The massive cliffs of Raven Rock State Park draw many adventurous locals. Every outdoorsman will find something to enjoy here. The convenience to the Triangle and Fayetteville along with the variety of trails makes Raven Rock State Park an ideal place to get out in nature.
Rocking near The Triangle and Fayetteville
Raven Rock State Park is an hour south from Raleigh and 45 minutes north from Fayetteville in Lillington. This is a convenient day trip for both the Triangle community and the Fayetteville community so it can get a little busy. The drive itself is very picturesque as it passes through plenty of rural communities. You are not close to any shops or restaurants so pack accordingly.
There is a fair amount of parking at each trail head area. We came on a sunny Saturday in May and had no issue finding a spot. That being said, there are no viable alternative parking areas. Parking on the road side is not allowed and will likely result in being towed.
Quick Learning Opportunities
The visitor center is located just to the north of the main parking area. This is a relatively new building and well maintained. Bathrooms are accessible from the outside and there are plenty of picnic areas to assemble your hiking groups. We ate our lunch here and found it pleasant. Trash cans were well kept so no bug issues.
Inside is a front desk and a decent little exhibit hall. The exhibits included general wildlife knowledge for the area as well as some nerdy geology and history for the park. I was completely unaware that there were river locks all throughout this area at one time. You can see where this NC river infrastructure once stood on some of the trails. These exhibits were interactive enough that Madilyn was enjoying it yet detailed enough that my dad and I were learning.
That’s a Big Rock
There are a few great trails accessible from the main parking area. We chose to check out THE Raven Rock since that is the name of the park. The namesake trails runs from the visitor center in a 2.6 mile loop. The trail heads were all well marked and matched map from what we saw. The trail is rated as “easy” on the park map. I agree with this unless you want to actually see the Raven Rock.
When you get to the Raven Rock area, you will be faced with two options. Walk down some narrow stairs along a sloping cliff or just admire the view from the near by overlook. Most people will want to go down the stairs so you can see the rocks themselves which are massive. You will not be able to appreciate them until you are down there looking up at them. The pictures I took do not do the cliffs justice.
You Made It!
You can explore at the bottom but be careful not to fall into the river while doing so. The river bank is steep when you get closer to it. Needless to say, my dad and I were spending a lot of energy corralling Madilyn away from dangerous areas. All the same, we were glad we did it. I would not have thought these types of massive cliffs were in the piedmont without seeing them for myself. That being said, do be careful on this trail. The cliff edges (more like buffs) are not far from the trails edge at multiple points.
Wait We Have To Go Back?
My dad (the guy in the orange hat) and I are no strangers to hiking but going up these stairs can get the better of some people. There is a bench at the top to help some people catch their breath. Be patient on these stairs since they are barely big enough for one person at times. Madilyn insisted she walk all the way up these stairs by herself. After we got to the top, we carried here most of the way back.
We could never walk every trail of these larger parks we visit. And besides, why would we when the folks over at AllTrails.com have already done that. Take a look at their Raven Rock State Park page for a more in-depth look at what the other trails have to offer.
Ride Around
In addition to the fair assortment of hiking trails, there is also a few biking trails and horse back trails. Having hiked combo equine-pedestrian trails before, I greatly appreciate that these are fully separated. The only thing worse than finding a pile of horse poop on a trail is stepping in it.
The horse trails are on the north side of the Cape Fear River. In order to access this part of the park, you have to leave the park and drive about 30 minutes to get to the stables area. There are bathrooms on site up here also. There are two trails that are 4 miles each
The Bike trails also have a separate parking area but this is just down the road from the main entrance. This is co-located with the RV/Trailers camping loop.
Overall
Raven Rock State Park is a great place to get in touch with nature on a Saturday morning. The convenient location to Fayetteville and Raleigh results in the well trafficked park we find today. There is a fair variety of trails that makes this ideal for repeat visits and testing out hobbies. All around solid park.
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