With mild weather in the forecast and more nature parks on our mind, we headed to Durant Nature Preserve Park (8305 Camp Durant Rd
in North Raleigh) to attend the Wee Walkers program with friends, play in the natural playground, and explore the butterfly and bird garden. We’ve attended the Wee Walkers program several times over the years and the girls (and I) always have a great time. The program is a fun way to get out and explore nature with a knowledgeable guide, the program is FREE and doesn’t require registration (although it helps for their planning purposes), and you learn about and see different animals and parts of the park each trip.
This Wee Walkers program focused on birds and we hiked along the White House Road trail that meanders through the shaded forest on the northern side of the park. Staff Ranger Jack kept us moving at a steady pace for such a large group while pointing out several flora and fauna along the way: skinks, bluebirds, lots of centipedes, frogs, centipedes, robins, spiders and more. He spotted eggs in one of the bluebird houses, which was a big hit for all the parents and kids, and he also talked about some of the migratory birds that we’d find in the park.
After the hiking program, the girls played in the natural play area that sits near the painted shed in the north entrance parking lot. The natural play area features a rock garden, small fish pond surrounded by native plants, fairy house building, bird houses, sandbox, and fort building supplies. The girls have had so much fun playing in Raleigh’s natural play areas lately that we’ve tried to incorporate several of them in our own backyard with fairy garden building, dinosaur fossils and other small treasures hidden in a dirt box, and a painted rock garden.
Once the girls finished in the natural play area, we walked across the parking lot and open field area to the bird and butterfly garden. The butterfly garden has a short trail surrounded by natural butterfly habitats of lilac, Queen Anne’s Lace, daylilies, eastern blue star and more. The butterfly garden leads into the shaded bird garden that features a mulched trail with several feeders, bird houses, and informational guides. We heard and saw a lot of birds flying in and around the gardens, but my bird identification skills are pretty pathetic – maybe some adult birding classes are in my future!
On our way back to our car we spotted a large doe along the perimeter of the park, so you never know what you’ll see at the park. The next Wee Walkers program is Thursday, July 7 at 10am and maybe we’ll see you there!
Additional Resources
- 2014 park review of Durant Nature Preserve Park
- Upcoming programs at Durant Nature Preserve Park
- City of Raleigh’s website for Durant Nature Preserve Park
Thumbs up: guided Wee Walkers program, natural play area, bird and butterfly garden, shaded trails for hot summer days
Thumbs down: nothing to report
On a cloudy summer day we headed to Annie Louise Wilkerson Nature Preserve Park to explore the nature playground and do some light hiking. It’d been awhile since we’d 
After our short hike we walked through Dr. Wilkerson’s former home, which has been renovated into an Education Center for the purpose of being a nature park research center. The front room is a mini museum of Dr. Wilkerson, highlighting her career and time she spent on the farm. We didn’t visit the other parts of the center, but the 
After our visit to 
In September we took advantage of a cool, clear Sunday morning to explore Blue Jay Point County Park again with friends. Instead of the hiking and playground time we did during our 
After getting out of the car we walked along the paved trail where we saw the first Natural Play Area sign. We walked a short while and then arrived at the play space, which is opposite from a large open space field. The play space is in a wooded area and features several play areas: sand box with wooden blocks, stumps with hula hoops, bamboo poles with large nylon pieces, and picnic tables. The girls spent time in each area, but thoroughly enjoyed hopping along the stumps and building a hut with the bamboo poles and nylon. We collected more sticks from the nearby woods and pretended to build a fire inside our hut while using the nylon pieces to create roofs, siding and doors. This pretend play has extended to our own backyard where we currently have a large branch collection and old trash bags for building outdoor areas.
Blue Jay Point County Park is an outdoor mecca for people of all ages! We visited Blue Jay Point County Park about a month ago after hearing so much great news about the new 
After some playground time, we headed towards the covered pavilion where the Laurel Loop nature trail begins. This was such an ideal walk for young kids – it is a well maintained unpaved trail with lots of shade, has several benches and picnic tables throughout, is only 0.2 miles, allows for a short walk by adjacent Falls Lake, and loops you back to the playground area. All of the girls from ages 18 months to 4 years old loved exploring this trail, especially finding the dozens of caterpillars along the trail.
We then headed outside to the nearby fenced-in garden area for a much deserved picnic lunch. After our lunch we walked all throughout the gardens learning about the different herbs, flowers and vegetables they’ve planted. The biggest highlight for me was the “pizza garden” where they planted lots of basil and tomatoes. The biggest highlight for the girls was spotting butterflies and checking out the resident turtles and water snake in the small pond area.
Next, we passed by several picnic tables and open spaces on our way to the grassy walking trail. The trail follows along the stream and then crosses into the lowland forest and piedmont prairie areas. Near the piedmont prairie area is a building that overlooks the pond that is made for bird watching. The kids had a great time looking for birds and playing in the building. After we arrived back at the beginning of the trail (about 1/2 mile total) we visited the Green Building, which is used mostly for educational programs but also has restrooms and a back deck great for picnics. Since we didn’t pack a picnic we continued to explore the grounds and settled in the Nature Neighborhood Garden. The garden features NC native plants, dry stream beds for collecting run-off water, a koi pond and more. Claire and I enjoyed some quiet time on the benches under the pavilion before heading out.
A few months ago we ventured south to Garner, NC to take in our first 
If you’re looking for a place to go hiking in Raleigh and have exhausted your options at Umstead Park, you should definitely make your way into North Raleigh to Annie Louise Wilkerson, MD Nature Preserve Park. Being the only visitors at the park a few months ago, we visited the main office and spoke to the very friendly and knowledgeable staff about the history of the park. It was lovely to hear her speak about Dr. Annie’s will to leave the land as a nature preserve park. The park office was converted from an old residence on the property and there are future plans to convert Dr. Annie’s old standing residence into indoor classrooms.
