Waterfall Hero Hikes: Falls Lake Trail Section 15 Hike

Section 15 of the Falls Lake Trail is 4.4 miles from Jimmy Rogers Road to Cheek Road in Durham County. As an out-and-back hike, it's 8.8 miles round trip or half that for a shuttle hike.

Length: 4.4 miles (shuttle)/8.8 miles (out and back)
Estimated Time: 2 to 3 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Location: Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Land
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: 36.01323,-78.77771 (Jimmy Rogers Road) / 36.04301,-78.76050 (Cheek Road)

Directions:

Section 15 trailhead is on Jimmy Rogers Road and Little Rogers Road. From Durham, head east on NC-98 for 4.1 miles past US-70 and turn left on Patterson Road. Drive 2.7 miles and turn right on Jimmy Rogers Road. Turn right and go 0.4 miles to a right hand curve in the road at Little Rogers Road. Park in the curve.

To arrange a shuttle, head north on Little Rogers Road for 1.1 miles and turn right on Cheek Road. Drive 2.1 miles and pull off on the right side of the road just before the bridge over Falls Lake.

Map:

Hike Description:

The trailhead is at the east end of Jimmy Rogers Road, where it turns left to become Little Rogers Road. There is limited parking here at the intersection. A short blue-blazed spur trail leads to the main trail. Turn left where continuing straight leads to the boardwalk and Little Lick Creek Bridge. At 1.7 miles, just after crossing a dirt road, a side path signed "The Rock" turns right and leads out to a nice view of the lake.

In about 2.3 miles, the trail turns left and crosses another old road. Pay attention to blazes and trail stakes to avoid getting off trail.

At around 3 miles, the trail approaches power lines running across the lake. After passing through the clearing, you'll climb up to an open field that the power lines run through and skirt the perimeter of the field.

There are nice views of the lake from here.

The last mile of the trail is in the woods along the lake shore. Around 4 miles, the trail passes by some old artifact, maybe part of some farm equipment.