Explore the best rated trails in Wilson, NC. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Buffalo Creek Greenway (Neuse Riverwalk) and Walnut Creek Trail. With more than 30 trails covering 132 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 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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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 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 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...
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...
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 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...
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 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 Skewarkee Trail in Williamston, NC, runs along a railroad corridor that was once part of the Atlantic Coastline Railway. The wide, paved track is 1 mile long and a nice jaunt for bikers, inline...
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...
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...
Green Mill Run Greenway travels across Greenville, connecting important city attractions and institutions such as East Carolina University and Greensprings Park. About midway along the route, you'll...
South Tar River Greenway offers a pleasant, wooded route of just over 3 miles in the eastern North Carolina city of Greenville. The paved trail follows the southern bank of the Tar River with few road...
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...
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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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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 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...
Green Mill Run Greenway travels across Greenville, connecting important city attractions and institutions such as East Carolina University and Greensprings Park. About midway along the route, you'll...
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 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...
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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...
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 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 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 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...
South Tar River Greenway offers a pleasant, wooded route of just over 3 miles in the eastern North Carolina city of Greenville. The paved trail follows the southern bank of the Tar River with few road...
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 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 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 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...
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 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 Stadium Greenway is a short but popular paved pathway in the heart of Greenville. It runs through the East Carolina University campus along the Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium from which the trail gets its...
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...
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
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...
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 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 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 Skewarkee Trail in Williamston, NC, runs along a railroad corridor that was once part of the Atlantic Coastline Railway. The wide, paved track is 1 mile long and a nice jaunt for bikers, inline...
South Tar River Greenway offers a pleasant, wooded route of just over 3 miles in the eastern North Carolina city of Greenville. The paved trail follows the southern bank of the Tar River with few 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 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 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...
In 1865, at the end of the Civil War, freed slaves were drawn to an encampment of Union troops along the Tar River in eastern North Carolina. When the troops left, the settlers stayed, calling the...
Rode this trail today. Started at the Avent lot at Lake Johnson. Unfortunately they are doing some sort of construction there that involves part of the trail so almost immediately we were forced on a detour of about 2 miles of just sidewalks up and around Lake Dam Rd until we could get the trail again. The trail is nicely paved and partially wooded. Very enjoyable to ride. Love the marsh bridges and tunnels. Adds some fun variety to the ride we hadn't experienced on any other trail. Also loved area at Lake Raleigh. Definite photo op!!! My only "complaint" would be that the trail is not well marked when it hits Water Works street and the Rocky Branch trail. We lost the trail on our way out at the water works area and some other bikers helped us get straight and then on the return we somehow ended up on Rocky Branch Trail instead of Walnut Creek. They may merge as one but we didn't know and didn't have extra time to hope they did so we used the traillink map and took a street to get us back to Walnut Creek Trail. Hope to come back and ride again sometime. Had about 5 miles to opposite end but had to turn to head back (time crunch) so missed riding the long marsh bridge which would have loved to have done.
I know i sound like a crab ... but don't waste your time on this green way. Too many closures may it unreliable. Riding the greenway system in Raleigh is like driving up north during construction season. And you're not safe on the Neuse River Greenway either ... encountered a closure on there just north Anderson Point. No options for detour. Early signage is generally poor - today encountered the closure on Neuse River greenway with no warning. Turned around went back to Anderson point and road west on the Crabtree green way only to encounter several signs announcing a closure for utility work ... which never actually appeared. Only to be stopped at Capital blvd with another unannounced closure ... and by the way that area was closed most of last year.
The Black Creek Greenway is a great trail, but it's been showing its age and its vulnerability to flooding. The Town of Cary is working to rebuild the trail on higher ground. Check their website for the project's current status. https://www.townofcary.org/recreation-enjoyment/parks-greenways-environment/greenways/black-creek-greenway
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.
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.
Crosses a few busy streets around Greenville but most of it is gorgeous. A little sandy for a road bike though
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.
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