Category Archives: North Carolina

Durant Nature Park Trails Walk- 06/13/2023

Visiting with Pat’s brother and wife in Raleigh, as is customary we took some time to get in a walk on a trail in one of the many parks in the area. Steve and Sharon chose the Durant Nature Preserve, nice trails along a stream in a forested area around Camp Durant Lake Number One.

The Drive In

These trails are in the Durant Nature Preserve in Raleigh, NC; check your favorite navigation program to find your way there.

The Hike

Durant Nature Park Trails Walk.PatSharonSteve.2023-06-13

Notes about the Google Earth screenshot: the graph at the bottom shows elevation of the track (pink area) and speed (the blue line).

We visited this park during a previous visit, and again enjoyed “… pleasant to walk through the lush woods with a stream and lake nearby. But … so much green; from New Mexico, it is almost overpowering.”.

Statistics

Total Distance:  2.63 miles
Elevation: start  296 ft, maximum  324 ft,  minimum  236 ft
Gross gain:  88 ft.  Aggregate ascending  307 ft, descending  308 ft
Maximum slope: 16% ascending, 14% descending, 3.6% average
Duration: 1:18

If you haven’t explored these hiking tracks with Google Earth, I urge you to try it. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the screenshot above. For some ideas, check out  Using Google Earth Track Files.

Related Posts

Wake Forest Walkabouts – o5/2022

References and Resources

RaleighNC.gov/Parks:
         Durant Nature Preserve
         Durant Nature Preserve Map (.pdf)
raleighparks.org: Durant Nature Preserve
AllTrails: Best Trails in Durant Nature Preserve
Carolina Bird Club: Durant Nature Preserve

Wake Forest Walkabouts – 05/2022

During a visit to family in North Carolina, Steve & Sharon brought us to some very nice trails in the vicinity of their home in Wake Forest. These were truly family walkabouts, with people from Raleigh, Tucson, Baraboo,  Seattle, and St. John VI (or the Azores).

The Hikes (or Walkabouts)

Durant Camp Trails

Durant Camp Trail Walks.McDaniels.2022-05-12&20 (profile for 2022-05-20)
Notes about the Google Earth screenshot: the graph at the bottom shows elevation of the track (pink area) and speed (the blue line).

The first walkabout introduced us to North Carolina weather conditions – warm and humid. But it was quite pleasant to walk through the lush woods with a stream and lake nearby. But … so much green; from New Mexico, it is almost overpowering.

The second walkabout took us the length of the Durant Nature Preserve, including a long stretch along the shore of the lake.

Shoreline Trail

Shoreline Trail Walk.PatSharonSteveSusanJohnJackRay.2022-05-21

For this outing, we went to the Falls Lake and a trail along the water’s edge for the distance, out to a promontory in the middle of the lake. Another nice hike 

Wake Forest Reservoir Loop

Wake Forest Reservoir Loop Walk.Pat SharonSteveSusanJohnJackRay.2022-05-22

Another lake-side trail along the shore of the Wake Forest Reservoir.

Statistics

Durant Camp Trail Walk – 05/12/2020
Total Distance:  0.99 miles
Elevation: start  300 ft, maximum  304 ft,  minimum 233 ft
Gross gain: 71 ft.  Aggregate ascending 164 ft, descending 165 ft
Maximum slope: 22% ascending, 32% descending, 5.5% average
Duration: 0:43

Durant Camp Trail Walk – 05/20/2020
Total Distance:  2.37 miles
Elevation: start  300 ft, maximum  325 ft,  minimum 241 ft
Gross gain: 41 ft.  Aggregate ascending 275 ft, descending 276 ft
Maximum slope: 16% ascending, 21% descending, 3.6% average
Duration: 1:03

Shoreline Trail Walk – 05/21/2022
Total Distance:  4.06 miles
Elevation: start 330 ft, maximum  338 ft,  minimum 250 ft
Gross gain: 88 ft.  Aggregate ascending 568 ft, descending 566 ft
Maximum slope: 23% ascending, 20% descending, 4.0% average
Duration: 2:05

Wake Forest Reservoir Loop – 05/22/2022
Total Distance:  3.03 miles
Elevation: start 303 ft, maximum  319 ft,  minimum 295 ft
Gross gain: 24 ft.  Aggregate ascending 433 ft, descending 433 ft
Maximum slope: 15% ascending, 20% descending, 4.0% average
Duration: 1:26