A Guide to Trails at the NC Museum of Art

The North Carolina Museum of Art is free and open to public from dawn to dusk, and it features 4.7 miles of trails.

It’s a great place to take a walk or ride a bike. There are art displays setup throughout the park, some of which change over time. There are also ponds, many shaded areas, as well as places to sit down and eat or relax with a book.

The Museum, which originally opened in 1983, sits on a 164-acre campus off Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh, not far from Lenovo Center, Carter-Finley Stadium, William B. Umstead Park, and UNC Health REX Hospital.

How do I get to the trails?

Trails are accessible from the parking lots at the North Carolina Museum of Art. You can enter off Blue Ridge Road using District Drive or Reedy Creek Road.

Trails are also accessible using the Capital Area Greenway. So if the 4.7 miles of trails in the park isn’t enough for you, there are many more miles you can pick up using connecting greenways.

Where do the trails take me?

There are a few different trails that you can access on the campus.

• Blue Loop: This a 1.5 mile long paved trail that takes you through the woods, crosses a creek, passes by the Lowe’s Pavilion and the Gyre, before coming back towards the Ellipse. The best place to park for access to this trail is in the District Drive parking lot.
• All-Access Eco Trails: These paved trails are 0.25 and 0.75 miles respectively, but that includes a lot of overlap between the two trails near the Ellipse. The longer trail curls through the Volunteer Garden and out to the Pond, passing a picnic area on the way. You can easily access these trails from the lots on Reedy Creek Road or Blue Ridge Road.
• Upper Meadow Trail: This is an unpaved trail that connects the Blue Loop to itself and other unpaved trails. At 0.2 miles long, the Upper Meadow Trail starts near the Ellipse on the Blue Loop, with the Large Spindle Piece near the trail head. It passes the No Fuss piece before reconnecting with the Blue Loop at the Crossroads/Trickster I art piece. You can continue onto the Blue Loop or keep going straight towards more unpaved trails.
• Capital Area Greenway: The large greenway project that spans much of Raleigh and Wake County also connects — and transverses — the museum park. It begins at the Reedy Creek entrance, makes its way down Blue Ridge Road, past the Smokestack and Beehives, and intersects with the Blue Loop. After it branches off from the Blue Loop at the Park Pictures, the trail winds downhill, crosses a creek, then has a steep uphill climb before getting to the pedestrian bridge that crosses I-440 at Wade Avenue. You can keep walking (or riding) on the trail for many miles after that.

You can get more information about the trails at the NC Museum of Art by looking at the official map.

Are the trails paved?

Many of the trails at the park are paved, but not all of them are. Some are dirt, others are gravel.

The Blue Loop, All-Access Eco Trails, and the Capital Area Greenway are all paved.

Other trails, like the Upper Meadow Trail, are not.

Can you bike on the trails?

Bikes are allowed on paved trails, but not on unpaved trails. Don’t worry though, where bikes are not permitted, signs will alert you. Walking and running are allowed on all park trails.

If you don’t own a bike, you can rent a bike at the Cardinal Bikeshare kiosk, which is located at the Reed Creek Road entrance.

The Blue Loop, All-Access Eco Trails, and Capital Area Greenway permit bike riding.

Are there restrooms and water fountains on the trails?

Once you get on the trails, there are no restrooms readily available. However, restrooms are available at the Welcome Center, which is located in the parking lot off District Drive.

Other restrooms are available inside the museum itself, but you will need to check operating hours.

Water fountains can be found at the Welcome Center and at the Ellipse.

Need more information?

The NC Museum of Art website has a lot of information about the park and the trails.

If you’re looking for more information about other walking, running, and biking trails in the Raleigh area of North Carolina, click here to see more from Uno’s Fitness.

Uno’s Fitness can help you be trail-ready!

Whether you’re just starting your fitness journey and want to begin walking or if you’re trail running and biking competitively, working with a Certified Personal Trainer can help you prepare for your workouts on the trail.

Uno’s Fitness can work with you on stretching and flexibility, best practices for recovery after a cardio workout, and strengthening core and leg muscles to prevent aches and pains.

Contact Uno’s Fitness today to setup a free consultation!