North Carolina Arboretum

Or call (828) 665-2492 or email info@ncarboretum.org for more information.

• Courtney
  Aug 5, 2023
  Hiking

  The address took us to a locked employee entrance. Which ended up being fine because we drove down and found a trail that led into it. It was hard to figuire out which trail lead in but part of the adventure I guess. We also didn’t pay to park another plus! The gardens were pretty as well as the hike! overall a fun hike !

• Trisha
  May 6, 2023
  Expensive

  You forgot to mention is $30 for cars to park!

• Helen
  Jul 27, 2022
  A fantastic day out

  This is a beautiful park with gardens and trails for easy hiking with your dog. My coonhound loved the river trail and forest walks. She didn’t want to leave. The flatter trails worked well for our Basset hound who can’t walk too far. Benches along the trail meant my husband and Lizzie Basset could sit in the shade while I walked our coonhound along the trails. Highly recommended.

• Michelle
  Sep 29, 2021
  Great place to hike with dogs

  Hiked there today. Trails well maintained. Plenty of places for dog to swim and have picnic lunch.

• Monica
  Jul 29, 2021
  Outstanding!!

  extremely dog friendly!! trails for everyone - small pups or large pups!!

• Suzanne
  Mar 15, 2021
  Fun hike for pups

  Our dogs had a blast hiking here. The trails are well maintained and clean. (Just FYI there is a fee to park ($16) and dogs are not allowed inside buildings or in the bonsai area but there were plenty of trails to hike and it was well worth the money.)

• Shonda
  Oct 8, 2020
  A Great Spot to Hang Outside with Fido

  After searching out a socially-distanced spot to enjoy an afternoon, the arboretum did the trick! Having the dogs with us naturally helped us avoid the more crowded areas. A wonderful spot to picnic and walkabout.

• Shaana
  Sep 5, 2020
  Great Place For Pups

  We walked 4 miles of trails with our dog with no problem. The trials were easy to walk, amongst the trees for perfect shade. There is one trail which goes along a river, this gives lots of opportunity for your dog to take a paddle to cool off. Will definitely visit again!

• Sue
  Jun 20, 2020
  Beautiful Trails

  We took our 2 dogs here yesterday, walked 2 of the trails and checked out some of the gardens. We and our dogs totally enjoyed the surroundings!

• Cheddar bacon cheese
  Mar 15, 2020
  Fun Day In The Arboretum

  Really well maintained trails and beautiful creeks well worth the $16 admission. Did the bent creek trail and took the Carolina mountain trail back. Beautiful!!

• Kilene
  Nov 24, 2019
  Fun Morning!

  We took our pups here on a nice fall morning and did the Carlolina Montain and Bent Creek Trails. Took about an hour. Had a lot of fun!

• Laura
  Apr 16, 2019
  Plenty of Dog Visitors But Not Truly Friendly

  Although you can bring your dog, the buildings prohibit pets. Usually I’m fine with that if there is a reason (food served, private establishment and it is owner’s policy, space not conducive, or concerns about damage to property). But the welcome center is a giant modern accessible largely empty box. Nothing to damage, plenty of clearance, not even a place people would loiter. The kicker is that the entry to the gardens is through the welcome center. Since dogs cannot do that you must trek up and down a hill to use alternate entry. There is gate access adjacent to the building but it is padlocked. There’s no reason for access to be restricted in this punitive way. In mid-April we found the gardens only lightly blooming.

• Mia
  Dec 16, 2018
  Beautiful Even In The Snow

  My family loved this park! Great trails and absolutely stunning in the snow and cold!

• Lori
  More than a year ago
  Great trails

  Wonderful place to view plants and wildlife with your furry friend! Over 10 miles of trails. They are welcome anywhere except the bonsai Garden and inside the visitor center. Beautiful place! Lots of other dogs around too!

• Amara
  More than a year ago
  Beautiful long walk

  We had a great time walking through all sorts of paths through the gardens and forest.
  Things to know:
  $14 parking day pass for a normal car
  Only Service dogs inside
  There are deer in the forest.
  Keep an eye out for snakes - mostly near/in the water, but sometimes on the forest paths (wasn’t an issue, just be aware)

• Laura
  Aug 13, 2018
  Perfect Hiking with Pups

  Very well maintained grounds with great hiking trails for pups! We had a 2 year old Goldendoodle who had a blast running in and out of the streams and a 6 month old hound puppy who really enjoyed his first hiking experience.

• Whitney
  More than a year ago
  wonderful

  Our pups had such a great time! We did the bent creek trail which was about 3,5 miles and took us about

• Bridget
  Jan 7, 2018
  Great Day Hikes

  Beautiful venue for day hiking with 3 dogs... very dog friendly! No parking fee during Christmas week.

• Katie
  More than a year ago
  Perfect place for pups and people

  We love taking our dogs to the NC Arboretum! We have one senior dog, a middle aged hound and a 2 year old Yorkie. All three love the easy hiking trails and playing in the streams. The trailers are 100% dog friendly (dogs must be leashed) and the trails are rarely crowded.
  It's a beautiful area full of gorgeous local flora. Inexpensive as well ($14 I think for the whole car).

• Emily
  More than a year ago
  Totally Worth It

  Absolutely beautiful surroundings and tons of places to walk around. We did the hike from the greenhouse to lake Powhatan and it was awesome. My dogs enjoyed playing in the river and seeing all the sights. Look forward to going back

• Noel
  More than a year ago
  Fab

  This is really worth seeing, we go back every time we visit. There are natural areas as well as formal designs. The employees always have a dog biscuit ready when you arrive.
  

• Dori
  More than a year ago
  Shaded trails, pretty stream

  We visited in the summertime with our small dog. The trails were a variety of dirt paths and gravel roads. The wooded area offered good shade, and some of the trails run alongside a stream where your dog can take a drink or cool off in the water. We were told at the gate that dogs can go everywhere except in the buildings. There are no water dishes here, so bring your own.

• Nancy
  More than a year ago
  MS

  I Can not say enough good about it. Gardens are beautiful, trails are well taken care off. Cafe was excellent. We had our two Whippets with us and they were able to go everywhere but in the buildings. Highly recommend it.

We dug up 15 pictures of dogs at North Carolina Arboretum.

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