Take a leisurely stroll along a nature trail or a more extensive hike into the heart of the woodlands. The park includes representative examples of an oak-hickory forest, moist hardwood forest, and piedmont floodplain forest. For those who don't want to tour the park by foot, some trails are also designated for horseback or mountain bike use. Pack your picnic basket, paddle the lake, put up a tent (Thursdays - Mondays only), or bring your group to an organized camp. There are ten trails at Umstead providing over 19 miles of fairly easy hiking.

• Visit the Piedmont Beech Natural area, a 50-acre tract deep in the heart of the park included in the National Registry of Natural Landmarks. Trees here are centuries old.
• Also visit the Crabtree Slopes Natural Area with extensive mountain laurel thickets found on the south side of Crabtree Creek.