Explore the best rated trails in Cary, NC. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Carolina North Greenway and Riverwalk Greenway. With more than 63 trails covering 217 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The Edwards Mill Connector in West Raleigh is an off-shoot of the Reedy Creek Trail. The shared use is adjacent to Edwards Mill Road, and stretches down to Chapel Hill Road. On the way, the trail...
The Morgan Creek Trail is named after the nearby stream and is a well-used asphalt and boardwalk trail in the town of Chapel Hill. The trail gives residents a safe connection to Merritt's Pasture, an...
Trail users can always count on the Meadowmont Trail for a pleasant, scenic amble that takes you up grassy hills, through leafy woodlands and across stately neighborhoods with pretty gardens. The...
The Fan Branch Trail is a pave hike and bike trail cutting through the Southern Village neighborhood of Chapel Hill. It's 10-feet wide and kicks off at the Southern Community Park, which features a...
Indian Creek Greenway is a hike-and-bike asphalt pathway that sits in the swathe cut by Indian Creek through residential Morrisville. About a third of the trail parallels Town Hall Road as a dedicated...
The Ellerbee Creek Trail is part of a chain of trails running across Durham, known as the North-South Greenway. This trail picks up where the Stadium Drive leaves off, on Stadium Drive next to the...
Opened in August, 2014, the Mingo Creek Trail connects the town of Knightdale from Mingo Creek Park to the Neuse River Trail, just north of Anderson Point Park in Raleigh. Along its 3.4-mile paved...
The Eagle Spur Rail-Trail follows 2.2 miles of the former Durham-New Hill Railroad, from Stagecoach Road along New Hope Creek to Jordan Lake. When you're done exploring the Eagle Spur, cross over...
Endor Iron Furnace Greenway runs along Big Buffalo Creek on the west side of Sanford, which sits about 40 miles southwest of Raleigh. The paved trail begins at Kiwanis Family Park, which offers a...
As its name suggests, this well-maintained trail does sit on the side of NC-55, but that's not the whole story. The trail is a space for fitness and recreation, pleasantly landscaped, and paved so...
Walk, bike or roll around Symphony Lake via this 10-foot wide greenway. The trail rings around the lake, providing panoramic views of the tranquil water, disturbed only by its resident waterfowl. It...
A morning jog, an evening walk or a place to take off the training wheels, this short neighborhood path provides opportunities for that and more. Located in the Stanton Place neighborhood of Cary, the...
Most of the short and sweet Baileywick Trail runs through Baileywick Park in the oakwood neighborhood of suburban Raleigh, North Carolina. The 50-acre park has two baseball diamonds, picnic shelters,...
The West Ellerbee Creek Trail winds along the stream of the same name. Beginning on Albany Drive in the Watts-Hillandale area of Durham, the paved trail travels through 17-acre Preserve, a protected...
The Deep River Rail-Trail follows the abandoned rail bed of the Atlantic and Yadkin Railroad, which began operations in 1897 and shut down in 1980. A segment of the trail travels through...
Abbotts Creek Trail courses along a tree-lined route beside open fields and subdivisions in a suburban community near Wake Forest, North Carolina. The trail follows Abbotts Creek and passes by North...
The American Tobacco Trail extends uninterrupted from Durham more than 22 miles south through Chatham County to its southern terminus in Wake County. In 2014, a bridge for the trail over Interstate 40...
The Yates Store Road Street-Side Trail in Cary is over a shared use pathway linking residents of the surrounding neighborhoods to the other trails in their town. So while the trail itself is just a...
Along the eastern outskirts of Raleigh, the Neuse River Trail follows the river for nearly 30 miles from Falls Lake Dam to the Wake/Johnston County line. There are several river crossings along the...
The White Oak Creek Greenway runs through Cary, a city in North Carolina’s Triangle region that also includes Raleigh and Durham. On the west end the trail connects to the American Tobacco Trail, the...
The Sandy Creek Trail cuts a leafy course through Sandy Creek Park, stretching between the park entrance and Pickett Road. It is asphalt-paved, relatively flat and suitable for a variety of uses,...
