I was thinking about…The King’s Forest
By Andy Lee
I was thinking about William B. Umstead State Park, just outside Raleigh, NC. I’ve never actually been there myself, but from the photos I’ve seen online and what I’ve read, it looks like a gorgeous oasis of nature surrounded by the growing cities of the Triangle region. I got curious about how this little gem came to be preserved as public parkland.
A little Googling told me the land was originally owned by the Ruffin and Cameron families back in the 1700-1800s. They had mills and farms on the property. Then in the 1920s some businessman named William Boyd Umstead bought the land for his personal hunting and recreation area. He called it “The King’s Forest”.
William Umstead was quite an outdoorsman apparently. He loved hunting and fishing, so the 5,000 acres of forests, creeks and meadows were a perfect retreat for him. He built a lodge, boathouse, and other structures to accommodate his recreational lifestyle. Over three decades, he turned the land into his own private wilderness sanctuary.
Fast forward to the 1950s when Umstead became the governor of NC. Nearing the end of his term, he set aside money to buy the land back from his family and turn it into a state park. I guess he wanted to preserve some of that rural Piedmont landscape that he loved so much for future generations. The park was officially established in 1966, a year after he passed away.
Nowadays, Umstead State Park covers over 5,600 acres of forests, creeks, and lakes. There are miles of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding that wind through hardwood forests and along the shores of three lakes – Crabtree, Reedy Creek, and Lyons. It provides habitat for deer, beavers, foxes, and a ton of birds, including woodpeckers, warblers and bald eagles. From the photos online, the hardwood forests look shady and peaceful, with towering oaks, hickories, and tulip poplars creating a canopy overhead.
It’s amazing to me that, thanks to Umstead’s vision back in the 50s, there’s this huge natural area just minutes from downtown Raleigh. Without his efforts, it could easily have become more housing developments or shopping centers. Now locals and visitors can experience 5,600 acres of North Carolina wilderness right in Raleigh’s backyard!
I’d love to visit someday and experience the hiking trails through “the king’s forest” myself. I can only imagine how nice it would be to take a walk along Company Mill Trail by one of the lakes, surrounded by nothing but trees and the sounds of birds and wind. Getting out into nature is so relaxing and rejuvenating. It seems like the perfect little escape from the city, right in Raleigh’s backyard. Definitely on my list of places to check out!
Stay curious, keep exploring.
I was thinking about... 