Falls Lake Trail Section 13 Hike

Section 13 of the Falls Lake Trail is 3.3 miles from Wake Forest Highway/NC-98 to Baptist Road in Rolling View Recreation Area.  As an out-and-back hike, it's 6.6 miles round trip or half that for a shuttle hike.

Length: 3.1 miles (shuttle)/6.6 miles (out and back)
Estimated Time: 2 to 3 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Location: Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Land and Falls Lake State Recreation Area
Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Must be on a leash
Features: Lakes, Creeks, Forest, 
Crowds: High
Warnings: Part of the trail passes through game land where hunting is permitted.  Wear blaze orange during hunting season.
Trailhead GPS: 35.98184,-78.74384 (Wake Forest Highway/NC-98) / 36.00404,-78.72802 (Baptist Road)

Directions:

Section 13 trailhead is along NC-98 east of Durham.  From Durham, head east on NC-98 for 6.9 miles past US-70 and pull off on the left side of the road before crossing the causeway over Lick Creek.

To arrange a shuttle, head west on NC-98 for 2.1 miles and turn right on Baptist Road.  Go 4.0 miles and turn left into a small parking area just before entering Rolling View Recreation Area.

Map:

Hike Description:

The trail begins heading into the woods past the kiosk.  There is a logbook here for hiker registration.

Pass through a clearing and then back into the woods in a low-lying area that can be wet.  There are some boardwalks at parts to help, but the trail itself can be very muddy.  Soon you'll go through a powerline clearing.  The trail then follows the lake more closely departing for a short ways to cross a tributary and then back along the lake as it enters Rolling View Recreation Area, where state park regulations apply, at around 2.3 miles from the trailhead.  At 2.8 miles, a blue-blazed spur trail splits to the left.  If doing a shuttle hike, turn left here and follow the spur trail to the parking area in about 0.3 miles.  Otherwise continue straight on MST and pass an old farm pond.

After the pond, turn left to walk along powerlines before coming out at the western trailhead along Baptist Road at the intersection with Falls Lake Road.  Turn around here or turn right and continue past the park entrance station to pick up Section 14 along the left side of the road.  Note that there is no parking directly at the western trailhead; park at the MST parking lot before entering Rolling View Recreation Area and use the blue-blazed spur trail to access Section 13 from the western end.

External Links:

Mountains-to-Sea Trail website: https://mountainstoseatrail.org/the-trail/segments/falls-lake-day-hikes/fallslake-dayhike-11/