On July 1, 2004, at the request of James Moeser, Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the North Carolina Botanical Garden assumed responsibility for Battle Park, a wonderful wooded tract on the east side of campus and downhill from the Coker Arboretum. The tract includes one of the most awe-inspiring legacies of the University, which, furthermore, symbolizes the important connection between nature 

Although not a pristine forest, much of the 93-acre Battle Park consists of forest that predates European settlement in the area (1740). The Garden will be working to restore the trails with funding supplied by the University. We will also be developing university and public educational programs for this important tract.

The park is named for Kemp Plummer Battle, president of UNC from 1876 to 1891, who laid out the original trail system and spent many happy and contemplative hours within the forest.