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URBAN HIKES You don’t have to go far to experience nature in the Triangle by JOE MILLER
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n a typical city, you have to drive an hour or more to find nature. Fortunately, ours is not a typical city. In the Triangle, you needn’t drive far to escape; in fact, you can probably walk. Here, we’ve got a preponderance of trees and a climate that produces lush greenery in even the smallest patch of dirt — meaning that even a storm drainage corridor near a housing development
can yield a sense of wild adventure. These five hikes epitomize the types of gateway getaways tucked throughout the area. Some, such as Raleigh’s Reedy Creek Trail, mix nature with urban amenities. Others, such as Schenck Forest, offer a sense of woodland adventure just a couple miles from town. And all are easy hikes, without much time behind the wheel.
REEDY CREEK TRAIL To borrow a line from Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant”: you can get just about any kind of hike you want on the Reedy Creek Trail. Up for ice cream or some Mediterranean fare? You’ll find it at the east trailhead on Hillsborough Street. Want to wax nostalgic on your university days? You’ll find the spark on Meredith College’s campus, through The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 27
