Explore the best rated trails in Cary, NC. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Riverwalk Greenway and Sandy Creek Trail . With more than 61 trails covering 214 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 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...
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...
Sam's Branch Greenway is a short, but scenic trail in the town of Clayton, just south of Raleigh. At the Neuse River, it connects to the Clayton River Walk, which in turn connects to the Neuse River...
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...
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...
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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 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 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...
Go by yourself, with a friend, or with man's best friend - just get out onto one of Cary's paved greenway trails. The Northwoods Greenway is a good option - it's just under a mile long, but it travels...
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 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...
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The Rocky Branch Trail offers beautiful views of the Raleigh city skyline, while also passing through the length of the North Carolina State University campus. It also links to Pullen Park, which has...
The Mine Creek Trail consists of five distinct segments: Bent Creek (paved), Inman Connector (unpaved), Ironwood (paved), Lake Park (unpaved), Sawmill (unpaved) and Shelley Lake (paved). The segments...
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...
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...
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 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...
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,...
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Bolin Creek Trail is a 3-mile out and back multipurpose trail in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The paved trail begins at Community Center Park and heads west, then ducks under the Franklin St. bridge....
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...
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 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...
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 Southbridge Greenway is a charming neighborhood path in the neighborhood of the same name, on the west side of Cary, North Carolina. On any given day on the trail you will find parents pushing...
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,...
The short Libba Cotton Bikeway is built along an active rail spur right-of-way: the Norfolk and Southern Railroad. The bikeway connects Carrboro's central business district to just west of the UNC...
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...
Annie Jones Greenway provides a natural escape in the middle of the city. The trail goes through woods, and past streams for a short, though serene journey. The trail begins on SW Cary Parkway and...
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 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...
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...
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...
Hinshaw Greenway is a 1.7 mile north-south recreational trail in Cary, NC. The trail runs riparian forest, and acts as a conduit for children to travel safely between the play areas within MacDonald’s...
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....
Go by yourself, with a friend, or with man's best friend - just get out onto one of Cary's paved greenway trails. The Northwoods Greenway is a good option - it's just under a mile long, but it travels...
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 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 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...
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 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 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...
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 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 short Libba Cotton Bikeway is built along an active rail spur right-of-way: the Norfolk and Southern Railroad. The bikeway connects Carrboro's central business district to just west of the UNC...
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...
The Walnut Creek Trails spans more than 19 miles on an east-west route through Raleigh. Only its western end, through Lake Johnson Park, is unpaved. The trail affords stunning views of Lake...
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,...
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 Stadium Drive Trail is a component of Durham's North-South Greenway, a series of ped-bike trails crossing the city of Durham. The trail is an important connector; it links the Warren Creek Trail...
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...
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...
Sam's Branch Greenway is a short, but scenic trail in the town of Clayton, just south of Raleigh. At the Neuse River, it connects to the Clayton River Walk, which in turn connects to the Neuse River...
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Batchelor Branch Greenway is a short stretch of trail in northeast Cary. The trail is 0.8 miles long and 10 feet wide, accommodating uses ranging from walking and running, to biking, rollerblading,...
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 Rocky Branch Trail offers beautiful views of the Raleigh city skyline, while also passing through the length of the North Carolina State University campus. It also links to Pullen Park, which has...
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 2.2-mile, paved Louisburg Bike Trail runs from S. Main Street to Vance-Granville Community College (VGCC). At the Main St. end, you'll find the trail at Depot Street Hill, just south of the Tar...
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...
Visiting the area and discovered this trail. What a fantastic trail this is. Scenic, safe, great condition people using it were friendly and it was not crowded. Can’t wait to ride it again when I am back in the area
Very nice scenery. Mostly flat with some nice little hills at Johnson Lake. Thoroughly enjoyed the ride! Hope to be in the area again sometime to ride it again.
A nice three-branched trail; mostly paved asphalt, with some concrete northwest of Annie Jones park. There is a nice bridge at one point.
