Johnson Mill Nature Preserve

One for the Ages

Greenways and More

School of Rocks

Battle's Park

Johnson Mill Preserve >

The Wrath of Winter

Those looking to escape from the city, but lacking the financial resources or the time to plan a trip to favorite nearby destinations like the Great Smoky Mountains, the beaches Outer Banks, or to North Carolina's section of the scenic the Blue Ridge Parkway, have another option, one that is a bit closer to home. While only a small stand of hardwood forest in comparison, Johnson Mill Nature Preserve offers local residents some of the same qualities - quiet, solitude, natural diversity, and recreational opportunities - as North Carolina's more well-known public lands. But there's the difference. Johnson Mill Nature Preserve is not, in fact, publicly owned land, but is a land trust administered by the Triangle Land Conservancy (TLC) that is open to the public year-round. Johnson Mill is one of several tracts of land in the greater Triangle area (which consists of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, and the surrounding communities), that the TLC has purchased over the years with private funds and set aside as nature preserve. At Johnson Mill, one can find a number of rare plant and animal species, historic mill sites, and a number of creeks that criss-cross the nearly 300-acre site. The preserve is rarely crowded, which adds to its appeal.

For directions, regulations, and more information on the TLC, visit: http://www.tlc-nc.org/johnston_mill_np.shtml.