Along the eastern outskirts of Raleigh, the Neuse River Trail follows the river for nearly 30 miles from Falls Lake Dam to the Wake/Johnston County line. There are several river crossings along the...
At just over 7 miles, the Black Creek Greenway is one of Cary’s longest and most popular trails. The paved pathway connects several parks, schools, and shopping and dining areas. On its southern...
The northernmost segment of Durham's North-South Greenway, Warren Creek Trail provides a serene hiking or biking experience and access to a neighborhood park. The trail extends between Horton Road...
Opened in August, 2014, the Mingo Creek Trail connects the town of Knightdale from Mingo Creek Park to the Neuse River Trail, just north of Anderson Point Park in Raleigh. Along its 3.4-mile paved...
The Morgan Creek Trail is named after the nearby stream and is a well-used asphalt and boardwalk trail in the town of Chapel Hill. The trail gives residents a safe connection to Merritt's Pasture, an...
Trail users can always count on the Meadowmont Trail for a pleasant, scenic amble that takes you up grassy hills, through leafy woodlands and across stately neighborhoods with pretty gardens. The...
Abbotts Creek Trail courses along a tree-lined route beside open fields and subdivisions in a suburban community near Wake Forest, North Carolina. The trail follows Abbotts Creek and passes by North...
The Crabtree Creek Trail, in suburban Raleigh, stretches nearly 16 miles along the Crabtree Creek corridor through forested greenways, city parks, residential areas, and among some business...
The Third Fork Creek Trail offers a paved 3.5-mile route through southwestern Durham. The trail begins at Southern Boundaries Park and continues through a pleasantly wooded corridor to its end at...
The Snelling Branch Trail is just under 1 mile and links Shelley Lake with Optimist Park. The Snelling Branch Trail, which runs east and west, joins Mine Creek Trail north of Shelley Lake. The...
The 5-mile-long Cape Fear River Trail winds through a mix of woodlands and marshes on Fayetteville’s north side, offering stunning views of the Cape Fear River. The trail is relatively flat but with...
The Carolina North Forest (aka the Horace Williams Tract) is made up of 750 acres owned by the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The forest and its trails provide respite for members of the...
The Yates Store Road Street-Side Trail in Cary is over a shared use pathway linking residents of the surrounding neighborhoods to the other trails in their town. So while the trail itself is just a...
The Deep River Rail-Trail follows the abandoned rail bed of the Atlantic and Yadkin Railroad, which began operations in 1897 and shut down in 1980. A segment of the trail travels through...
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The Buffalo Creek Greenway (also known as the Neuse Riverwalk) meanders along a wooded waterway through the heart of Smithfield in central North Carolina. It is one day hoped to become part of the...
The White Oak Creek Greenway runs through Cary, a city in North Carolina’s Triangle region that also includes Raleigh and Durham. On the west end the trail connects to the American Tobacco Trail, the...
The North-South Greenway is a complex of trails that link up to allow residents to cross the heart of the City of Durham without the need for a car. The South Ellerbee Creek picks up the southward...
The Edwards Mill Connector in West Raleigh is an off-shoot of the Reedy Creek Trail. The shared use is adjacent to Edwards Mill Road, and stretches down to Chapel Hill Road. On the way, the trail...
The Centennial Bikeway Connector is a shared-use path adjacent to Centennial Parkway in Raleigh. The trail, as its name suggests, links the North Carolina State University's Centennial campus to...
Beaver Creek Greenway offers a pleasant, paved route in the community of Apex, a western suburb of Raleigh. Much of the trail is wooded and it connects two parks, Kelly Road Park and Jaycee Park. The...
The Simms Branch Trail boasts several areas of large loblolly pine and connects Falls River to Durant Park. Watch for wildlife, including plenty of deer and maybe some beaver. You'll find a small...
Speight Branch Greenway offers a paved, shaded route through a residential area of Cary, which lies on the western edges of Raleigh. The trail begins at Southeast Cary Parkway and travels north along...
