Sycamore Trail is a 7.2 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Morrisville, North Carolina that features a lake and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
Dogs on leash
Kid friendly
Camping
Fishing
Hiking
Walking
Running
Forest
Lake
River
Views
Wildlife
Rocky
Sycamore Trail is located near Raleigh, North Carolina. The trail is great for hiking and normally takes 2-3 hours. The Sycamore Trail is located in William B. Umstead State Park. The trailhead is located on the northern side (highway 70 entrance) of the park. This is a very popular park and can be very busy on pretty days. This is a good woods walk. No overlooks and no great mountainous expansions but, given that the park bumps up right against Raleigh, it's a great place to get away from the traffic. The trail rambles around on the northern side of the park, and is lightly populated with people except on weekends. You might get lucky and see a snake or two, and maybe a deer, but otherwise there isn't a whole lot of wildlife on this one. There is a visitor center but be advised that their supplies are limited. Go during fall for some great colors. Go during rain for seclusion.
William B. Umstead State Park 8801 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27617 (919) 571-4170 Emergencies after 5PM: (919) 218-9106 william.umstead@ncparks.gov
The Crabtree Creek section is located 10 miles northwest of Raleigh off US 70. The park visitor's center and camping facilities are located in this section. From I-40, turn northeast on I-540 and take the US 70 exit. Travel southeast on US 70, and turn right on Umstead Parkway, which leads to the park office and visitor's center.
August 10, 2020Great trail with a few water spots to stop and give Cooper a rest! 2 1/2 hours to complete at a 20 minute mile pace.
August 9, 2020
July 18, 2020It was a fun trail. You're shaded the entire way. The only downside is that parts of the trail are not marked clearly so its easy to get lost.
June 30, 2020Would recommend. Total trail took a little over 2 hrs at a medium pace. Make sure to check weather before hand as well
June 30, 2020Beautiful and well-maintained trail, very few people even with how popular the park has been recently! Lots of cool mushrooms and a couple of black racer snakes. Go early if you want nice weather and to avoid the crowds :)
June 21, 2020Great trail. Signs could be better. Went off trail a few times through the woods. Also encountered a black snake. Very rooty on some parts. Definitely moderate but more do due to the heat.
June 15, 2020great hike, signage was a little confusing
May 28, 2020Ok trail. More crowded than I would like and many (though not all) did not seem concerned with social distancing.
May 23, 2020A variety of scenery that's not to difficult to hike. Moderate difficulty, great longer trail in Raleigh to enjoy a great day.
March 17, 2020This trail is really awesome. Winds through different terrain, a stream crossing and a burn area at the base of the loop. If you follow the directions from the Alltrails platform it will get you to the trailhead parking lot. Follow the signs for the bathroom and then veer off to the right on the paved path past shelters 1 and 2 for the official trail head. Arrived about 10; only saw two people on trail at the beginning. By the time I was finishing, people started to fill up the trail around 1:45p
March 10, 2020I think we the folks living in the Raleigh/Cary Area are very fortunate to have Umstead Park. It is our version of New York’s Central Park. Yes, you can hear the airport but all you can see is trail, trees and nature. This particular trail is the longest in the park. You deal with roots, rocks and reasonably significant hills. I personally think it is a beautiful trail and enjoy walking it with my two Labs.
February 22, 2020February 9, 2020note: too close to airport. skipped it
February 8, 2020trees and power lines were down due to recent storms which caused us to end early.
January 20, 2020January 19, 2020Couldn’t find the wood carving but great hike.
January 12, 2020January 5, 2020Awesome trail! Hiked it in January and it was perfect!
November 17, 2019Great .. Plenty of root systems, so watch your footing.. Heavily trafficked with others hiking, running, dog walking. Great views along the river
October 14, 2019Well maintained trail with plenty of maps, markers, and signs. Never very far from a road. I'm just visiting NC and was hoping for more of a hike but this is a good gentle trail run. Take a look at the map before you go because hitting the Directions button and via Google maps took me to a handicap parking lot.
