By: Jake Wolf, director of marketing at Lakota R. Denton law

This is a contributor-submitted Voices piece. Want to join the conversation? We invite you to write for us. Learn how to share your voice here.
Asheville is home to some excellent city parks. Here are our top picks for local parks for getting out into nature without driving too far.

Hominy creek park | 194 Hominy Creek Rd

Hominy creek park is best known as a paved bike and walking path along the French Broad River just west of downtown. The park itself stretches along the river for about a mile and runs into carrier park further downstream. The best thing about Hominy Creek is that it’s always shady, and, being along the river, always about 10 degrees cooler than the rest of Asheville. Hominy creek is also a great place to load your boat or kayak into the water so you can float downstream for an hour into downtown Asheville.

Carrier Park | 220 Amboy Rd

Carrier park has a little bit of everything. The park is a very large area along the French Broad River that includes a large playground, roller hockey rink, bicycling arena, running trails, volleyball nets, basketball court and a bike path running through the whole area. There is also plenty of grass, trees and shade and parking. Recently, a coffee shop and food truck lot opened across the street from Carrier that makes it easy to visit the park and also grab a bite to eat, or even a drink at Cascade’s lounge, right across the street from the park.

Aston Park |336 Hilliard Ave

The often overlooked Aston Park is very close to downtown and has a lot of space to play and stretch out. The tennis courts are the best in Asheville, but you may need a reservation. There is also a basketball court and a lot of beautiful, mature oak trees that provide excellent shade.

French Broad River Park| 180 Amboy Road

French Broad River Park is hidden off the road right where Amboy road crosses the French Broad River in West Asheville. It features a very large, fenced dog park. It even has a separate area for little dogs so that the big guys won’t go after your toy poodle. French Broad River Park also has a beautiful meandering paved bike path that travels along the river and past the dog park. Swings and pavilions are also available right along the river.

West Asheville park

A favorite for local West Asheville folks, the West Asheville park recently updated its playground area for kids. There is also a baseball field and a nice little walk along a creek in the back of the park area. The pavilion up near the parking area is never crowded and you can easily take it over with other friends and have it to yourself. Come here when you prefer not to have to deal with crowds of people or the inevitable boaters and tubers along all the parks. that run past the French Broad River.