Swift Creek Bluffs Nature Preserve, Raleigh, North Carolina
I have been trying out trails in the area this fall, since we have had some great weather. Swift Creek Bluffs Nature Preserve is in the south Raleigh area and is run by the Triangle Land Conservancy.
The park was easy enough to find with Google Maps.
The parking lot is very small, and can only hold about 5 cars. There isn’t anywhere nearby to park, as it is right along a fairly busy road. I would plan accordingly, and maybe go to Hemlock Bluffs if this preserve is full.
There is a kiosk at the trailhead. It has some useful information but it is very hazy and hard to see the map. I usually like to take a picture of the trail map but I couldn’t really get a visible picture to save.
I found this map online. Always check for the latest information before heading out. It does look like they are building a connection to a greenway at some point, and it will be great to see that addition. You can check online here.
These are dirt trails, there is nothing that is paved. There were a lot of leaves and roots, as well as stairs and steep hills with dropoffs, so I would not recommend this if you do not feel steady on your feet or uneven terrain.
There are some walkways over some areas that probably get muddy or flooded.
I took the yellow trail, which is basically an in and out trail. I didn’t see any trail markers, and there were some spots that it was tough to see where the trail was other than where the leaves were flattened.
The trail has some steep portions, known as “Stairway to Heaven”, which consists of a lot of stairs!
To be honest, I wasn’t a big fan of this hike. The trails aren’t marked, and it was hard to see the trails in spots.
I did see this post up near the top of the bluffs above the Stairway to Heaven, which looks like it belonged to a marker system and should say “8”, but I did not see others. Perhaps I missed them, but there was no signage anywhere on the trails,
I actually accidentally took the creek loop on the way back. The preserve isn’t that big, and since it is narrow, it would hard to actually get lost, but it is frustrating not to see any signs or trail markers.
This is not the most scenic preserve. The creek is a bit eroded and there are a lot of fallen trees. The view from the top of the bluffs was ok, but not incredible.
I would probably pass on going hiking here again in the future. The parking lot was small, the kiosk was hard to see the map, the trails were not marked, the trails were hard to see at times, there were a lot of roots, and the in and out trails are not my favorite. I do appreciate land conservation, but this was not a particularly nice hike for me.
If you are looking for something nearby, I would recommend Yates Mill or Hemlock Bluffs.
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