With nearly 5,600 acres smack in the middle of the Triangle, Umstead State Park is an obvious spot to go if you want to spend some quality time outside.

It's the next place TriangleMom2Mom is highlighting during Take A Child Outside Week, which ends on Tuesday. Go here to read our other coverage.

Umstead has two entrances: one off I-40 near Cary and the other off Glenwood Avenue in North Raleigh. We've taken my daughter to both.

The North Raleigh spot has an easy 1,000-foot hike from the parking lot down to Big Lake, where you can look for turtles or watch as the planes take off and land from nearby RDU Airport.

I love the picnic area on the Cary side of the park. Picnic tables are spread out under tall trees. A great place for kids to run around.

I spoke to Keith Nealson, a park ranger and dad, who offered this advice if you're planning a trip.

On the Cary or Reedy Creek side, the Inspiration Trail offers the best kid-friendly hike for little ones. The half-mile loop includes markers with information about the trees you'll see on the trail.

On the North Raleigh or Crabtree side of the park, the Oak Rock Trail is great for kids. The 2/3-mile loop also includes some markers with information.

If you're looking for a stroller-friendly hike, Nealson recommends heading to the Cary side and parking in the main parking lot. Then leave the lot on foot as if you were leaving the park, go down the road and turn, following signs for Camp Whispering Pines. Walk down that road about a half a mile and you'll see a gate with a little opening for bikes (there's a small red sign that says bike and bridle trail). Follow that. Nealson said you'll get to a spillway and bridge. It's hilly, but doable with a jogging stroller.

If your kids are old enough to take a two-mile hike, Nealson recommends the Company Mill Trail on the Cary side. It will take you down to a very long metal footbridge over Crabtree Creek.

"My kids were always able to do that as long as I bribed them with food," he said.

Umstead has hosted several events over the last week in honor of Take A Child Outside Week. You can see Nealson himself singing kids songs Sunday from 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. during Animal Song Sing Along. He hopes parents will take their kids out on a hike after listening to a few of his songs.

"It bothers me that we have to have Take A Child Outside Week, but as long as we're having it, we need to have as many people out and about as we possibly can," he told me.