The Riverwalk Greenway is a 2-mile trail in Hillsborough, North Carolina. The shared use trail begins at Gold Park and heads east, staying close to the river for most of its length, before concluding...
The Edwards Mill Connector in West Raleigh is an off-shoot of the Reedy Creek Trail. The shared use is adjacent to Edwards Mill Road, and stretches down to Chapel Hill Road. On the way, the trail...
Indian Creek Greenway is a hike-and-bike asphalt pathway that sits in the swathe cut by Indian Creek through residential Morrisville. About a third of the trail parallels Town Hall Road as a dedicated...
Walk, run or roll; the Nancy Branch Greenway invites you to go at your own pace. The trail is flat and paved, making it easy enough for even the youngest members of the family to enjoy. Sandwiched...
Beginning at E. Martin Street, the Little Rock Trail heads south through Chavis Park, running parallel with Chavis Way. The park features rock outcroppings, swimming pool, baseball diamond, shelters...
The Ellerbee Creek Trail is part of a chain of trails running across Durham, known as the North-South Greenway. This trail picks up where the Stadium Drive leaves off, on Stadium Drive next to the...
The Yates Store Road Street-Side Trail in Cary is over a shared use pathway linking residents of the surrounding neighborhoods to the other trails in their town. So while the trail itself is just a...
At just over 7 miles, the Black Creek Greenway is one of Cary’s longest and most popular trails. The paved pathway connects several parks, schools, and shopping and dining areas. On its southern...
The House Creek Greenway Trail is a 2.8-mile-long paved trail that runs from Crabtree Valley Avenue near the intersection with Blue Ridge Road (near the McDonald's) until it meets the Reedy Creek...
At first glance, Swift Creek Greenway fits neatly into the mold of Cary's impressive network of pathways - it's a paved, bike-ped facility along a watercourse, which connects people to parks and out...
The Dunn-Erwin Rail-Trail traverses 5.3 miles of the Aberdeen and Rockfish (previously Durham & Southern Railway) corridor in Harnett County, North Carolina. It connects the downtown areas of Dunn and...
The Honeycutt Trail extends from Raven Ridge Road to Strickland Road in Raleigh, NC. The trail consists of two segments: between Raven Ridge Road and Durant Road, the trail is unpaved, though...
The East Fork Mine Trail is an multipurpose pathway in Raleigh, NC.The trail has an asphalt surface and provides a close-to-home jaunt into nature for the residents of the surrounding neighborhoods....
The Hare Snipe Trail provides access to Lake Lynn; its northern terminus follows Hare Snipe Creek from Ray Road to Wooten Meadow Park. From here the trail makes a loop around Lake Lynn, with a...
Endor Iron Furnace Greenway runs along Big Buffalo Creek on the west side of Sanford, which sits about 40 miles southwest of Raleigh. The paved trail begins at Kiwanis Family Park, which offers a...
Green Hope School Greenway is a meandering collection of shared-use paths through Cary's Highcroft neighborhood. While the trail provides space for locals to get outside for fitness or fun, it also...
The northernmost segment of Durham's North-South Greenway, Warren Creek Trail provides a serene hiking or biking experience and access to a neighborhood park. The trail extends between Horton Road...
very pretty creek and wide lanes to walk in with my dog and still have lots of room
If you have to ride at 100°, might as well be this trail. It’s pretty shady so if you’re cruising along it’s pretty nice. It’s probably not a beach cruiser trail as there are some inclines, not much to speak of, but probably more than you’d want on a single speed bike. Anyway, we left from Anderson Point Park and did 35 miles round trip to what I think is the northern end and back. The paved trail is in nice shape. Keep an eye out on the blind curves as we saw a couple of cyclists cut the corners a bit tight.
I’ve Ridden this several times but have to stop and turn around when I reach a section that is not complete along Crabtree Creek. I think once this is totally completed it could be a nice ride. Not sure when that will happen
Great trail but LACKS any kind of signage! And I mean NONE for 6 miles beyond the trailhead near Lake Dam Road at Lake Johnson Park. Thanks to the TrailLink app It was easy to navigate but inconvenient having to stop at each intersection to determine the correct turn.
