North Cary Park

If your mental map of Cary parks starts and ends with the downtown park, North Cary Park is the reminder that the north side has a heavyweight of its own. It sits off Norwell Boulevard, and it packs a lot into one property.

There is a soccer field, basketball courts, and four sand volleyball courts if you are feeling competitive. There is a playground and a big picnic shelter if you are not. The signature piece is the climbing boulder, which kids treat like a mountain expedition. The shaded trails are the best part this time of year. They wind through the woods, cross the creek on a wooden footbridge, and connect into the Black Creek Greenway, so a short stroll can turn into a few miles before you notice.

Peak color is still about two weeks away here, and the trails at North Cary Park are one of the best seats in town for watching the leaves turn. The park is open sunrise to sunset, and on a crisp fall morning, with the color starting to come in over the trails, it is about as good as Cary gets. Bring a coffee and take the long way around.