Bailey and Sarah Williamson Preserve

Bailey and Sarah Williamson Nature and Farm Preserve is a 405-acre private nature preserve in Wake and Johnston Counties owned by Triangle Land Conservancy.  The newest of TLC's nature preserves, it opened to the public in September 2020.  The preserve has nine miles of trails throughout the preserve with all but one open to mountain biking.  It is also the first property that has public trails and active farming on site. 

Contact Information:

4409 Mial Plantation Road

Raleigh, NC 27610

Directions:

From the I-440 beltline in Raleigh, take exit 14 for I-87 north.  Drive 5.7 miles and take exit 9 for Smithfield Road.  Turn right on Smithfield Road and go 2.8 miles.  Turn right on Mial Plantation Road, which is gravel, and go 0.3 miles to the parking lot on the left.  There is no street parking and violators will be towed.

Map:

Trails:

There are about nine miles of trails throughout the preserve.  All except Two Pond Loop and Bootleggers' Loop are open to mountain biking as well as hiking.  Most of the trail are one-way with hikers and mountain bikers going opposite directions.  The directions are dependent on the day of the week, so pay attention to the signs.

Bootleggers' Loop:

Length: 1 mile

Blaze: Cyan

Bootlegger's Loop is a hiking only trail that starts from the Clayton Greenway near the Wake-Johnston County Line and heads into the woods.  After crossing a small creek, it passes old drums, presumably for making moonshine.  The trail then splits to make a loop.

Lily Loop:

Length: 2.2 miles

Blaze: Cyan

Lily Loop is the newest trail that splits from Magnolia Run in the southeast corner of the preserve.

Little Falls Loop:

Length: 2.3 miles

Blaze: Yellow

Little Falls Loop makes a two mile loop connecting Pine Warbler Trail and Longleaf Loop.  The trail passes a small, rocky intermittent stream that has a seasonal waterfall.

Longleaf Loop:

Length: 1.5 miles

Blaze: Green

Longleaf Loop crosses between Wake and Johnston Counties and connects Little Falls Loop and Salamander Loop.

Magnolia Run:

Length: 4 miles

Blaze: Purple

Magnolia Run splits off from Salamander Loop to make a 4-mile loop.  Lily Loop splits off about half way through.

Neuse River Connector:

Length: 0.5 miles

Blaze: Purple

Neuse River Connector connects Salamander Trail with Neuse River Trail, part of the Clayton Greenway.

Pine Warbler Trail:

Length: 0.8 miles

Blaze: Black

Pine Warbler Trail makes a double loop, connecting Walnut Hill Way with Little Falls Loop.

Salamander Loop:

Length: 3.0 miles

Blaze: Orange

Salamander Loop is the southernmost loop trail, accessed from Longleaf Loop.  Neuse River Connector splits off from this loop.

Two Pond Loop:

Length: 0.9 miles

Blaze: Blue

Two Pond Loop is only open to hiking.  It splits from Walnut Hill Way and makes a loop past two old farm ponds.

Walnut Hill Way:

Length: 0.4 miles

Blaze: Red

Walnut Hill Way leads from the parking area past the farm and leads to Two Pond Loop and Pine Warbler Trails.

Wildlife:

Atamasco lilies (Zephyranthes atamasca) are a beautiful spring wildflower.

Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora) is a parasitic plant that does not photosynthesize.

Pink lady's slippers (Cypripedium acaule) are species of orchid that make beautiful pink flowers in spring.

Fragile dapperling (Leucocoprinus fragilissimus)

Some type of mushroom growing along the trail.

Blog Entries:

23-Apr-2022: Lady's Slippers at Williamson Preserve

18-Oct-2020: Williamson Preserve

External Links:

Triangle Land Conservancy website: https://www.triangleland.org/explore/nature-preserves/williamson-preserve