Running in Raleigh

Dorothea Dix Park is a 308 acre park just south of downtown Raleigh, developed on the grounds of a former state psychiatric hospital that the city acquired in 2015. The park's rolling open meadows sit on some of the highest ground in the city, giving runners one of the best skyline views of downtown Raleigh from anywhere in the metro area.

Paved and gravel paths loop through the park's open fields and connect to the Rocky Branch Trail greenway along the park's northern edge, which links toward downtown and NC State's campus. Because the park is still being developed in phases, some sections mix mowed grass paths with paved trail, but the open sightlines make it a favorite spot for locals to combine a workout with a sunset view.

The American Tobacco Trail is a paved and crushed stone rail trail that runs about 22 miles from downtown Durham south through Research Triangle Park and into Apex, cutting through Cary along the way. The Cary area section is the flattest, straightest long distance running surface in the Triangle, which is why the Tobacco Road Marathon is run entirely on it.

Because the trail follows an old rail corridor, grade changes stay minimal for miles at a stretch, and mile markers along the way make pacing straightforward for tempo work or long runs. The trail passes through wooded corridors for much of its length with only occasional road crossings, making it one of the few places in the Triangle where runners can log 15 or 20 uninterrupted miles without doubling back.