Waterfall Hero Hikes: Lake Johnson West Loop Hike

Lake Johnson West Loop Hike is a 2.1-mile loop around Lake Johnson in Raleigh. The hike is along unpaved greenway trail and boardwalks around the lake and the trail is part of the Capital Area Greenway.

Length: 2.1 miles (loop)
Estimated Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy
Location: Lake Johnson Park
Trail Users: Hiking only though bikes are allowed on part of the trail
Dogs: Must be on a leash
Features: Lakes, Forest, Birding
Crowds: High
Warnings: None
Trailhead GPS: 35.76289,-78.71384

Directions:

The trailhead is at the Lake Johnson Waterfront Center on Avent Ferry Road though the trail can be accessed from other parking areas.. From I-40 in Raleigh, take exit 295 for Gorman Street. Go south on Gorman Street for 0.4 miles and turn right on Tryon Road. In 0.9 miles, turn right on Avent Ferry Road and drive 1.1 miles to the parking lot on the right, just after crossing over Lake Johnson.

Map:

In the following map, the hike is shown in green and follows the loop in the counterclockwise direction.

Click here for an interactive map of the park.

Hike Description:

From the parking area, cross Avent Ferry Road in the crosswalk and pick up the gravel road on the other side. The road follows the lake closely on the north shore.

At about 0.3 miles, an unpaved trail to the right leads to the Thomas Crowder Woodland Center and Lake Johnson Pool. At 0.7 miles, a paved trail to the right leads to Athens Drive High School. Hiking only past this point. The trail turns right and leads across a boardwalk over the headwaters of the lake.

After the boardwalk, the trail is singletrack and hugs the lake shoreline. There are several spots with scenic views of the lake.

At 1.8 miles, the trail crosses Avent Ferry Road again. Pick up the paved trail to the left that leads to a bridge over the lake parallel to the road that ends back at the Waterfront Center and parking lot.