Falls Lake Trail Section 3 Hike

Section 3 of the Falls Lake Trail is a 3-mile hike from the end of Possum Track Road to the causeway over Cedar Creek.  As an out-and-back hike, it's 6 miles round trip or half that for a shuttle hike.

Length: 2.8 miles (shuttle)/5.6 miles (out and back)
Estimated Time: 1 to 3 hours
Difficulty: Easy
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: 35.94508,-78.59030 (Possum Track Road) / 35.95253,-78.61120 (Possum Track Road)

Directions:

Section 3 trailhead is located at the end of Possum Track Road.  From I-540 in North Raleigh take exit 14 for Falls of Neuse Road.  Go north on Falls of Neuse Road for 1.5 miles and turn left on Raven Ridge at a stoplight.  Drive 2.1 miles and turn right on Hardee Road.  Drive 0.7 miles to the end and turn right on Possum Track Road.  Go 0.9 miles and park at the end of Possum Track Road.

To arrange a shuttle, turn around and drive 1.6 miles back on Possum Track Road.  Park on the side of the road before the causeway over Cedar Creek.

Map:

In the following map, the hike is shown in pink.

Click here for an interactive map of the entire Falls Lake Trail.

Hike Description:

This section is also called Neuse Bend Point or Day Hike C.  The eastern trailhead is located at the end of Possum Track Road where it intersects with Red Fox Run, a private gravel road.  There is limited parking at the dead end of Possum Track Road, which once continued further before the lake was constructed.  Red Fox Run is a private road, so please don't park here.  Section 2 heads eastbound down the road, see Section 2 Hike for more details on this hike.  The trail sets off through the woods and in 0.1 miles, a path to the right leads down to the lake with views of the dam.

At about 0.2 miles, the trail crosses a gated paved road and then back into the woods.  In about 0.5 miles, the trail enters an area that was cleared in spring 2020.  Prior, this area was wooded.

The trail runs for the next half mile through the cleared area and then heads back into the woods, dipping in and out of coves on small tributaries.

For the next mile, the trail follows close to the lake with some nice views.

At 2.3 miles, the trail approaches Possum Track Road and passes below a drainage pipe on a wooden footbridge.  The trail parallels the road for the next half-mile, heading up to the road along a concrete culvert right before the road crosses Cedar Creek on a causeway.  Section 4 starts across the causeway; see Section 4 Hike for details to continue the hike.  If you left a shuttle, the car will be here; if not, head back the way you came.

External Links:

Mountains-to-Sea Trail website: https://mountainstoseatrail.org/the-trail/segments/falls-lake-day-hikes/fallslake-dayhike-3/