I’m excited to share this one with you today because it’s a hiking area with a unique twist. You’ll be able to hike around a diverse range of settings, share the space with lots of wildlife, and even see a historic water powered mill. Here’s my guide on how to plan a day trip to Historic Yates Mill County Park with everything you need to know to prepare for your adventure.
How To Plan A Day Trip To Historic Yates Mill County Park
Disclaimer
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FAQ for visiting the Historic Yates Mill County Park
Where is it located?
Raleigh, a little over an hour from Fayetteville.
How much does it cost?
Free to enter and free parking.
How long do you need to spend there?
About 3 hours if you want to do all the trails and stop for a picnic. All depends on your pace of course.
Is it kid friendly?
Yes, very kid friendly but not stroller friendly.
Is it pet friendly?
No, it’s a wildlife reserve and pets are not allowed.
What facilities are available?
There are restrooms by the parking area.
What skill level is required?
Beginner.
What should you bring with you?
- Water – I use this insulated bottle so I have cold water on the trails
- Sun protection
- Picnic lunch or snacks
- Comfortable walking shoes – these are my fav hiking shoes for beginners, but any sneakers will work for this hike
- Camera – this is my favorite action camera for outdoor adventures and I use it with this mini selfie stick and tripod combo
- A book to read while you chill out in nature – how about the one I wrote! 😀
Pick up one of the brochures with a map on your way in
First thing’s first
If you want a guide of even more adventures near Fayetteville, check out my Ultimate Fort Bragg Bucket List.
It’s full of day trip ideas, long weekend destinations, and unique events that will make filling your weekends simple and stress free!
How to get there and where to park
Thankfully, getting there from Fayetteville is easy and straight forward.
You can use ‘Historic Yates Mill County Park’ in Google Maps and it will take you directly to the parking area.
It’s well signed off the main road as well.
Nice place for some hiking and a picnic in nature
The mill
What makes this park unique is the 18th century water powered grist mill you can see.
What’s a grist mill? Yeah, I had no idea either. But it was cool to learn that this mill is powered by the water to grind corn and wheat.
Pretty interesting stuff to be able to see while hiking!
Aside from putting the ‘historic’ in ‘historic Yates Mill County Park’, the mill also makes for a photogenic spot especially on a clear day.
Guided tours and demonstrations are offered and the money made from the tours goes back into preserving the mill. Check their website for more information on those programs. I’ve left a link to it at the end of this post.
The wildlife
One of the big highlights, well for me anyway, about visiting the Yates Mill County Park is the wildlife. It’s actually a native wildlife refuge.
If you also enjoy spotting animals while you’re out hiking, then I think you’ll like this one as much as I did.
I saw a few snakes (keep an eye out around the mill water – that’s where I saw them), deer, frogs, turtles, squirrels, and lots of birds.
Snake
Turtle
What to expect on the trails
There are about 3 miles of hiking trails at the park with three trails:
Mill Pond Trail
High Ridge Trail
Creekside Trail
The Mill Pond Trail will take you to the mill and give you some gorgeous, scenic views of the pond.
On the brochure, the High Ridge Trail is listed as strenuous, but I’d highly disagree with that. It had some incline sections which was the only thing close to strenuous, but if you have an average level of fitness, you should be fine.
The Creekside Trail was my favorite because I saw a lot of wildlife on this one and liked walking over the wooden bridges.
It’s quite noisy from traffic as you start hiking because you start right next to the road. However, as you go into the trails more it does get much more quiet and peaceful. The traffic is then replaced by the sound of squirrels rummaging around in leaves around you.
I like the diversity of hiking here. Between the three trails you get a bit of wetland, forest, and pond-side settings as well as a couple of open boardwalks to enjoy the sunshine.
If you don’t like hiking but want to see the park, you could still go there and see the mill, the pond, and walk along the boardwalk. Those are all close to the parking area and don’t require a hike to get to.
There are helpful brochures with maps available at the information signs near the parking lot.
How to navigate the trails
The trails are quite easy to follow because they are well marked and worn.
Just keep an eye out for the small icons of a person walking to guide you.
You can also hike all the trails in a big loop or do it as a point to point and turn around when you’ve had enough. It’s really up to you.
Look out for these trail markings
Water activities
This lake is not one that you go to for kayaking, swimming, or other water activities as it’s all prohibited here.
You can go fishing though, and it is only allowed from the boardwalk. The boardwalk is quite long and has plenty of room for fishing.
Other than fishing, this pond is just a spot to go to for animal spotting, a gorgeous natural area, and photography. It’s very photogenic from all angles!
For more information:
Visit the Historic Yates Mill County Park website for more information on guided tours and park updates.
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