This past weekend I wanted to check out some trails that we had never hiked before and was looking for something near my friend’s house in Roxboro since she had agreed to come with. After a quick bit of Google searching I decided on Little River Regional Park & Natural Area in Durham, North Carolina.
Honestly I was not expecting much from this park and had set my expectations really low before we arrived. We received our area’s “token snowstorm” of the year a few days before so I was worried about the trails being a mess.
If you have never been here before the Orange County website advertises that the park amenities include:
- 7 Miles of Hiking Trails – Trail Map (PDF)
- 7 miles of Mountain Bike Trails – Biking Trail Map (PDF)
- 391 Acres of Natural Area
- ADA 1/4 Mile Paved Walking Trail
- Bird Trail
- Butterfly Garden
- Camping Site (group)
- Event Space
- Field
- Horseshoe Pit
- Meadow
- Picnic Area
- Picnic Shelter (1 large, 1 small) with Tables and Grills
- Playground (5 to 12 year old)
- Restroom Facilities
The trails looked to be pretty easy so our group started out on our day’s adventure.
We ended up hiking just over 5 miles of trail which wound up and down hills and alongside a beautiful river (hence the name of the park). It was a beautiful sunny day and perfect for hiking.
The river had all kinds of rocks to explore and climb on and is definitely worth the hike to get there.
There was even a bit of snow left on the ground which is surprising for central NC.
We were accompanied by my six year old who did great for the 5 mile hike – my best friend was not as thrilled and we had to coax her part of the way with the promise of lunch afterward. 🙂 She is not much used to hiking and there were some pretty steep places along the trail. Beginner hikers be warned that if you choose the Ridge Trail – North River Loop Trail – you have to walk quite a ways to get to the river (about 2.5 miles) and then back out to the parking lot (2.5 miles).
All in all – I would love to visit this park again when the weather warms up and spend some more time exploring the river below.
Until the next adventure…….
North Carolina Adventures 