Falls Lake Trail Section 23 Hike

Section 23 of the Falls Lake Trail is about 4 miles from Red Mill Road Old Oxford Highway.  As an out-and-back hike, it's 7.8 miles round trip or half that for a shuttle hike.

Length: 3.9 miles (shuttle)/7.8 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: 36.08442,-78.82442 (Red Mill Road) / 36.07183,-78.86307 (Old Oxford Highway)

Directions:

Section 22 is along Redwood Road.  From Durham, get on I-85 north and go about 4 miles to exit 182 for Red Mill Road.  Turn left on Red Mill Road and go 2.8 miles to a small parking area on the left opposite a boat access road.

To arrange a shuttle, continue on Red Mill Road for another 0.9 miles and turn left on Teknika Parkway.  Go 0.6 miles and turn left on Old Oxford Highway.  Drive 1.9 miles and pull off on the left immediately after crossing Eno River.

Map:

Hike Description:

Section 23 starts beyond the gate at the parking area and follows an old road past a solar farm.  In about 0.2 miles, bear left and head back into the woods through a swampy area.  The trail passes a powerline clearing and at 1 mile, a spur to the left leads to Ward Family Campground.  This is private property, so please be respectful and obey the rules when camping.

After this point, the trail begins to head higher, leading to a bluff overlooking Eno River and then comes to a point where numerous dirt roads come together.  Pay careful attention to the blazes as it's easy to get mixed up in this area.

After walking past a pond, turn right off the roadbed to head back into the woods and soon you'll climb up again and walk along another bluff over the Eno River.  Around 3.5 miles from the trailhead, cross an abandoned railroad track.

If you turn right and follow the tracks a short ways, the tracks cross Eno River on an old bridge.  Just past the railroad tracks is a large drainage pipe.  Shortly, you'll come out to Old Oxford Highway, the western end of the Falls Lake Trail.  The Mountains-to-Sea Trail continues across the road in Penny's Bend Nature Preserve.  If you shuttled, the car will be here; otherwise, hike back.

Blog Entries:

26-Feb-2017: Trout Lilies and Wildflowers

External Links:

Mountains-to-Sea Trail website: https://mountainstoseatrail.org/the-trail/segments/falls-lake-day-hikes/fallslake-dayhike-18/