Explore the best rated trails in Fayetteville, NC. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Longleaf Trail and Walnut Creek Trail. With more than 28 trails covering 124 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 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...
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 Forest Creek Trail is an important connecter between the Longleaf Trail at its southern tip and Nick's Creek Trail at its northern end. The adjoining Forest Creek Access also links it to Reservoir...
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 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...
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...
The Tanglewood Trail is a short, gravel trail in the Tanglewood section of the Southern Pines community, Moore County, North Carolina. The trail is part of a larger system of greenways in Southern...
The Forest Creek Access Trail is a short connector trail between the Reservoir Park Greenway and Forest Creek Trail. It is part of a larger system of greenways in the community of Southern Pines in...
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...
Sam's Branch Greenway is a short, but scenic trail in the town of Clayton, just south of Raleigh. The trail forms a paved ribbon through the woods along Sam Branch. The first phase was 1.25 miles...
Nick's Creek Trail provides a tranquil route through scenic woodlands. The 1-mile trail runs from Highway 22 south to the Forest Creek Trail, which leads to Reservoir Park, a popular recreational...
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 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...
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...
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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 Tall Timbers Trail is a short connector trail between the Longleaf Access Trail and the Reservoir Park Greenway. It is part of a larger system of greenways in the community of Southern Pines in...
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The Longleaf Access Trail is a short connector trail between the Tall Timbers Trail and Longleaf Trail. It is part of a larger system of greenways in the community of Southern Pines in Moore County,...
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...
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...
Nestled in the northern outskirts of the charming town of Southern Pines, the Longleaf Trail provides a useful connection between the Pine Grove Village, Talamore and Longleaf neighborhoods. Running...
The Pinehurst Greenway is located in the heart of a premier golf destination. It winds for nearly 6 miles through the community of Pinehurst and its historic business district. The greenway links...
Sam's Branch Greenway is a short, but scenic trail in the town of Clayton, just south of Raleigh. The trail forms a paved ribbon through the woods along Sam Branch. The first phase was 1.25 miles...
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 Mill Creek Trail provides an important linkage between Reservoir Park -- a popular fishing, boating and hiking spot -- and the Warrior Woods residential area. On its western end, the 1-mile trail...
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...
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 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...
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...
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 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 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 Tall Timbers Trail is a short connector trail between the Longleaf Access Trail and the Reservoir Park Greenway. It is part of a larger system of greenways in the community of Southern Pines in...
The Reservoir Park Greenway is part of a larger system of greenways in the community of Southern Pines in Moore County, North Carolina. The trail loops around the Southern Pines Reservoir (95...
Nick's Creek Trail provides a tranquil route through scenic woodlands. The 1-mile trail runs from Highway 22 south to the Forest Creek Trail, which leads to Reservoir Park, a popular recreational...
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...
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...
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...
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 Forest Creek Trail is an important connecter between the Longleaf Trail at its southern tip and Nick's Creek Trail at its northern end. The adjoining Forest Creek Access also links it to Reservoir...
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...
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 Knoll Road trail is part of the Southern Pines Greenway system in Moore County, North Carolina. It is 1.5 miles and relatively flat, coursing through a quiet residential area of the community of...
The Tanglewood Trail is a short, gravel trail in the Tanglewood section of the Southern Pines community, Moore County, North Carolina. The trail is part of a larger system of greenways in Southern...
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 Tall Timbers Trail is a short connector trail between the Longleaf Access Trail and the Reservoir Park Greenway. It is part of a larger system of greenways in the community of Southern Pines in...
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...
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 Mill Creek Trail provides an important linkage between Reservoir Park -- a popular fishing, boating and hiking spot -- and the Warrior Woods residential area. On its western end, the 1-mile trail...
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
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...
The Pinehurst Greenway is located in the heart of a premier golf destination. It winds for nearly 6 miles through the community of Pinehurst and its historic business district. The greenway links...
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...
The Forest Creek Trail is an important connecter between the Longleaf Trail at its southern tip and Nick's Creek Trail at its northern end. The adjoining Forest Creek Access also links it to Reservoir...
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...
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 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 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...
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...
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...
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.
We started our ride at the grandly named Falls of Neuse. From our parking spot atop the Falls Lake Dam, we walked our bikes down a steep dirt path to the northern trailhead. There, the Neuse River Greenway Trail extends 27.5 miles south on a paved surface that zigzags alongside and occasionally, over the river.
