Sandwiched Between Raleigh And Greensboro Is An Outdoor Escape With Gorgeous Mountain Trails And Camping

There's a new nature park in North Carolina. Cane Creek Mountains Natural Area has hilly hiking trails, a lookout tower, a handful of campsites, and breathtaking mountain views. Best of all, it's easily accessible since it's wedged in between two of the largest cities in the Tar Heel State.

The Cane Creek Mountains are a small range in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. They are home to Cane Creek Mountain, which, at 987 feet, is the state's highest peak east of Greensboro. They also sit south of Burlington, which is nestled in between Greensboro, a vibrant city with plenty of charming communities, and Raleigh, a lush oasis with urban charm and a thriving art scene. Once you start heading south, you'll discover rural communities such as Snow Camp. It was the perfect spot to build a nature park.

Cane Creek Mountains Natural Area is opening in incremental stages. It began welcoming visitors on one trailhead, the Pine Hill Trailhead, to start exploring its streams and forests in the spring of 2020. More trails, trailheads, and the campsites followed in the next few years, along with the Monadnock Lookout Tower, an observation tower that provides 360-degree views over the entire nature park. There are now multiple areas with parking lots and restrooms as well. One Google reviewer recommends Cane Creek Mountains Natural Area "for anyone wanting to see the beautiful Piedmont." 

There are now more than 15 miles of hiking trails, all interconnected loops, winding through Cane Creek Mountains Natural Area. They're accessible from three trailheads, each marked with colored blazes containing four-digit emergency codes. You'll find the Peach Orchard Trailhead on the nature park's western edge. It leads to three trails that combine into nearly 5 miles. The Varnals Creek Trail is a short loop out to its namesake. It connects with the Mountainview Trail, which passes a stone dam en route to your first glimpse of Cane Creek Mountain. Then, you can veer off on the Lark Loop, a steep, challenging climb.

The Pine Hill Trailhead is on the northeastern side of the nature park near the campsites. The family-friendly Longleaf Loop is on one side of it, while the Northern Approach Trail heads in the opposite direction. You'll see mature forests, distinct boulders, and streams, as the latter climbs in elevation to reach the lookout tower. It also meets the Heartleaf Loop, which can help you avoid a sharp climb to the top of the mountain.

You can reach the lookout tower on the aptly-named Lookout Trail from the Oak Hill Trailhead, too. This trail heads up the easier, south side of the mountain. Its wide path and gradual assents make the lookout tower approachable for everyone. From this trailhead, you can also follow the Pioneer Camp Trail to explore the abandoned buildings in a former youth summer camp.

Regardless of which path you take to the summit, you should climb the Monadnock Lookout Tower. It's 80 feet up 10 flights of stairs to the top, where you'll hover above the trees. You can look out to where the Cane Creek Mountains Natural Area will eventually expand to cover more than 1,000 acres. You can also see out-of-service towers atop Cane Creek Mountain to the west, Bass Mountain to the south, and city skylines — Mebane, Graham, Burlington, and even Greensboro — to the north and east. The panoramic view is breathtaking.

Just be sure to leave time to hike back down the mountain, as the entrance gates are locked when the park closes each night. Only campers are allowed to stay beyond this point. There are four primitive campsites in the Cane Creek Mountains Natural Area. They include tent pads, picnic tables, and fire rings, as well as restroom access. Though there's no cost to enter the nature park, you must pay a nightly fee to camp here. Reservations should be made online before your arrival.

Don't worry if you don't have plans to camp. Burlington, which has has local eats and charming family attractions, is just 12 miles north of the nature park. It's also an easy drive back to two airports. Though Greensboro's Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO) is slightly closer to the Cane Creek Mountains Natural Area, Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) receives flights from more destinations, including international ones.