Waterfall Hero Hikes: Greensboro Watershed Lakes

The Greensboro Watershed Lakes - Lake Higgins, Lake Brandt and Lake Townsend provide drinking water for the city. In addition, there are nearly 50 miles of trails running through the protected areas surrounding the lakes. All of the trails are open to hiking and there are several trails for mountain biking. Segment 8 of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail runs along the lakes as well. Besides trails, there are several parks along the lakes with opportunities for picnicking and boat launches to provide access to the water.

Map:

Trails:

There are almost 50 miles of trails surrounding the lakes. All are open to hiking and some are also open to mountain biking.

Crockett Trail:

Length: 1.4 miles

Crockett Trail is a hiking-only trail that runs along the Peninsula from the Laurel Bluffs Trailhead to the Church Street trailhead further south. This trail is also part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

Blue Heron Trail:

Length: 3.5 miles

Blue Heron Trail runs along the north shore of Lake Townsend between Yanceyville Road and N Church Street. This trail is open to mountain biking and hiking.

King Fisher Trail:

Length: 2.4 miles

King Fisher runs along the north shore of Lake Townsend heading east from Yanceyville Road. This trail is open to mountain biking and hiking.

Laurel Bluffs Trail:

Length: 3.5 miles

Laurel Bluff Trail runs from Church Street to Lake Brandt along the upper portion of Lake Townsend and Reedy Branch. This trail is also part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

Nat Greene Trail:

Length: 3.6 miles

Nat Greene is a hiking only trail that starts from a trailhead on Old Battleground Road at Horse Pen Creek. It runs through the wetlands to Atlantic & Yadkin Greenway Trail then follows the shoreline of Lake Brandt to the marina. The section along the lake is part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

Osprey Trail:

Length: 2.3 miles

Osprey Trail runs along the south shore of Lake Townsend between N Church Street and Yanceyville Road. This natural surface trail is hiking only and is part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

Owl's Roost Trail:

Length: 4.3 miles

Owl's Roost Trail is a hiking and mountain biking trail along Lake Brandt that begins and ends on Atlantic & Yadkin Greenway. This is the most technical mountain biking trail in the area.

Townsend Trail:

Length: 3.8 miles

Townsend Trail is the longest hiking only trail and leads from the Bryan Soccer Complex to Yanceyville Road along the south shore of Lake Townsend. This natural surface trail is hiking only and is part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.