Sunday Stroll: Bond Park
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I’ve gone trail running at Bond Park before. It must have been two, maybe two and a half years ago, because I remember the shoes I wore: my old black Nike Frees with hot pink and neon yellow accents. Gosh, I loved those shoes. They carried me through my first half marathon at OBX in fall 2014 and by the time I went trail running at Bond Park the soles had been worn smooth so I slipped and slid over roots and rocks and down little gullies of slick red clay.
I had much better traction on this trip to Bond Park in my Altra trail runners, not least because I didn’t actually run. Dad and Ryder cruised ahead in short bursts while I moseyed along, tortoise-like, taking pictures and catching Pokemon, eventually catching up to my eager hares at intervals.
Bond Park is quite large for a municipal park. It has an amphitheatre, several picnic pavilions, ball fields, playgrounds, a small lake and boathouse with available rentals, and a huge open green space for frisbees or kicking around a ball or just idling in the sun. The trails all intersect with a large kiosk in the green space that points you off in the appropriate direction based on your interest: paved greenway that connects to other Cary trails for bicycles, two wooded trails over soft pine needles and leaves, and the lake trail that hugs the lake perimeter.
We took the lake trail because of its scenery and easy distance. We skimmed past fishermen on the banks with grimy buckets and watched boats gently float on the lake - wide, flat-hulled rowboats where fishing poles lazed over the sides, or kayaks and canoes that slid gently over the water. On the lake edge opposite the boathouse there are houses that back up to the trail so you never really feel like you’re too far from anything, but the park maintains a welcoming sense of community with its inviting open space. It’s no wonder it’s so popular with Cary residents: with all its amenities, trails, and large space it has wide appeal.
There are also a few boy scout projects, benches, and memorials along the lake trail.
Try it:
Lake Trail is 2 miles.
Park near the boathouse and walk along the paved greenway to the kiosk to get oriented.
Check the park map here:
Best time to visit: whenever!
If it’s hot there are water activities or shaded trails. If it’s cold jog along the trails or warm yourself in the sunny meadow.
Have you been to Bond Park before? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
It has been SO LONG since my last Sunday Stroll post! No joke, it’s been almost a year since my last Sunday Stroll post on Adams Tract in Carrboro, eek!! And while I’ve been hiking and running, that’s a fair representation of how long it’s been since I went on a Sunday Stroll with my dad. We’ve only ever been on one other Sunday Stroll since then at Clemmons forest, and I just haven’t posted about that. (Also my bad.) But I’d been talking a big game about reviving our Sunday Stroll tradition, and I even texted my dad to check his availability for a recent Sunday morning, only I never actually followed up with him on when or where or how far.
So fast forward to Sunday morning. I’m lying in bed being a lazy bum, and my doorbell rings. It’s my dad. Asking, “Hey, where are we going hiking this morning?”
😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