Falls Lake Trail Section 4 Hike

Section 4 of the Falls Lake Trail is over 2.5 miles from Possum Track Road to Bayleaf Church Road in North Raleigh.  As an out-and-back hike, it's 5.6 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 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: 35.95482,-78.61307 (Possum Track Road) / 35.96386,-78.63264 (Bayleaf Church Road)

Directions:

Section 4 trailhead is located off 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 2.8 miles and turn left on Possum Track Road.  In 0.3 miles, pull off on the side of the road just after the causeway over Cedar Creek.

To arrange a shuttle, continue on Possum Track Road for 1.5 miles and make a sharp right turn on Bayleaf Church Road.  Drive 0.9 miles to the end and park before the gate.

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:

Section 4 of the trail is also called Cedar Creek or Day Hike D.  The eastern trailhead is along Possum Track Road just northwest of the intersection with Raven Ridge Road and across the bridge; cars can be parked along either side of the road here. Section 3 starts on the east side of the causeway, see Section 3 Hike for more details on this hike.  The trail dips into the woods past the guardrail and runs through a pine forest.  At 0.4 miles, a blue-blazed spur to the right leads out to the Possum Track MST Campsites.

The campsites are free but there are no amenities and fires are prohibited.  In just under a mile, the trail approaches an old road.  There are several old roads here so pay attention to the blazes.  An old, rusty, flipped car is just of the trail on the left.

After the car, you can see the remains of an old building to the right and the trail crosses the roadbed and heads into the woods.

The trail continues through the woods for a ways and then starts to get closer to the lake with nice views as you hike around a promontory at 1.5 miles.

After this part, the trail runs along a cove and at 2 miles, passes through an area of mountain laurel, that flower in late spring.

After crossing a stream on a footbridge, the trail then enters Falls Lake State Recreation Area, where all state park regulations apply.  In less than a half-mile from entering State Parks land, the trail section ends at Bayleaf Church Road at the Yorkshire Center.  Section 5 starts across the road; see Section 5 Hike for details to continue the hike.  If you shuttled, turn left and walk down the road past the gate to the shuttle car or turn back if not.

External Links:

Mountains-to-Sea Trail website: https://mountainstoseatrail.org/the-trail/segments/falls-lake-day-hikes/fallslake-dayhike-4/