Walnut Creek Wetland Park

Nature Center

The park office is located in the lobby of the Norman and Betty Camp Education Center. Our Education Center offers public restrooms and water fountains as well as two classrooms that are available for public renting. Additionally, the Norman and Betty Camp Education Center provides ADA accessibility to park patrons and hosts a variety of green building features. The education center lobby is open and free to the public Tuesday through Sunday during operating hours and offers access to several free amenities:

• Drop-in Services: available staff can provide an oral history of the park, give guided building tours, provide trail maps, and answer questions related to the park. We can also provide groups of patrons with scavenger hunt card in English or Spanish. Calling in advance for groups larger than six is recommended. 
• Gear Closet: front desk staff can assist you borrowing dip nets, rain boots or waders in a variety of sizes and catch basins for independent creek exploration. Additionally, we offer field guides and binoculars for patrons interested in birding from our deck or around the park. Other gear you could engage with include our ecoExplorer Backpacks, checkers or chess pieces for our game table in our food forest, and trail maps.  
• Meet Our Animal Ambassadors: Walnut Creek Wetland Park currently hosts four animal ambassadors: an Eastern King Snake, a Black Rat Snake, an Eastern Box Turtle, and a Cope’s Grey Tree Frog. Available staff can assist in introductions and provide related education on individual ambassador species. 
• Free Library: the Education Center lobby hosts a variety of books on nature-related topics for all reading levels, to include a carpeted area for children’s story time and a library exchange box outside of the lobby door. 
• Sensory Bags: these bags are designed for people who are interested in engaging in nature while having their sensory needs met and accommodated for. These bags, designed and provided by the City’s Specialized Recreation and Inclusion Services (SRIS) department, contain headphones, marble sliders, a pop-it device, stretchy string, sunglasses, a slinky, a sand timer and communication cards.  
• Craft Table: the Education Center lobby hosts a free crafting table that follows the Center’s monthly nature theme! Make seasonal crafts, free draw or complete puzzles and board games in this area. 
• Leisure Areas: Walnut Creek Wetland Park offers accessible leisure areas perfect for groups lunching in the park. We have rocking chairs on our deck, picnic tables and electric charging stations in our parking lots, and seating near both of our art installations on the north and south end of the park. 

Park Rules

Please enjoy your visit with us and help us preserve it for future generations: 

• Stay on designated trails. Natural surface trails are marked with blazes. Bicycles and skateboards are limited to the greenway system that runs through the park.  
• Always keep pets leashed and under your control. Pets can be disruptive to wildlife and vegetation. Pets off trails can pick up ticks or be bitten by copperheads.  
• Pick up after your pet. Pet waste can become a water pollutant. Extra waste bags for your pet can be found at our Nature Center’s front desk.  
• Smoking is prohibited in the park and alcohol is limited to special events with appropriate permitting.  
• Leave no trace. Please recycle and throw away trash in the appropriate receptacles.  
• Collection of any plants, animals, rocks or artifacts in the park is strictly prohibited with the exception of designated picking areas (Food Forrest would be the jump to link for cultural & natural resources).  
• Drones are not allowed except by permit. Contact the Special Events office at 919-996-2200. 
• Please exit the facilities by closing time.  

Trails & Maps

Walnut Creek Wetland Park lies at the confluence of Little Rock Creek and Walnut Creek Greenway trails, at about the halfway point on the Walnut Creek Greenway between Lake Johnson and the Neuse River Greenway.Cyclists enjoy using the Walnut Creek Wetland Park as a place to adjust or pump up their tires at the bike repair station. Additionally, the Center currently maintains two natural surface trails totaling in roughly a half of a mile of walking trails. 

• Ross Andrew’s Loop (0.21 miles): this trail includes natural and mulched areas. A short path to overlook the creek is located on the southeast. The trail is located within a wetland, offering a unique nature experience through exploration of our coverboards and frog pipes, but may be flooded after large rain events. 
• Beaver Crossing Gateway Trail (0.26 miles): located south of Walnut Creek, the trail is accessible from South State Street via a steep concrete staircase and from Bailey Drive (located in the Rochester Heights neighborhood). While most of the trail is unmaintained natural surface, two elevated footpaths (approximately 3’ by 5’) allow for passing over low areas. Due to the location of this trail in the wetland, this trail can often become flooded. Check-in with front desk staff about borrowing boots to check out visible beaver dams and wildlife corridors along this trail. 

Trail maps are available on-site for patron usage and will be available online soon. 

Programs

Walnut Creek Wetland Park offers paid programming to both the public and private groups in a variety of environmental topics led by experts in the environmental education field. 

