100 Parkside Commons Drive, Knightdale, NC
The Mingo Creek Trail is a 3.5 mile trail that runs beside the Mingo Creek through Knightdale until it meets up with the Neuse River Trail in Raleigh. There’s a few trail entrances, but the location at 100 Parkside Commons Drive has a playground and basketball courts available for even more fun! There’s also a police K-9 dog training course right at the trail entrance, so if you’re lucky you might get a dog show while you’re there too!
Mingo Creek Park Playground
We mainly went to walk the Mingo Creek Trail, so the playground was an added bonus. However, it was closed due to social distancing requirements so we didn’t actually get to play on it.
The playground has a mulch surface and gets partial shade in the afternoon. Come prepared with sunscreen because I’m guessing most of the day it’s in direct sun.
There was a slide and a few swings, plus some climbing structures. It looked like a pretty average playground, and bonus that it’s right next to the basketball court. Maybe the parents can shoot some hoops while the kids play! Or if the kids get tired of the playground, bring a basketball so they can try out the courts.
Mingo Creek Trail
The Mingo Creek Trail is a great place to walk or ride bikes. When we were there it wasn’t nearly as crowded as the popular Neuse River Trail. There were a lot less bikes out so we didn’t have to worry about the kids wandering all over the trail and getting hit. It was a nicely paved trail, perfect for strollers, with a few bridge overlooks along the way. The kids enjoyed throwing sticks in the water and watching them float away.
We walked about a half a mile until we reached this small beach area. We were going to let the kids play in the sand by the creek, but there was an unexpected visitor taking over the space. The kids got to view a raccoon in the wild for the first time. We believe she was pregnant and about to have babies, because she didn’t move from that spot the whole time!
For another great walking trail in the area, try the Knightdale Environmental park near East Regional library. You can also check out our tot spot map for more fun places to play!