Walnut Creek Greenway Trail

Choose the section first. Official options include 6405 Poole Road near the Neuse end; 584 Rose Lane, 574 Dacian Road, or Walnut Creek Wetland Park at 950 Peterson Street; 1600 Fayetteville Street or 1201 Agriculture Street near the central section; and Lake Johnson access at 1320 Lake Dam Road, 4601 Avent Ferry Road, or 5051 Avent Ferry Road. Confirm the current section map before driving.

For indoor help, restrooms, water, and wetland exploration during center hours, start at Walnut Creek Wetland Park, 950 Peterson Street. Start at Lake Johnson for the lake and western route, or Poole Road for the Neuse River connection. The listed Peterson Street address is a useful central trailhead, not the trail's only entrance.

Walnut Creek Wetland Park has public restrooms inside its Education Center during published center hours, and Lake Johnson has facilities with separate schedules. Long stretches have no guaranteed restroom. Use the Greenway Explorer and verify the connected facility's hours rather than assuming the next trailhead has an unlocked restroom.

The trail is open dawn to dusk daily. Walnut Creek Wetland Park's Education Center, Lake Johnson facilities, parking gates, and other connected destinations have their own hours. Allow enough time to return before dusk and verify any facility you depend on.

Yes. The public greenway is free to walk, run, or cycle, and Walnut Creek Wetland Park's general admission is free. Programs, rentals, events, transit, or activities at other connected destinations can have separate fees.

Many paved sections can support wheelchairs and mobility devices, and the Wetland Park Education Center is ADA accessible. The full 15.6 miles are not uniform: street crossings, sidewalk transitions, grades, flooding, construction, and pavement conditions vary. Verify the exact section and trailhead in the City's map and alerts.

The official route is 15.6 miles from Lake Johnson Park to the Neuse River Trail. It includes paved greenway, urban connections, and sidewalk portions. The Centennial-to-Lake Johnson section follows Avent Ferry Road sidewalk and Trailwood Drive, which has only partial sidewalk, before returning to asphalt trail.

No. It is a linear cross-city route. For a short visit, choose one section and make an out-and-back, turning around after half the desired total distance. A one-way trip needs an arranged pickup or shuttle and confirmed parking at both ends; do not assume convenient transit from every trailhead.

The trail links Lake Johnson, Lake Raleigh and NC State's Centennial Campus, the Centennial Bikeway Connector, Rocky Branch Trail, Little Rock Trail, Walnut Creek Wetland Park, neighborhood parks, and the Neuse River Trail. Its eastern section is part of the long-distance East Coast Greenway.

Walnut Creek Wetland Park is the most service-rich starting point during Education Center hours, with restrooms, water, staff, exhibits, loaner exploration gear, and short wetland trails. Lake Johnson adds a waterfront destination. Families wanting to avoid street exposure should review each section map because central and western connections include crossings and sidewalks.

Yes. Dogs must remain controlled on a leash no longer than six feet, stay to the right, and owners must remove waste. Use extra care around cyclists, children, street crossings, wetland wildlife, narrow approaches, and crowded park connections.

Yes, but expect a mixed cross-city experience rather than continuous secluded trail. Cyclists share the route with pedestrians and encounter sidewalk links and street crossings. Raleigh's greenway speed limit is 10 mph; keep right, yield, announce passes, and slow around wetlands, parks, children, dogs, and road interfaces.

Yes. Creek and wetland sections can flood, and construction or maintenance can produce closures and detours. Check Raleigh's Greenway Alerts immediately before a longer outing, especially after storms. Never cross barricades or moving water, and do not create a shortcut through private property.