• Public Programming: Public programming at Walnut Creek Wetland Park is available for both individuals and families interested in learning more about specific nature topics. Courses offered vary between seasons. All public programs are available for registration through RecLink.
• Group Programs: Group programs are considered private programming and can be booked by one individual on behalf of the group (schools, professionals, clubs, etc.). There is a standard rate for this style of programming of $50 per hour with a one-time administrative fee of $1. Group Programs should be booked a minimum of four weeks in advance for adequate staffing.  Learn more about group programs and how to book them.
• Birthday Parties: Walnut Creek Wetland Park offers several nature-themed birthday party packages as an add-on to facility rentals. Party packages run an hour long and require a three-hour minimum rental. Fees associated with this style of program cost $30. Learn more about how to book a Birthday Party package with us.

Facility Rentals

The Norman and Betty Education Center currently hosts two, indoor, classroom-style rooms for public renting as well as the ability for additional add-ons like private deck usage and birthday party packages. Request your rental online using RecLink or by reaching out to the facility. 

Neuse River Room

The Neuse River Room is a carpeted, 44’ by 32’ room with lots of natural light, that has a capacity of 62 people. This room provides access to a whiteboard, pull-down projection screen and a full warming kitchen. This room requires a two-hour minimum rental and runs a standard rate of $80 per hour/$135 per hour with private East Deck usage. 

View room set-up options

Walnut Creek Room

The Walnut Creek Room is a laminate-tiled, 36’ by 32’ room with lots of natural light, with a capacity of 49 people. This room provides access to a whiteboard, a pull-down projector screen and two sinks with counter space. This room requires a two-hour minimum rental and runs a standard rate of $65 per hour / $120 per hour with private West Deck usage. 

View room set-up options

Relevant Rental Forms

• A comprehensive guide to renting at Walnut Creek Wetland Park
• Birthday Party Request Forms can be completed and sent to mark.steffen@raleighnc.gov / wc.wetlandcenter@raleighnc.gov 

Cultural and Natural Resources

Park History

In response to a history of environmental injustices committed against the Black communities of Southeast Raleigh, the concept of the Walnut Creek Wetland Nature Center arose from organized cleanup efforts led by the local Episcopal Churches, who later became a unified group still known to us as Partners for Environmental Justice (PEJ). Created in 1995 by Dr. Norman Camp and Ed Mulligan, PEJ is an interracial, grassroots organization designed to restore wetland health with the goal of providing economic, educational and beautification benefits to the historically Black communities of Biltmore Hills and Rochester Heights.  

Annexed by the City of Raleigh in 2003 and opened in September of 2009, Walnut Creek Wetland Education Center and Nature Park still moves to uphold the ideologies of Dr. Norman Camp by continuing its partnership with PEJ and the surrounding communities to increase awareness of the importance of wetland health and foster positive human interaction with the natural environment. The park is intended to protect this urban green space for the continued enjoyment of all people and the promotion of environmental stewardship.  

Public Art

• Stormwater Monolith: designed by artist Derrick Beasley, this permanent art installation is meant to depict the history of flooding in the neighborhoods surrounding Walnut Creek Wetland Park, Biltmore Hills and Rochester Heights, and offer the viewer a ‘window’ to the importance of green stormwater management. The rocks placed around the piece are meant to serve as a quiet gathering space perfect for those resting on Little Rock Greenway or lunching in the park. It is also located closely in proximity to the Park’s food forest. In addition to visiting the center, you can visit the City’s Stormwater page on Green Stormwater Infostructure (GSI) to learn more. 
• Bailey Gateway Plaza: designed by Design Workshops, this temporary art installation is meant to highlight some of the original homeowners in Rochester Heights, the first historically registered African American neighborhood in Raleigh, who demonstrated dedication to the growth of their community. This temporary installation was funded by The Conservation Fund in the first phase of their Parks with a Purpose project to revitalize the south end of the Park – a project recognized as the Bailey Drive Gateway project at Walnut Creek Wetland Park. 

Community Food Forest

The Master Plan design for Walnut Creek Wetland Park originally included a community garden and other food related elements to help raise awareness about food deserts and insecurities around the city – specifically in Southeast Raleigh. Located along Little Rock Greenway and across the street from the Norman and Betty Camp Education Center, this Community Food Forest is the first public orchard that the City of Raleigh has established. 

• What is a Food Forest?
  A food forest, also referred to as a forest garden, food way, or public orchard, is a diverse planting of edible plants that attempts to mimic the ecosystems and patterns found in nature. Food Forests are three dimensional designs that consist of an overstory, understory, shrub, herbaceous, root, and ground cover layer. They have been used for thousands of years around the world. 
• Food Deserts
  A food desert is an area that has limited access to affordable and nutritious food. The designation considers the type and the quality of food available to the population, in addition to accessibility of the food through the size and proximity of food stores. Southeast Raleigh is a designated food desert, meaning many of the people who live in this area experience food insecurities.  
• Want to Get Involved?
  If you’re interested in helping us maintain and expand this area of the park, we often have scheduled volunteer maintenance days through the Volunteer Services webpage. Additionally, if you’re looking to schedule a workday that isn’t already posted you can reach out to celia.lechtman@ralieghnc.gov / wc.wetlandcenter@raleighnc.gov with your inquiry.