Find the top rated trails in Wake Forest, whether you're looking an easy walking path or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a 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...
The Tobacco Heritage Trail currently runs in a continuous, off-road 17-mile stretch between the southern Virginia communities of Lawrenceville, Brodnax and La Crosse. Along the way, trail-goers can...
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...
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 White Oak Creek Greenway runs through Cary, a city in North Carolina’s Triangle region that also includes Raleigh and Durham. In fact, future plans call for linking it to the American Tobacco...
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...
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 Tar River Trail parallels the Tar River, where Tuscarora Indians traveled before colonists settled here. Along the trail you will find evidence of early colonial history, the industrial...
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...
Along the eastern outskirts of Raleigh, the Neuse River Trail follows the river for nearly 28 miles from Falls Lake Dam to the Wake/Johnston County line. There are several river crossings along the...
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 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...
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...
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 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...
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 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 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 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...
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...
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....
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 Crabtree Creek Trail, in suburban Raleigh, stretches nearly 12 miles along the Crabtree Creek corridor through forested greenways, city parks, residential areas, and among some business...
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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 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.
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 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 Tar River Trail parallels the Tar River, where Tuscarora Indians traveled before colonists settled here. Along the trail you will find evidence of early colonial history, the industrial...
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 Wakefield Trail follows the power line from Falls of Neuse Road south to Dunard Street, just under 1.5 miles. There is a slight jog in the trail where it meets Wakefield Plantation Drive. If...
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 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...
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...
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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 Tobacco Heritage Trail currently runs in a continuous, off-road 17-mile stretch between the southern Virginia communities of Lawrenceville, Brodnax and La Crosse. Along the way, trail-goers can...
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 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.
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 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...
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 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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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 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 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...
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...
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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...
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 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 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...
I spent two days riding the Neuse River Trail in Raleigh NC. It is 27.5 miles long, so yesterday we did 13 miles on the tandem from the north end to what appears to be a bridge out making it a 26 mile round trip. No where on TrailLink nor North Carolina's website was any mention of the closure and I understand from speaking with some cyclists it has been closed since November. Today I did the rest of the trail solo on my gravel bike with road tires from the south end to the same closure point.
This trail is amazing. It is near the outskirts of Raleigh and has no significant road crossings. The pavement is the best surfaced trail I have ever ridden on. It twists and turns and has elevation changes, lots of wooden bridges for many crossings of the Neuse River and two trail specific suspension bridges. It is mostly through scenic wooded areas as it follows the Neuse River. It is just an amazing place to ride and it connects with many other trails including the Walnut Creek Trail I rode earlier in the week. One note of caution, there are stone azimuths at the connections to many of the parks along the trail. The stone is very smooth, almost polished. It rained last night and my tires were wet and I made a save beyond by bike handling abilities when both tires tried to slide out from under me when I hit one of these in a turn. I rate it 10 gears on a ten speed cassette.
I rode the Walnut Creek Trail in Raleigh, NC today. For an urban trail, it was quite beautiful with relatively few road crossings. Since it is part of a trail network, it was often confusing which way the trail proceeded. I had a particularly hard time finding the starting point from the Lake Johnson trails where I parked. I learned that my Traillink website subscription on my phone would show my GPS location on and a few times near the trail when I made a wrong turn. There was one point where the trail was supposed to be according to the map and GPS where it simply ended. Thanks to the app, I was able to connect to another trail just north of the abrupt ending that quickly connected back to the Walnut Creek Trail.
The trail was 15.5 miles long, but I covered a touch over 34 (out and back) looking for the western end and with the wrong turns. There were also some elevation changes. I wish I had put road tires on the gravel bike. The trail guide said there was 2 miles of gravel, but I found no gravel. I saw a very large doe cross the trail near the NC State Campus, go figure, and 3 fawns once it went back in the woods near Lake Johnson. The underpasses to avoid the highways were treacherous. Crazy 90 degree turns. Glad I was not on the tandem, they would have been very difficult. I give it a 7 gear rating on a 10 gear cassette.
