Waterfall Hero Hikes: Blue Jay Point County Park

Blue Jay Point County Park is a 236-acre Wake County park in the northwestern part of the county near Wake Forest. The park is located on a peninsula, Blue Jay Point, bordered on three sides by Falls Lake. The park was once farmland and most of the land is now second-growth forests. The park was named for the numerous blue jays that lived around the open farmland. As the park has been restored to its forested state, these birds are not as common, but may be spotted if you're lucky. The land here was purchased in the 1970s by the US Army Corps of Engineers for the construction of Falls Lake. Wake County leases land from the Corps of Engineers and the park officially opened to the public on January 1, 1992. In addition to typical park activities, there is a Go Ape Treetop Adventure course with ziplines and rope swings.

Contact Information:

3200 Pleasant Union Church Road
Raleigh, NC 27614

Phone: (919) 870-4330
Fax: (919) 870-4327

Email: bluejaypoint@wakegov.com

Directions:

From either I-540 or I-440 in Raleigh, take Six Forks Road and go north. North of I-540, bear left to stay on on Six Forks Road (straight goes to Possum Track Road), cross a bridge over Falls Lake at Lower Barton Creek and then turn right shortly after on Pleasant Union Church Road to enter the park.

Map:

Trails:

There are about 5 miles of trails in the park. The longest trail is Section 6 of the Falls Lake Trail, part of Segment 10 of the statewide Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Shorter trails in the park are blazed according to the trail type - blue-blazed trails lead to points out in the lake, yellow-blazed trails are loops, and red-blazed trails are connectors.

Falls Lake Trail Section 6:

Length: 3.1 miles
Blaze: White

Section 6 of Falls Lake Trail runs completely through Blue Jay Point. This is the only section of the trail where hunting is prohibited on the entire section as it's completely in the country park. The trailheads for this section are along Six Forks Road, north and south of the entrance to the park. The trail runs along the shoreline of the peninsula and intersects with most of the other trails in the park, allowing for hikes of any desired length. See Falls Lake Trail Section 6 Hike for more information.

Azalea Loop Trail:

Length: 0.5 miles
Blaze: Yellow

The Azalea Loop is a half-mile loop trail that starts near the entrance of the park. An interpretive brochure provides information of the park's flora and fauna corresponding to numbered posts along the trail. About midway through the loop, Beaver Point Trail splits off and heads to the lake.

Laurel Loop Trail:

Length: 0.2 miles
Blaze: Yellow

Laurel Loop Trail is a short loop trail running from the playground down towards the lake. It briefly meets up with Falls Lake Trail and then splits to head closer to the lake. The rocky shore here is a great place to relax and enjoy the views. It then heads back up to the playground area to finish the loop.

Sparkleberry Loop Trail:

Length: 0.3 miles
Blaze: Yellow

Sparkleberry is a short loop trail that starts from the Blue Jay Center for Environmental Education and loops around towards the lake. A red-blazed connector provides access to Falls Lake Trail.

Beaver Point Trail:

Length: 0.3 miles
Blaze: Blue

Beaver Point leads to the lake. The trail starts near the park entrance at the Azalea Loop Trail. At the split, go right to stay on Beaver Point Trail and head down to the lake. The trail intersects Falls Lake Trail before reaching the lake.

Blue Jay Point Trail:

Length: 0.3 miles
Blaze: Blue

Blue Jay Point starts from the main parking lot and follows an old road down to the lake at the easternmost tip of the peninsula. The trail intersects Falls Lake Trail before reaching the lake. If the water level is up in the lake, the little peninsula at the end can be submerged.

Sandy Point Trail:

Length: 0.2 miles
Blaze: Blue

Sandy Point Trail leads out to the lake following an old road, starting from the near the overnight lodge. It meets up with Falls Lake Trail for a short ways, before that trail splits to the right. Sandy Point Trail ends out at a nice view of the lake.