One thing we noticed about the larger cities in North Carolina is that each has lots of nice parks. One park in the Raleigh area called Lake Johnson Nature Park is a favorite of ours for a scenic nature hike while still being located within the city.
Lake Johnson Nature Park is not only a metro park but it is also a nature preserve. We loved walking the 2.8 mile paved trail around the lake. One morning we met our daughter Katie and her dog Benny for that nice hike around the lake. Benny was probably more excited about the hike that any of us were.
There is ample parking at the trailhead entrance and an overflow parking lot nearby if the main lot is full. The trail began by taking us on an extended boardwalk over the edge of Lake Johnson. We passed several fishermen on the boardwalk who weren’t having much luck based upon my queries.
Once we were off the boardwalk we entered a thick forested canopy of pines and mixed hardwoods approaching 130’ in height. The canopy of this mature Southern Mixed Hardwood Forest lets in very little light so the woods are fairly open underneath. The shade keeps the temperatures underneath the canopy making this a popular hike.
We hiked the trail during the middle of the week and it was still rather crowded as we passed people occasionally as we ambled along. The trail has quite of bit of elevation but mostly due to the constant up and down slopes of the terrain near the lake.
There were lots of mushroom and other fungi littering the forest floor peeking out through the dense layer of pine thatch in the woods. We found opportunities along the trail to venture closer to the lake for some spectacular views. Benny especially enjoyed wading in the lake to cool off.
The trail is pretty much shaded the entire way other than a small open area where the dam is located.. Adjacent to the dam was a wild patch of passion flowers blooming. Of course we had to stop to admire and photograph these most beautiful flowers. It was a great sighting and a fitting end to the hike as we made our way back to the car. What a great oasis for all the city dwellers to enjoy!
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