Much of this trail is flat but there are great small climbs around Faith Rock and plenty of beautiful scenes along the River among the way
We had a great family bike ride: 4 adults and three kids, started at the Dunn end of the trail and rode to Erwin and back. The section in downtown Erwin is nicely incorporated into a block of downtown that included an excellent bakery. Great cookies to fuel the ride back to the car. Trail is pretty flat, long low grades. Surface is compacted gravel. There are some roads to cross so we had to keep close to the kids. Enjoy
I really got into biking a few months back and have already come to realize how fortunate I am to live less than ten minutes from this trail. It has become my go-to place for riding, as I usually hit it two or three mornings each week and then go for a longer ride on it once almost every weekend.
Thus far I have ridden about 20 of the northernmost miles of the trail; I park near the trailhead by Falls Lake and head south from there before turning around and heading back. One of the things I've really come to appreciate about this trail is that it has virtually no street crossings. The only one I've hit is at Anderson Point Park, and even there you only have to cross the entrance to a seldom-used parking area.
The Neuse River Greenway Trail is beautiful and features numerous scenic crossings back and forth across the river. It is well-maintained, clearly-marked (with mileage markers every quarter-mile) and offers many areas to stop and rest, including some with restroom facilities. It can get a little busy at certain points on the weekends, but users are generally friendly and courteous and I've never found it too crowded to ride at the pace I want.
An added benefit is that the trail offers connections to numerous other trails that are part of Raleigh's excellent and frequently-expanding greenway system, including the Walnut Creek, Crabtree Creek and Abbotts Creek Trail. Once I reach my goal of riding all 27.5 miles of it, I look forwarding the exploring these connected trails.
We just discovered this trail and had a very enjoyable morning riding our bicycles. Be careful with the entry though, there is a steep hill at the end of the access point and it’s hard to see because of the fence. Unfortunately I was not able to stop in time so I could walk my bicycle down and it was not a fun ride down. I’m pretty bruised up from it. We will definitely go again but walk our bicycles for the first bit from now on.
I biked this trail this morning Aug 9. I was pleasantly surprised to find most of the trail was shaded and paved. Bikers, joggers, and hikers all seemed friendly and cordial toward each other. North to south is slightly more downhill than traveling north. One hill coming back is a bit of a booger, but a great enjoyable ride nonetheless.
Great trail for new cyclists. Not intimidating and enough natural elements to get you use on the bike. Inclines to practice braking and getting use to riding at high speeds. I will be back.
I rode 30 miles on Neuse River Trail today. It’s a beautiful, scenic ride. I ride it frequently and it’s never crowded, but it’s always nice to pass walkers, other cyclists, runners and strollers.
My neighbor and I have ridden the entire WCT from Lake Johnson to the Neuse River Trail and back a dozen or more times. It’s fully paved and twists and turns along Walnut Creek. Much of it is shaded. We’ve found it to be less congested than the Neuse River and American Tobacco Trails. The trail is generally well maintained. The signage leaves a bit to be desired - but with almost everyone carrying a smartphone it’s easy to find your way if you take a wrong turn. One word of caution - stay away after a rainstorm! The trail has dozens of boardwalk sections that literally become slick as ice when damp. My neighbor and I (both seasoned cyclists) have each fallen on the wet boardwalks. It’s easy to see lots of scarring on the boardwalks, particularly on the curves - from pedals and chainrings making contact with the wood when someone crashed. I wish the city could apply anti-skid coatings of some kind - particularly where the decking is scarred. Also, after a major rain storm, the longer tunnels and several sections of the trail become covered in silt, in some places, 6 inches deep. It’s a bit nasty riding through a dark tunnel through 1 or more inches of slick, sucking mud. The city does a pretty good job clearing things up, but it may be several days or even weeks before they get to the whole trail. All things considered, it’s a pretty good trail. I will continue to ride it unless I seriously injure myself on the boardwalks.
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