I had an extra day to spend in the Triangle before heading home, and was excited to squeeze in a ride on this trail. I parked at the White Oak trailhead, which has restrooms. The stone trail was among the best I’ve ever seen; extremely wide, smooth, well-packed. Lots of tree cover, gentle hills. They use the old-fashioned access control gates on this trail, which are a bit narrow to ride through even at a slow speed. But road crossings were not too frequent and didn’t slow me down.
Even though it was a Saturday and a lot of people were using the trail, I didn’t feel hampered to ride at a (relatively) fast pace. The mix of families with strollers, walkers, runners, and riders all got along quite well. I rode to the end of the stone section, then back past my car to the paved section and into Durham. There was a bigger hill and one very urban area where the trail narrows and becomes effectively a sidewalk, then opens up a bit and dives back into the trees. I continued to Mile 5 and turned around where it seemed to be getting more urban again.
And despite the trail’s name, not a single smoker in sight the whole way.
Raleigh can be proud of this trail. I was on a long driving trip and got here on a very nice spring day. I parked at Anderson Point Park, which has full facilities, a few trees for those lucky enough to find a parking space, and great for people-watching. Joggers, seniors out for a walk, young adults with baby strollers, casual cyclists.
Even with this variety of users the trail was not crowded on a weekday. I was concerned that being in a big city I would see groups of very fast cyclists dominating the trail, but no. Maybe a weekend morning would be different.
The trail south from Anderson Point Park was beautiful. Wide, up and down but the hills were never too steep or too long. Practically no street crossings, even after it became the Clayton Riverwalk. Rode it to the abrupt end in Clayton. On the return, took a side trip down the Walnut Creek Trail until that became more urban. I would have liked more places with restrooms, picnic tables, and shaded places to sit. Besides Anderson Point Park there were trailside benches and some random tables in the sun along the Clayton Riverwalk, and a large city park where I turned around on the Walnut Creek trail.
Next time I will want to see the trail north of Anderson Point Park. If it continues as a riverside trail away from the noise and crowds of the city, it will be another great experience.
Drove in from Raleigh area to do the peaceful 18 miles from west of La Crosse to Lawrenceville. Western 4-5 miles is a nice paved section. Railroad St. in Brodnax is a seamless transition to crushed stone section (look for the shareroads to confirm you're on the right path). The crushed stone section is clearly designed with horses in mind, but it is a perfectly fine trail for MTBs. And they have provided 4 fixed latrines (Bless'm!) and a multitude of picnic tables. Ate at The Clubhouse Grill in Lawrenceville (turn right at the abrupt end of the trail, down the hill, quick right). Good comfort food with local atmosphere. And the only eatery (except Hardee's) I could find on the trail.
The only reason I didn't give this trail 5 stars is that I think La Crosse needs to solidify it's standing as the premier trail access point by providing at least a changing hut, or better yet rest rooms and water fountain.
Rode from Evans Creek trailhead to LaCrosse and back. It was after heavy rain, so Trail was smooth, if a little heavy to pedal through. We were the ONLY people on the trail. I’m also a horsewoman, and it looks like a great trail to ride on too! The birding was fantastic. We aren’t fussy, just like a nice ride. Highly recommend. PS: if we cyclists want more rail trails, we need to use trails like this one, and visit local businesses. It might not be perfect for some, but if we want more, we need to show the economic advantages to having these trails!
Would have been a five star but the start at the Community Center was not well marked. The end of the Trail in Smithfield was next to the main drag where I found a nice deli. Will be back I love Smithfield!
The trail was excellent. The people on the trail were very friendly. Great place to ride.
We biked from Worthdale park east to the Neuse river trail. Beautiful well maintained and a little hilly. This section is 5 stars. We then went 4 miles or so west ,after struggling to find the street connection , and it was a little more dated , not quite as wide, and in need of some cleaning but pretty nice. We rated this section a 3+. Well worth a visit.
Our group of 5 old guys spent 4 nights in a rental home in Wake Forest. We had a direct trail connection to the Neuse River Trail(NRT). it was our second trip to the area and once again the biking did not disappoint. This is one of the best rails we have ever ridden. Extremely well maintained, scenic and fairly level with some short climbs and descents.
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