We were immediately struck by the beauty of this trail; the near-constant view of the water and the alternately lush forests and bright sunny fields. The rolling pavement and the wide grass aprons were well-maintained and white railed fences lined many of the sharper turns on the trail.
The Neuse River trail is part of the larger Mountains-to-Sea hiking trail that extends across the entire state of North Carolina. It’s also a popular tubing area and we could hear the sound of rafting parties (and partiers) drifting lazily down the Neuse. At times, we had a clear view of the tubers from the bridges that spanned the river – including the shortest extension bridge we’ve ever seen.
The trail skirted the edge of only a few neighborhoods and there were neither any intersections, nor places to buy water or snacks. Midway, we took a water break at a large beach-like area where swimmers and picnickers could be seen on the far shore of the river.
After this really enjoyable ride, we drove to downtown Raleigh where we'd heard there was a great bike-themed brewery.
We embarked upon the asphalt/concrete path that led out of downtown (right at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, where we later watched 4th of July fireworks) and soon, we were winding through long, shaded stretches of woods that led south for the next 22.6 miles. With a name like The American Tobacco Trail, we had anticipated cycling past old fashioned general stores with carved Indian statues and former tobacco farms and barns. But no. We call this and rail-to-trails similar to it “Zen” trails because, with little visual variety, they can be described as either tranquil and serene, or boring. These trails range from flat to slightly rolling but they never have more than a 3-4 degree incline because that was the steepest railroad engines could handle at the time the tracks were laid.
It seemed for the first 6-8 miles of the ride, we passed through traffic intersections about every quarter mile, which meant waiting at lights every five minutes or so. Only one or two of the intersections appeared to have shops nearby for buying water or energy bars, so it’s best to plan ahead. Four miles prior to the end, the pavement stopped and the path became a mixture of grass, gravel and clay. On the map, we seemed to be nearing Jordan Lake, and there were swampy areas on either side of the trail, but that was the extent of the water view. With the exception of the many intersections, it was basically tree-lined the entire length – which did make the temperature perfect on an otherwise steamy summer day.
We rewarded ourselves with a short drive to an excellent brewery in downtown Durham.
We stated at the Southern Terminus and road up to O'Kelly Chapel Road Trailhead and returned to New Hill Trailhead. Parking right off the road has only spots for 5 vehicles but proceed ahead and there is plenty more at the actual Trailhead start point. The crushed limestone surface was in great condition and truly liked that there was a crushed limestone option once the asphalt became available.
Reservoir park was a wonderful walk to start our new adventures after two years stuck near home because of Covid. Not crowded, runners, walkers, dogs and toddlers on bikes. A beautiful mix of life.
This is my first review on TrailLink but we have ridden many trials. I had to leave this review because this trail is SOOOO special it deserves it. 6.8 miles each way and it has it all. Bridges, train trestles, some decent hills to get your heart pumping a little bit, beautifully paved, friendly people, shaded, etc. We enjoyed this trail so much we repeated again just to make sure we we saw all the surroundings. GO OUT OF YOUR WAY TO HIT THIS ONE!
I rode the entire Neuse River Trail (and a bit of the Clayton River Walk) over Labor Day 2021. I started at the Wake Forest trailhead and ended a little past mile 30 in Clayton. I'm used to riding on rail trails that while flat and easy to ride offer very few turns or elevation changes. The Neuse River Trail offers many curves, multiple small elevation changes and just one road crossing (a very quiet country road) along its almost 30 mile length. These constant changes make the Neuse River Trail an exciting departure from my usual rail trail rides.
The trail itself is entirely paved and in immaculate condition. Possibly one of the best paved trails I've ever rode on. There are mile markers every quarter mile and the trail has very clear signage to take one of the many turn offs to a parking lot, a development or even another trail.
My only criticism is that there is only one or two obvious points to get water/bathrooms/something to eat (one being Anderson Point Park). I'm sure there are more options down one of the many turn off points but it was not obvious to me from the trail. Another point of concern is trail etiquette, I did not have any close calls but many cyclists would quickly pass me (I was averaging in the low to mid-teens) without calling out sometimes around some curves. This trail will require your constant attention due to its many curves, slopes and sometimes inconsiderate riders but I found it to be one of the best rides I've taken in a long while and highly recommend this trail.
This trail has lots of smaller “sub-trails” which are also pretty nice to walk on if you don’t want to walk the full 7 mile trail.
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