It’s a very nice family friendly trail. If you’re walking with kids just remember however far you walk out is how far you have to walk back. There are a lot of shady spots to stop and take a break. Very safe feeling trail.
I really enjoyed this hike. I started at Honeycutt Park on the paved portion. Went north to the end. If you want to go farther, cross the road and there is another trail to the left. Saw three deer, tons of squirrels, and some fish in the creek. Some short steep hills and bridges across the creeks. Part of the trail is in a hunting zone, so wear orange in hunting season.
Reedy creek is not a part of this trail so don’t expect a water feature. I suppose it serves as a link from town to Umstead park. Traveling from the park I lost the trail completely at the art museum. No signage and this is a problem with other trails in the area, especially with long stretches along roads on the sidewalk. You better have your trail link app up and running to navigate. I did and I still lost the trail
This is a perfectly fine connector, but there's no real reason to ride it unless you want to ride to somewhere it connects to - either one of the small number of neighborhoods it connects to, or riding to a hockey or football game. And I'm not sure if the latter have bike parking, although as close as this trail goes to the stadiums, it would make sense if they did.
I rode the entire trail today, starting from the Stephen Stroud Way parking area. Although there are technically other options to connect than Stephen Stroud Way, it's quite low-traffic when events aren't going on, and I'd recommend that option. You can also take that road the other way to get to the stadiums, and there's a short connector for that purpose a bit to the north of the trail parking area.
Once you're on the trail, going south, it connects up to a Wendy's, a gas station, and some residential areas, and the Raleigh School, which appears to be a preschool. It ends at Chapel Hill Road. Like most roads in the area, there is greenery to the sides of Edwards Mill Road most of the way. It still kind of feels like a trail to nowhere, though.
Going north, you'll cross past Wade Avenue (pretty okay, really), and then up a steep hill to Reedy Creek Road, with a fair amount of traffic to keep you company, and less greenery than the southern section. Then it connects to the Reedy Creek Trail.
Condition-wise, the trail is good, so if it's extended or made a bit more scenic with greenery or public art, it could eventually become a 4-star trail.
Currently, however, the only reason to try it if you don't live along it is to see NC State's stadium and PNC Arena, or go to a game there. It's good for that. Or if you're really craving Wendy's.
The Neuse River Trail traverses about 28 miles of the Neuse River, although as mentioned for much of it there are trees on both sides. Still, it's not just a 28 mile corridor of trees. There are many turns, a surprising amount of overall elevation gain (though less surprising once you've ridden it), and those thick, tall, lush Southern forests that just don't seem to grow in the North. And the whole way, you could be forgiven for thinking the state capital must be 100 miles away. Most if not all if the trail is in Raleigh, but I may well have seen more buildings along trails in remote sections of West Virginia than on this trail. The Neuse River does have more *people* on the trail... but aside from a few crossings under busy roads such as I-540, it feels impressively remote.
Signage is generally good, but I agree with other reviewers that more signage around where to find amenities would be helpful. I found water and restrooms at the Buffalo Road Aquatics Center, and restrooms at my starting location of the Horseshoe Farm, but neither is visible from, signed from, or particularly near the main trail. For food, I wound up hopping in my car when I passed my starting point in the opposite direction and finding some options a mile or so north along US-401. There may have been bikable options, but I'll never know.
One other note is that the Bike Guy bike shop the TrailLink itinerary mentions is still there, at the northern end of the trail, but is closed Mondays. Since I rode on a Monday, I can't speak to what they offer.
Overall, this trail makes for a good centerpiece of a trip to Raleigh with a focus on cycling, and between it, the American Tobacco Trail, and Raleigh's other "creek" trails, I think it's quite feasible to make a very good cycling-centric trip to the area. However, if you're looking purely for a super-scenic touring trip, the rural options to the north - Virginia Creeper, New River Trail, and Greenbrier River Trail - are yet more scenic.
It has become part of our life, we spend few hours every week in it.
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