Get a first look at Wake County’s plans for new cycling, hiking trails near RDU
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Wake County will present a first draft for trails across about 400 acres Tuesday.
- Leases cover 151 acres from RDU airport and 252 acres in Umstead State Park.
- Staff will refine the trail plan after public input; updates at wake.gov/haleysbranch.
Wake County plans to build a network of hiking and biking trails near Lake Crabtree County Park and will present a first draft to the public Tuesday.
The trails will be on land the county leases from Raleigh-Durham International Airport and in an adjacent section of William B. Umstead State Park. Altogether, they’ll course through about 400 wooded acres off Old Reedy Creek Road.
You can see the plans, ask questions and provide feedback anytime between 4 and 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 10, in the Academy Pavilion in Downtown Cary Park at 327 S. Academy St.
Wake County already has off-road cycling trails on 151 acres it agreed to lease from the airport in late 2022. Last fall, the county worked out a deal with the state parks department to lease another 252 acres in Umstead for $1 a year for seven years, with two 10-year renewal options.
The combined leases will allow Wake to create an off-road cycling destination to rival the one it lost at Lake Crabtree County Park last year when the airport did not renew a long-term lease there. Cyclists and hikers will be able to reach the new trails from Lake Crabtree County Park and from Cary’s Black Creek Greenway trail.
After Tuesday’s meeting, county staff and their consultants will create a detailed trail plan that will be presented at a future meeting and available online.
The county has named the project the Haleys Branch Trails after a stream that forms the western boundary. It will provide updates on the project at www.wake.gov/haleysbranch.
This story was originally published March 9, 2026 at 12:10 PM.
