Mayo Park

The perfect place to get away, enjoy the wild and still be only an hour away from civilization/​home (i.e. Durham). Mayo Park is a perfect day trip or overnight camping trip for an nature lover. With hiking trails, camp grounds, playgrounds, bathrooms/​showers on site, picnic tables and shelters, little cabins for rent (if you need less nature!), an amphitheater, RV campsites, a disc golf course and horseshoe pits… did I miss anything?! I’m SURE I did. But regardless, Mayo Park has got it all. It’s fairly easy to navigate the park, but you can always pick up a map at the ranger station. The park boarders Mayo Lake where you can swim, paddle boat/​canoe AND bring your boat. I observed many motor boats and jet ski’s while basking in the wonderful nature.
Visiting on a Sunday afternoon in late March, the park was very quiet. We took the Beaver Trail (the second longest at 1.15 miles, the Red Hawk Trail is 1.92 miles – so this isn’t extreme hiking by any means, and the trails are very beginner level). You could hear birds and insects of all varieties. We packed a picnic and weren’t disturbed during our 4+ hours of our stay. I’m really interested in checking out the cabins and doing an overnight trip (each had a separate fire bit and grill); they are small but cozy and could make for a lovely beginner camper. Also, I love that everything (tent sites, cabins and hiking trails) are all directly on the water! If you are looking to get away from the city, this is a great option. A only an hour outside of Durham, it’s an easy and scenic drive.