012 by Kris Montgomery

Fall is prime time for hiking, enjoying the great weather and taking in the leaves changing colors. We recently visited Brookhaven Nature Park in the Brookhaven neighborhood at 5125 Berkeley St near Crabtree Valley Mall. Brookhaven is a city park, but the Jr Woman’s Club of Raleigh helps maintain and beautify it. After arriving at the park we explored the pavilion area and then headed off on the Main Trail, which is a narrow, unpaved path that criss-crosses several streams. Part of the trail is labeled wheelchair-accessible, but the paved trail seemed rather uneven and the decline was rather steep (imho). This time of year the trail was covered in rust-colored leaves so we took extra caution when hiking, especially with Ashley in the backpack.

For being in a North Raleigh neighborhood the trail is actually pretty hilly, so we were surprised by how much actual “hiking” we did. Its peacefulness should also be noted, especially with its close proximity to so many busy Raleigh roads. Along the hike we came across a small pond with a deck for taking in the views and scouting for fauna. On this particular day the reflections on the pond made it look like the trees were sprouting from the water…it made for great pictures! The deck also featured a few informational signs about the fauna in the area, snapping turtles and mallards.

After leaving the pond we followed the Main Trail some more and then took the Pine Tree Loop and Upland Forest Trails to increase our hiking distance, which actually only totaled about 1 mile. Even though the hike was short overall it was a fun, quick way to explore a naturally hilly part of Raleigh. Be sure to bring another adult with you to this trail and all trails; this park is not staffed and the trails are not heavily traveled with other visitors.

Thumbs up: photo ops, good hiking workout, peacefulness, proximity within city, shadiness

Thumbs down: confusing signage near end of the trail

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Edna Metz Wells Park

February 26, 2012November 23, 2011 by Kris Montgomery

This post originally appeared on southwestraleigh.com, where you can learn more about what a great place South West Raleigh is to live, work, and play.

Looking for a park in the Creative District bursting with fall colors? Then, make your next park visit to Edna Metz Wells Park, where urban and nature intersect. This is a small park on the edge of Cameron Village that you’ve probably passed by a dozen times on the way to Glenwood South and never paid much attention. It’s located at the intersection of Smallwood Drive, W Johnson Street, and Peace Street at the southern edge of Cameron Village. W Johnson Street is one-way, so go around the block and park either on Park Drive or W Johnson Street. In late 2010, a $340,000 stream enhancement project was completed at the park as part of an improvement plan for Pigeon House Branch, a watershed that drains much of the downtown area.

Edna Metz Wells Park has several walking trails that meander through the mature trees and over the stream. Several small bridges cross the water and large boulders on the southern part of the stream aid in preventing further erosion. The dense forest is full of pines, oaks, magnolias, and ferns, to name a few! The leafy tree colors are magnificent right now, great for photo ops and picnic spots.

There are also a few open areas in the park, still mostly shaded with nearby benches. This is a great park for taking in some nature in an urban setting. The sounds from the stream provide a nice backdrop to the busy nearby streets. The USGS stream gauging station at the park helps monitor water levels and flow rates for flood forecasting and other projects.