Any longtime followers will know that we love the Triangle Land Conservancy's beautiful properties, and we can now confirm that their newest location, the Bailey and Sarah Williamson Preserve in Raleigh continues this legacy.
What we found very interesting about this property is that it is a long strip of land, that essentially lends itself to a choose-your-own-adventure of nature trails. As you can see from the last photo here, the trails are a number of stacked loops, so it’s up to you just how far you want to go into the preserve! With both bike and walking trails, you can be super adventurous and go all the way down to the Clayton Riverwalk, or you can be a little more conservative like us (read: having a toddler in tow), and stick to the first 2 loops. After the initial walk into the preserve, we chose the Two Pond Loop, which was 0.9 of a mile, and thought it was perfect. This is a walking only trail with, you guessed it, two beautiful ponds.
Make sure you don’t miss the area labeled the “White Barn” on the map - it’s on the first part of the trail and close to the parking lot. This area has a fantastic series of posters with information about the history of the land that now makes up the preserve.
Logistics: parking lot is not incredibly large, but has a fair amount of space. There are NO BATHROOMS that we saw, so be prepared. Definitely not a stroller friendly destination.
Also important, please read the signs as you enter - they have important information like this: “Most trails at Williamson Preserve go in one direction. Sunday-Wednesday, walkers turn right at trail intersections, and bikers and runners turn left. Thursday-Saturday, walkers turn left, and bikers and runners turn right.”
Have you been out to this new preserve? Let us know in the comments!
(Note: We're currently working on updating our website with our reviews. This review was originally posted on Instagram and Facebook on December 8, 2020.)
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