It gives me so much joy that almost 4 years into this account, we’re still finding and sharing local hidden nature gems with you. Especially ones that contain mini waterfalls!
Let me present Brookhaven Nature Park. A follower messaged me about this park a while back, asking if we had ever been. We hadn’t and there really wasn’t much info at all on the Raleigh Parks' website, so I filed it away for us to check out one day.
Brookhaven is actually not that far from Umstead State Park, and is nestled back in a cozy neighborhood next to an elementary school. We saw one or 2 people while at the park, but overall, we loved how private it felt.
The park begins with a small boarded deck with picnic tables and signs about what kinds of animals you might see in the park.
Toward the entrance, you’ll also see a map of the 4 marked trails on the park. We took a photo of this before entering, but also noticed while in the park that there are additionally many small trails that it looks have been created by people walking through brush. Admittedly, this was confusing while we were in the park - however, the park is small and we never felt lost because we were pretty much always able to find another trail sign or one of the many wooden bridges or boardwalks in the park.
Overall we stayed on the Main Trail while at the park and this is where we found the bridge in this first picture and the mini waterfall. As we made our way back, we also found another area to easily access the small creek that runs through the park. We’re looking forward to going back to do some of the other trails, too.
Some logistics:
• Good amount of parking for such a small park.
• Sadly, though, no bathrooms that we saw.
• There is a “Blacktop Trail”, but we wouldn’t say any area in the park is actually stroller friendly. Best to go on foot.
We hope you enjoy this small hidden gem as much as we did! Let us know your favorite hidden gem in the comments!
(Note: We're currently working on updating our website with our reviews. This review was originally posted on Instagram on June 1, 2023, and Facebook on June 14, 2023.)
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