William B. Umstead State Park

Use Crabtree Creek at 8801 Glenwood Avenue for the visitor center, camping, Big Lake, boat rentals, and many western trails. Use Reedy Creek at 2100 North Harrison Avenue in Cary for Reedy Creek Lake, group camps, picnic areas, and eastern trails. You cannot drive through the park from one entrance to the other.

Both entrances open at 8 a.m. Gates close at 6 p.m. November-February, 8 p.m. March-April and September-October, and 9 p.m. May-August. The park is closed Christmas Day, and cars must leave before the posted gate-closing time.

Choose parking at the same entrance as your trail or facility because the two vehicle entrances do not connect. Crabtree Creek serves the visitor center, camping, Big Lake, and western trailheads; Reedy Creek serves the Cary side, Reedy Creek Lake, picnic areas, and eastern trailheads. Lots can fill on pleasant weekends.

The park has 34.5 miles of hiking trails and 13 miles of wider multi-use trails shared by bicycles and horses. Hiking routes are mostly natural forest surfaces with roots, rocks, bridges, mud, and rolling grades; multi-use routes are wider compacted surfaces. Check the live trail status before riding or planning a through-route.

Restrooms are available at developed areas such as the Crabtree Creek visitor center, picnic areas, and campground facilities, but not along most trails. Availability varies by entrance, season, and facility schedule, so use the official park map before a long hike.

Major developed areas include accessible parking and facilities, and the park offers free all-terrain wheelchair rentals by advance request. Natural hiking trails are not uniformly accessible, so contact the visitor center at 984-867-8240 to match a route and equipment to the visitor's needs.

Yes. Pets are allowed in the park and campsites but must remain attended on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Pets are not allowed inside buildings or cabins, and owners must clean up waste.

Bridge replacement work is affecting South Turkey Creek and connections with Cedar Ridge and North Turkey Creek multi-use trails; visitors must not enter closed segments. Construction and weather notices can change, so check the trail status at the top of the official park page on the day of your visit.

Most hiking routes pass through forest and provide seasonal tree shade. Four picnic shelters are distributed between the Crabtree Creek and Reedy Creek sides, and the Crabtree Creek Visitor Center is open daily during posted hours. Picnic roofs and trees are not severe-weather shelters; return to the visitor center or a vehicle during lightning, dangerous wind, or other emergencies.

NC State Parks does not list conventional playground equipment at Umstead. The family experience is nature-based: visitor-center exhibits, picnicking, fishing, seasonal boat rentals, hiking, and Junior Ranger activities, with ranger field programs adapted from pre-K through middle-school ages. Choose the Crabtree Creek entrance for the visitor center and most camping facilities, or Reedy Creek for its own trails and shelters; the entrances do not connect by park road, and current multiuse-trail bridge closures affect some routes.

Both entrances have picnic shelters, and the entrances do not connect by park road. Use Crabtree Creek at 8801 Glenwood Avenue for the visitor-center side or Reedy Creek at 2100 North Harrison Avenue for Reedy Creek Lake and its stone-deck shelter. Umstead has four shelters in total; reserve a facility through the State Parks reservation system when guaranteed group use matters, and route to the chosen entrance before leaving because switching sides requires driving around the park.

No. William B. Umstead State Park has no splash pad or designated swimming area, and the official park map marks the lakes as no-swimming. Big Lake supports seasonal canoe and rowboat rentals, while the park's lakes and tributaries are used for paddling and fishing, not family swimming or wading. For a state-park swim beach, choose a separately designated location such as Falls Lake and confirm its current status first.

No official park source identifies direct fixed-route transit into William B. Umstead State Park. Use GoRaleigh or GoTriangle's live planner separately for the Crabtree Creek entrance at 8801 Glenwood Avenue and the Reedy Creek entrance at 2100 North Harrison Avenue; they are on opposite sides of the park and not connected by an internal public road. If the planner does not show a safe practical final walk, arrange a ride and pickup before entering areas with weak cellular service.

Yes for ordinary day use. North Carolina State Parks charges no entrance or day-use fee at Umstead. Boat rentals, camping, certain event permits, and facility reservations have separate charges; confirm current rates when booking rather than assuming those services are included.