Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve is a unique area located in Wake County, NC. With 150 acres and two miles of nature trails, Hemlock Bluffs provides local residents an ecosystem more common in the western part of the state. The north-facing bluffs along Swift Creek support a population of Canada Hemlocks trees and other plants, which are unusual to find this far south or this far east of the Appalachian Mountains. These disjunct plant communities are believed to be relics of the last ice age and survive today due to the protective nature of the north-facing bluffs which provide a relatively cool, moist environment for the plants.

Swift Creek Nature Preserve is located downstream 1.5 miles from Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve. This area features steep north-facing slopes rising 100 ft above the south bank of Swift Creek. Massive American beech trees form a canopy over a carpet of woodland wildflowers and ferns, many of which are more commonly, found in the North Carolina mountains. Hiking trails follow the creek, along the bottomlands and steeper trails ascend the bluffs to the crest high above. In the spring abundant wildflowers are blooming throughout the woods including several species of wild orchids. The land is own by the The Triangle Conservancy and protected against development.