Falls Lake Trail

Falls Lake Trail is a continuous long-distance foot route along the southern shore of Falls Lake, tied into the statewide Mountains-to-Sea Trail system. The corridor is marked with white circle blazes and is divided into seven designated sections across the lake area.

At the local level, the trail is built around a succession of lake-edge segments—dipping in and out of coves and spending extended stretches along Falls Lake as you move from one section to the next.

One named waypoint for planning is the Falls Lake tailrace area at Falls of Neuse Road and Raven Ridge Road, which anchors Section 1 of the Falls Lake MST portion. The same Section 1 alignment includes a notable early climb (over a third of a mile gaining more than 100 feet).

Sectioning continues northward through the next road-to-road blocks—Raven Ridge Road to Hickory Hill Road, then Hickory Hill Road to Possum Track Road, followed by Possum Track Road to Bayleaf Church Road.

Further along, the designated sequence runs Bayleaf Church Road to NC 50, then NC 50 to Rolling View Recreation Area, before finishing at Highway 98 for the Falls Lake portion of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail segment.

Trail basics for staying on route: hikers are expected to remain on designated trails and follow the white circle blazes. Camp only at designated campgrounds along the system.

Mapped for easy through-hiking in the full corridor (SAC hiking scale: hiking), the route is strictly for foot traffic—bicycles and horses are not indicated for this trail line.

More information: Map, Falls Lake Day Hike A, Mountains-to-Sea Trail - Falls Lake South Shore Trail Section