Waterfall Hero Hikes: Lake Johnson Park & Nature Preserve

Lake Johnson is a 300-acre City of Raleigh park and nature preserve surrounding the 150-acre lake on Walnut Creek in western Wake County. One of the older parks in the city, it was established in 1952. The trails around the lake are part of the Capital Area Greenway with connectivity throughout the Research Triangle region. The lake is surrounded by two trails - one paved and one unpaved - that make a double loop around the lake of more than 5 miles. The park is actually two parks - Lake Johnson Park and Lake Johnson Nature Preserve. The Nature Preserve includes the southern portion. Lake Johnson Park in the northern part has additional amenities including concessions and boat rentals. The Waterfront Center offers rentals for a variety of boats that may be taken on the lake - canoes, kayaks, paddle boats, Sunfish sailboats, and stand-up paddle boards.

Contact Information:

4601 Avent Ferry Road
Raleigh, NC 27606

Phone: (919) 996-3141

Directions:

There are several parking lots to access Lake Johnson. To park near the dam, go south from Avent Ferry Road on Lake Dam Road. It's about a quarter-mile on the right, before the bridge over Walnut Creek. This parking lot provides access to the East Loop Trail right at the dam. There are two parking areas on Avent Ferry Road. The main parking area with access to both loops and the Waterfront Center is just north of the bridge over Lake Johnson. The paved East Loop starts right at the center and the unpaved West Loop starts across the street. The south parking area is across the bridge over Lake Johnson and to the left. Both trails may be accessed from this trailhead as well. Two additional parking areas are off Jaguar Park Drive - one at the Athens Drive High School athletic fields and one at the Thomas G. Crowder Woodlands Center, where the pool is located. Use the map below to generate customized directions to any of the parking areas.

Map:

Trails:

Lake Johnson has more than 5 miles of trails looping around the lake as well as access to Walnut Creek Trail, part of the Capital Area Greenway.

Highland Trail:

Length: 1.1 mi

Surface: Unpaved

Highland Trail is a new trail through the woodlands in the nature preserve, connecting to the west loop in multiple places with a connector trail to the Woodland Center.

Lake Johnson East Loop:

Length: 2.8 mi
Surface: Paved

Lake Johnson East Loop is a 3-mile paved loop around the eastern half of the lake and is part of the Capital Area Greenway. See Lake Johnson East Loop Hike for more description of this trail.

Lake Johnson West Loop:

Length: 2.1 mi
Surface: Unpaved

Lake Johnson West Loop is a 2-mile unpaved loop around the western half of the lake and is also part of the Capital Area Greenway. See Lake Johnson West Loop Hike for more description of this trail.

Walnut Creek Trail:

Length: 15.6 mi
Surface: Paved

Walnut Creek Trail, part of Capital Area Greenway, leads more than 15 miles from the confluence with Neuse River to the headwaters of Lake Johnson. The trail enters the park at the parking lot on Lake Dam Road and follows the north shore of the lake along parts of the east and west loop trails.

Hikes:

Lake Johnson East Loop Hike is a 3-mile paved loop around the eastern half of the lake.
Lake Johnson West Loop Hike is a 2-mile unpaved loop around the western half of the lake.