Little River Park & Occoneechee Mountain Natural Area in the Triangle Area (Durham, NC)

Little River Park was one of my favorite hiking spots in Rougemont, NC. Located only 5 minutes from my rental, the park was small but offered a whole lot! Most mornings I would go for a walk there before starting my work day. It was not a popular destination with tourists, but a pleasant retreat for locals. Most trails were relatively short, up to 3 miles round trip. The park was really nice a quiet, especially in the mornings when cicadas were most active. 

There was a short paved section at the beginning of the hikes

I loved the feeling of pine needles under the hiking shoes. They added softness to already comfortable shoes so that it felt like waking of soft sheets.

After multiple thunderstorms almost every day the floor of the forest was covered with different kinds of mushrooms, big or small.

Not sure what kind of mushrooms they were, but I left them alone in the wild for animals and other creatures to consume.

Occoneechee Mountain Natural Area was another peaceful park in Hillsborough, NC, only 20 minutes from my place. I hiked there several times. This was bit more challenging because of some elevation gain which in high temperatures plus humidity equaled lots of sweating. I hate sweating!

The main trail was just under 2.5 miles round trip with magnificent views from the top.

The trail itself was wonderful. Many spots had even wider variety of mushrooms than in Little River Park.

Somebody already nibbled on this one

On one occasion, I decided to hike to the park from a different spot starting in Hillsborough. The trail went along Hillsborough River Walk towards the park where I found a couple of interesting historic objects. 

Fabulous deer

Huts

Inside the hut

Some artistic piece

It turned out to be a longer trek than I signed up for, especially when the temperatures were over 90 F. I got to the the park loop and after visiting the overlook spot turned around. On the way back, I stopped by Weaver Street Market and got amazing local peaches and at the bakery (Hillsborough Bakeshop) where hazelnut pastry was calling my name.