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Historic Yates Mill County Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 654 Google reviews · Running trail in Raleigh, North Carolina · Posted hours
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Boardwalk
- Loop distance
- 2 mi
- Shape
- Loop
- Shade
- Tree cover
- Access
- Posted hours
Confirmed from Historic Yates Mill County Park's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
Wildlife refuge & agricultural-history site centered around an 18th-century water-powered gristmill.
What runners say about Historic Yates Mill County Park
“It is very clean, beautiful, serene and I love the mill and the sound of water cascading down onto the large boulders.”
“It is very clean, beautiful, serene and I love the mill and the sound of water cascading down onto the large boulders.”
“Expect the trail to be mostly flat, direct sun to semi-shaded, with wonderful views of the pond.”
“It is very clean, beautiful, serene and I love the mill and the sound of water cascading down onto the large boulders.”
“I would definitely hit this up if I lived close and the use of the park by families and folks of all ages per my observation is indicative of what is here.”
Very old Mill with beautiful nature. There are four walkway trails along with a lake. We took a smallest one which is 1 mile trail. This trail is alongside of lake. Nice views on this trail. It’s so crowded with trees, sunlight hardly touch the ground. We really enjoyed at actual Mill sight.
I Love this Park... I think it is the best I’ve seen in wake county so far. It is very clean, beautiful, serene and I love the mill and the sound of water cascading down onto the large boulders. Lots of photographers are there taking photos of brides to be, mothers to be or couples taking each other’s photos!
Beautiful park. Haven’t been for years and decided to visit recently. The lake and mill are beautiful. Very well maintained. Clean. Great spot for photography. Love it that dogs are not allowed. Great walking trail around the lake. Love this little park and will be back again soon.
It's great, pets are not allowed though. They have many picnic tables and benches. There are a couple of bridges that give nice views. The trail is quite easy to walk. There are nice and clean restrooms here and plenty of parking. Cute for photos.
Trail conditions & character
“It is very clean, beautiful, serene and I love the mill and the sound of water cascading down onto the large boulders.”
“Expect the trail to be mostly flat, direct sun to semi-shaded, with wonderful views of the pond.”
“Mill Pond Trail: One mile loop accessible at the Finley Center that loops around the pond.”
“Expect the trail to be mostly flat, direct sun to semi-shaded, with wonderful views of the pond.”
“This center has bathrooms, wonderful exhibits detailing history and wildlife, and informative staff.”
“The only downside was noticing a few questionable cars in the parking area, but overall it was a good experience.”
“The walk going up and down is a little steep (see 3rd picture) but do-able.”
“It is very clean, beautiful, serene and I love the mill and the sound of water cascading down onto the large boulders.”
“The Mill and Pond Boardwalk are on this trail and it seemed most traffic is on this trail.”
“Mill Pond Trail: One mile loop accessible at the Finley Center that loops around the pond.”
Plan your run at Historic Yates Mill County Park
The practical stuff
- AccessPosted hours — posted hours below; park gates sometimes close earlier than the listing says
- SurfaceBoardwalk — flat and scenic, and slick when wet, so watch your footing
- Loop distance2 mi back to where you parked
- ShadeRunners describe real tree cover here — it makes a summer afternoon workable
- At the trailheadparking, restrooms — reported by runners
- Stroller / wheelchairReported as smooth and step-free enough for a running stroller or a chair.
- Websitewakegov.com
- Phone(919) 856-6675
- Social Instagram · Facebook
Hours
| Monday | 8 AM–9 PM |
| Tuesday | 8 AM–9 PM |
| Wednesday | 8 AM–9 PM |
| Thursday | 8 AM–9 PM |
| Friday | 8 AM–9 PM |
| Saturday | 8 AM–9 PM |
| Sunday | 8 AM–9 PM |
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