De Hart Botanical Gardens is a nature preserve located North of Raleigh in Louisburg, right off of 401. The garden provides a rustic hiking experience through a preserved forest with a couple small waterfalls. There is also a pruned lake area and bamboo garden that are such peaceful spots to explore!
Welcome Gazebo
We missed the gazebo when we first entered, but you’ll want to make it your first stop! There are printed maps to help you navigate the trails, a guest book to sign, and lost and found if you are trying to track down your missing items.
Waterfall Trail
We didn’t realize there were multiple trail entrances at first, so we just took the Waterfall Trail to the left of the parking lot. I was confused since I had seen pictures of the lake and this was definitely not it. The further we walked, I knew we weren’t coming to any lake or clearing. We eventually asked some passersby and they let us know there was a separate trail.
The Waterfall trail is a rough hiking loop. It’s definitely not the paved paths you see at the JC Raulston Arboretum or Duke Gardens. The kids were constantly tripping over roots and rocks, so I wouldn’t take a child who is new to walking. It’s definitely not stroller friendly at all. There are some spots where the trail narrows so much that we weren’t able to walk side by side.
Once you reach the waterfall, there are some rickety stairs to go down and you have to cross over the water. There hadn’t been a lot of rain before we went, so the waterfall was more of a trickle. But there was a little spot right next to the water where we set up a picnic. You could also play in water if you wanted to.
The trail is a loop back to the parking lot, and you can take a shorter path if needed. We did and it took us back through this high-wire clearing along the utility poles, which was much better for the kids since we had plenty of room to spread out and the path was an easier walk.
Lake Trail
Once we got back to the parking lot, I was still determined to find the beautiful lake I had seen pictures of. We took the lake trail and it was a much easier, shorter walk with a clearer path. At the entrance there was a small bridge and then we saw the De Hart Museum, although it was closed at the time.
The kids enjoyed climbing on the big boulders right before we made it to the overlook. I was excited to finally see the lake clearing!
The lake was beautiful and more of the garden atmosphere I was looking for. The kids enjoyed skipping rocks and climbing on more boulders. There was a small bridge and bench to sit on.
Children’s Bamboo Trail
The Children’s Bamboo trail listed on the map immediately caught my eye, so after we rounded the lake we set out to find it. Inside a bamboo forest we found another waterfall, which was much larger than the one on the waterfall trail. There was a bench and bridge nearby so it made for a great photo op! It was also pretty cool to walk through the bamboo and it felt like we were in a hidden world! I could see lots of fun pretend play happening here!
If you love hiking, definitely make the trip out to De Hart Botanical Gardens! It would be a great stop after visiting Breezy Pond Farm since it’s only about 15 minutes away from there!
For more Nature preserves, check out our list at https://www.raleightotspots.com/category/nature-preserve/ !