Falls Lake Trail Section 5 Hike

Section 5 of the Falls Lake Trail is about 1.2 miles from Bayleaf Church Road to Six Forks Road in North Raleigh.  As an out-and-back hike, it's 2.4 miles round trip or half that for a shuttle hike.

Length: 1.2 miles (shuttle)/2.4 miles (out and back)
Estimated Time: 1 to 2 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: 35.96386,-78.63264 (Bayleaf Church Road) / 35.95616,-78.64292 (Six Forks Road)

Directions:

Section 5 trailhead is located off Bayleaf Church Road.  From I-540 in North Raleigh take exit 11 for Six Forks Road.  Go north on Six Forks for 2.5 miles and go straight to get on Possum Track Road.  In 0.5 miles, go straight to get on Bayleaf Church Road.  Drive 0.9 miles and park on the side of the road without blocking the gate.

To arrange a shuttle, head back on Bayleaf Church Road and go straight where it becomes Possum Track Road.  In 1.4 miles, turn right on Six Forks Road.  Go 0.7 miles and pull off on the left side of the road before the causeway over Lower Barton 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 Loblolly Point.  The eastern trailhead is on Bayleaf Church Road, just past the gates to the Yorkshire Center.  Hike up Bayleaf Church Road beyond the gate to reach the Falls Lake Trail.  This area is the Yorkshire Center, an administrative facility for Falls Lake State Recreation Area with no public amenities.  However, there are nice views of the lake to check out before starting the hike.

Section 5 begins to the left and descends to cross some small tributaries.  Section 4 heads to the right towards Possum Track Road; see Section 4 Hike for more details.  At 0.4 miles, the trail crosses an old road and leaves state park property.  The old road leads out to a nice view of the lake.

Passing through game lands, the trail crosses several more small tributaries.

There are several nice views of the lake in this section as well.

In just over a mile, the trail approaches Six Forks Road and climbs up behind the guard rail.  Section 6 starts across the causeway; see Section 6 Hike to continue the hike.  If you shuttled, the car is here; if not, turn around.

External Links:

Mountains-to-Sea Trail website: https://mountainstoseatrail.org/the-trail/segments/falls-lake-day-hikes/fallslake-dayhike-5/