Umstead State Park - Sycamore Trail
| Type: |
Day Hike - Out and Back |
| Distance (Total): |
7.2 miles / 11.6 km |
| Elevation Gain: |
454 feet / 138 meters |
| Minimum Elevation: |
| Maximum Elevation: |
| Hiking Season: |
- All Year Long
|
| Things To See: |
- Woods
|
| Difficulty: |
Intermediate |
| Rating: |
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
| Nearby Town: |
Raleigh, North Carolina, United States |
The Sycamore Trail offers the park’s best glimpse into its past, in part because it’s Umstead’s longest trail. Umstead’s more recent past presents itself within the first few hundred yards. The blue-blazed trail descends immediately to Potts Branch, a small draw that felt the wrath of Hurricane Fran in 1996 as much as any part of the park. Fran made a direct hit on Umstead, washing away bridges, flattening buildings, and blowing over hundreds of trees. Along Potts Branch, the massive beeches and oaks that lie helter-skelter are a reminder of the hurricane’s destruction.
