Explore the best rated trails in Raleigh, 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 216 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.
_103030_st.jpg)
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 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 Reedy Creek Trail links William B. Umstead State Park to Meredith College. Beginning at the edge of Umstead State Park, the trail passes among some of the area's feature attractions, including the...
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...
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...
The Spring Forest Trail parallels Triangle Town Boulevard from Sumner Boulevard for only 0.5 mile north. Use caution at the crossing on Old Wake Forest Road.
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 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,...
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...
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 Lower Booker Creek Trail is a paved neighborhood trail in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The neighborhood trail cuts through the woods around Booker Creek, providing a natural escape for neighbors...
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...
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 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...
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 trail starts on Green Level Church Road and then heads west past suburban homes, skirting the north side of Amberly Lake. You will cross Yates South Road via crosswalk, then continue south along...
_186050_sc.jpg)
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...
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 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 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...
_103030_sc.jpg)
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...
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....
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 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 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 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...
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...
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,...
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,...
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...
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 Lower Booker Creek Trail is a paved neighborhood trail in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The neighborhood trail cuts through the woods around Booker Creek, providing a natural escape for neighbors...
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
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 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 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...
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 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...
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 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 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...
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 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 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...
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....
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 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 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 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 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...
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 trail starts on Green Level Church Road and then heads west past suburban homes, skirting the north side of Amberly Lake. You will cross Yates South Road via crosswalk, then continue south along...
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 Wakefield Trail follows the power line from Falls of Neuse Road south to London Bell Drive, just under 1.5 miles. There is a slight jog in the trail where it meets Wakefield Plantation Drive. If...
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 Reedy Creek Trail links William B. Umstead State Park to Meredith College. Beginning at the edge of Umstead State Park, the trail passes among some of the area's feature attractions, including the...
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...
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...
This was our first trail ride in over 2 years and it was so much fun! Easy to get back into. We went from parking at the solite park up to the most northern point. A round trip of almost 14 miles and it was fantastic!
I walked this trail in its entirety twice yesterday. I started at the southernmost point at the NewHill location and made my way to the northernmost point at the Durham Bulls Athletics Park and back. A total of 50+ miles and 14 hours later I can attest to the greatness of this trail. Long, flat with plenty of space, this trail did not disappoint . Beautiful views along the way with plenty of wildlife in the south opening up to a busy city landscape offered much diversity through the hike. I highly recommend!Ihighly recommended
I roundtripped this entire trail in 1 day (44 miles, 4.5 hours, average speed just under 10mph), starting in Durham. Parked in the free lot under the freeway. Unfortunately I noticed a homeless camp there right away. The first 5 or so miles had several homeless camps along the side of the trail; lots of garbage; a security call phone. The next few miles of the trail are currently detoured because of nearby road constructions. Some of the signage along the detour could be improved. I found myself stopping often to look around to see where I was supposed to go next. There are multiple road crossings along the way - stop and be careful crossing the roads; the oncoming cars do not stop for bikers! There are also lots of new homes being constructed along the way as well. The northern end is paved. The southern end finally turns into a nice pleasant ride through the woods (it is fenced-off hunting lands) on a crushed-stone bed. The southern end has large parking areas and restrooms. I was hoping to see more history along the trail, but literally only passed 2 old falling-down tobacco barns along the way. It looks like a great trail (especially the southern end) for locals to jump on for a quick ride or jog, but not something that I as a visitor to the area would ever want or need to ride again.
Really astonished to see it for the first time. Had a great time with kids and family. It will be a great bike riding trail during summer ¿
I really ejoy this walk. I can walk all my four legged animals and that includes my pot belly pig names Sugar. We had such an amazing time. I am looking for to coming back soon.
One end of the trail has been closed for some time now .
I recently road the White Oak Greenway trail for the first time, starting from the American Tobacco Trail. The trail is wide with a high quality surface, varying between asphalt, concrete, and wood/trex causeways through wetlands. Since the trail is often adjacent or over wetlands, it is very scenic and peaceful, even though you are in the middle of a large suburban residential developments. I was also happy to find that there were absolutely no road crossings, so the trail is as safe as it gets!
The Indian Creek Greenway is a pleasant, level, paved walk wide enough for both bikes and pedestrians. The trailhead has a handicapped accessible, fenced playground, two shelters with picnic tables and a restroom building. The newly constructed (Fall 2020) stormwater control measure is a large landscaped water feature along the greenway.
The western end safely crosses McCrimmon Parkway and connects to the Shiloh Greenway providing access to Church Street Park which has tennis courts, restrooms, playground, outdoor fitness equipment, and the highest quality cricket pitch in the region.
See you on the trail,
TJ Cawley
Mayor of Morrisville
www.TownofMorrisville.org
Was staying downtown Raleigh and wanted to find a nice place to run. This was it. Very nice trail through the campus of NC State. Was easy to get to and the scenery and trail is very enjoyable.
Fresh new Trex planks, which will outlive all of us, replaced the rotting, patched-up wooden planks near the swampy lagoon area alongside Green Level Church roadTy city/state/whoever!
This is my favorite trail because it connects to so many others. You meander along the Neuse River, while enjoying transitions into open fields, woodlands, and some boulder areas. It’s medium and difficulty with some uphill travel, which is always treated with a downhill ride. However it is mostly flat. Too many great spots for photo shoots to share!
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails conservancy
(a non-profit) and we need your support!
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Map Search
_186050_st.jpg)
