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Lake Crabtree Loop

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Intermediate Intermediate
 4.2 (63)
  1. Areas
  2. NC
  3. …Raleigh - Durham Metro Area
  4. …Raleigh
  5. Lake Crabtree County Park
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“A loop of Lake Crabtree county park covering most of the trail system. ”

Greg Epplin
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Map Key

7.4

Miles

11.9

KM

95%

Singletrack

348' 106 m

High

282' 86 m

Low

240' 73 m

Up

239' 73 m

Down

1%

Avg Grade (1°)

6%

Max Grade (3°)

Dogs Leashed

E-Bikes Allowed

Features Drops/Jumps · Pump Track

Family Friendly Lots of picnic tables. Some easier trails for kids.

Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Overview

Lake Crabtree County Park singletrack is by far the most popular place for beginner riders in the Triangle. This featured ride covers most of the trails in the park with minimal backtracking.

Need to Know

This trail is easy flowing and has multiple parking lots to start from. I chose to record this featured ride starting from the parking area along Old Reedy Creek road. Starting from this point also allows access to the doubletrack trails in Umstead state park and the greenways trails on Black Creek greenway.

Description

The Lake Crabtree trails are one of the favorite rides in the Triangle. They offer gentle climbs and descents for beginners and fast flowy tracks for more advanced riders. Portions of the aptly named Lake Trail offer great views of Lake Crabtree. The eastern end of Lake Trail ends at Old Reedy Creek road. Parking at this location offers access to the Lake Crabtree trails, the Umstead State Park gravel trails, and the Black Creek greenway paved trail.

There are many variations to this basic loop and you are never very far from bail out points on this trail system if you need them.

History & Background

Lake Crabtree County Park offers visitors opportunities for outdoor recreation. Located on a 215-acre site adjacent to a 520-acre flood control lake, the park hosts more than 16 miles of hiking and biking trails for its main activity. Other activities include group and individual picnicking, catch-and-release fishing, boating, and nature study.

Contacts

Local Club: Triangle Off-Road Cyclists (TORC)

Land Manager: Wake County North Carolina

Shared By:

Greg Epplin with improvements by Matt Jenkins and 2 others
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.2 from 63 votes

#1

in Lake Crabtree County Park

#281

Overall
  4.2 from 63 votes
5 Star
43%
4 Star
37%
3 Star
19%
2 Star
2%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#1

in Lake Crabtree County Park

#17

in North Carolina

#281

Overall
230 Views Last Month
25,063 Since Dec 19, 2014
Intermediate Intermediate
8%
13%
70%
6%
2%
2%
Add a Photo

Photos

Fall colors at Lake Crabtree
Dec 29, 2014 near Morrisv…, NC
Gorgeous spot!!
Sep 9, 2016 near Morrisv…, NC
Nice gap jump if you're feeling brave.
Jul 29, 2020 near Morrisv…, NC
This tree has a really strange shape. I always enjoy riding by it and wondering how this could have happened.
Jul 29, 2020 near Morrisv…, NC
A Triangle Trips for Kids ride!
Dec 24, 2014 near Morrisv…, NC
A fun section of Highlands trails 6
Dec 24, 2014 near Morrisv…, NC

5 Comments

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Weather

Current Trail Conditions

All Clear 91 days ago
Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

Feb 17, 2024
Daniel Crompton
11.7mi — 9h 30m
Jan 17, 2024
Christian Rust
Sep 12, 2023
Amanda Deen
6mi
Aug 31, 2022
Jacob Custer
Great flowy trail. Fair warning: the trail is not unidirectional. Keep your eyes up for oncoming traffic!
Jun 24, 2022
Reid Thomas
Flow track
Apr 22, 2022
George Chang
great trail with moderate obstacles and some fun jumps. 9.2mi — 1h 30m
Mar 27, 2022
Michael Rock
Nov 13, 2021
Graham Rich
Raleigh biking

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Stewarded by Triangle Off-Road Cyclists (TORC)
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