New 300-acre park planned near Garner and Fuquay-Varina

A large park, Wake County's first new park to be built in over a decade, is expected to open in 2024.

The 300-acre Beech Bluff County Park will be located at 3355 N.C. Highway 42 near the Willow Spring community, close to Garner and Fuquay-Varina. For those familiar with the area, the park will be near Porter Farms Nursery.

It will feature trails, community gardens, playgrounds, picnic shelters, a wildlife viewing platform, classrooms and more.

The last park Wake County opened was Green Hills County Park in July 2010.

“We’re excited to take the next step in the process to turn this beautiful piece of land in southeastern Wake County into a park that everyone can enjoy,” said Board Chair Sig Hutchinson. “This investment shows our continued commitment to providing recreational opportunities for our residents and visitors, while preserving green space in our rapidly growing community.”

The park will incorporate public art in its design and feature solar panels and geothermal energy to help power lights and heat or cool buildings.

The park, expected to open in spring 2024, is a mix of undeveloped forests, wetlands, steam channels and rock outcrops were previously referred to as Southeast County Park.

The Wake County Board of Commissioners approved the project in 2019.