Historic Yates Mill County Park

If you want to learn about mill history while being in nature then this is the place to visit! Parking was plentiful. There is a main building that acts as a visitor center/museum with restrooms located inside. The historic mill the park is named after, is a short walk from the parking area. We got many beautiful shots of the surrounding lake and wildlife the mill sits on. There were also lots of spots to sit down and have a rest while enjoying the outdoors. The main trail was not difficult maybe about a mile of flat terrain. The park does offer more challenging trails for adventurous hikers.

We went in February - so giving this review from the "winter" perspective in that we didn't see any wildlife except a few birds at that time of year. We spent about 45 minutes in the visitor center reading the history of the mill, the industry, and the area. Gave great context. Then we walked the trail around the lake (30 minutes); it was flat and easy. There are a couple of benches. Several trees are marked with numbers; there's a guide for that in the visitors center. Finally, we came to the mill. You can see the restored building, the millstone, various gears, and interpretive information. Very peaceful at that time of year.

a cute 20-30 minute loop around the lake. the mill itself is quite small and right next to the road and roaring traffic (time-of-day dependent, of course). Also has a small museum dedicated to the local history of the area. beware of slippery rocks! note: these are winter pics from earlier this year

Picturesque little park just a few minutes from Raleigh. We walked the loop which was a very easy on a solid dirt path. There is a mill to see and lots of birds. A very pleasant walk for all the family.

Easy to find. Very picturesque and good trails. Right around the corner from the state farmers market. Just be mindful, there are some steep inclines and stone steps with no railing.