Wake to unveil plans for trails on hundreds of acres near RDU airport
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- Wake County will present designs for Haleys Branch hiking and biking trails.
- Planned trails will meander through about 400 wooded acres on the north side of I‑40.
- The Haleys Branch Trails span 151 acres leased from the airport and 252 from the state.
This spring, Wake County sought feedback on plans to build a network of hiking and biking trails on hundreds of acres near Lake Crabtree County Park.
Now the county will share its designs for the trail system at a public meeting Thursday evening. It’s a chance, county officials say, for people to see how their opinions helped shape the project.
“This design reflects the ideas and priorities shared during the first community meeting and through the public survey,” Wake County Commissioner Vickie Adamson said in a written statement. “We’re excited to show the community how their input influenced the plan.”
The trails will meander through about 400 wooded acres on the north side of Interstate 40 from Lake Crabtree County Park.
The county already has off-road cycling trails on 151 acres it agreed to lease from Raleigh-Durham International Airport in late 2022. Last fall, the county worked out a deal with the state parks department to lease another 252 acres in Umstead State Park for $1 a year for seven years, with two 10-year renewal options.
Together, the adjoining properties make up what the county calls the Haleys Branch Trails, after a stream that forms the western boundary.
The goal is 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 and from Cary’s Black Creek Greenway trail, via Old Reedy Creek Road.
The public can see the plans and learn more about the project from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, July 9, in the Academy Pavilion in Downtown Cary Park at 327 S. Academy St. To learn more about the planned trail network, go to www.wake.gov/haleysbranch.
