Biking The Lake Lynn Trail in North Raleigh: A Must Do For Nature Lovers

If you’re looking for a quiet place for some solitude and to simultaneously stretch your legs, then you might want to surrender to bird songs and still waters on a walk or cycle ride around the serene Lake Lynn Trail in North-West Raleigh, just 8 miles from downtown. 

The Lake Lynn Trail is an easy, 2.8 mile loop that follows the perimeter of the lake. It’s a mixture of paved surface and boardwalk, so it’s a gentle walk that the whole family can do – and is also a popular trail for bikers and joggers.

It’s part of the Hare Snipe Creek Trail and connects to the greater Capital Area Greenway Trail, and is definitely one of the most beautiful lake trails in Raleigh. If you’re thinking you’d like to give this walk a try, here’s everything you need to know about the Lake Lynn Trail in Raleigh.

About The Lake Lynn Trail

• Distance: 2.6 miles
• Time to compete: 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on pace
• Elevation gain: 20 meters
• Used by: walkers, joggers, cyclists
• Terrain: boardwalk and paved surface
• Dog-friendly: Dogs are allowed, but must be kept on a 6-foot leash.
• Facilities: No bathroom facilities on the actual trail, you’ll have to go to the community center in Lynn Park for those. 

Lake Lynn is a man-made lake and was created for flood control purposes in 1976 by damming Hare Snipe Creek, a tributary of Crabtree Creek, and the lake lies entirely within the city of Raleigh’s 75-acre Lake Lynn Park. The Lake Lynn Trail is a 2-mile mixed-use loop around the lake which is mostly paved and boardwalk.

You can reach Lake Lynn Park by heading north along the I-70 and turning off onto Lynn Road. Then turn onto Leesville Road and finally onto Glenharden Drive. There is street parking available on Glenharden Drive and easy access to the loop trail from here. The lake itself doesn’t allow swimming, but it’s canoe and kayak friendly.

Parking

There are two entrances to the park, both with parking. The biggest car park is at the Lake Lynn Community Center entrance (7921 Ray Road, Raleigh). The other entrance and car park is directly off Lynn Road, near the intersection of Leesville Rd. This entrance is where the mile marker starts, but a smaller car park so will fill up quickly in peak times. 

As mentioned earlier, you an also park on the street on Glenharden Drive, if the parking lots are full, and there’s also parking on W Millbrook Rd. We started at the Lynn Rd parking lot and went clockwise, which worked out perfect for us.

Our experience biking the Lake Lynn Trail

We loved all the wooden boardwalks across the lake, and the mixture of paved trail, forest setting, and lake views. Even in the warmer months most of the trail is shaded with gorgeous trees offering some relief, but there’s a good mix of open sunshine too!

Instead of walking this trail, we decided to bike it as we were a bit short on time and were overdue for a bike ride, but there was a good mix of walkers, joggers, and bikers. 

Considering we did the Lake Lynn Trail on a Sunday of the Memorial Day weekend we didn’t find it too crowded, but weekends or mornings/evenings would obviously be the peak times so keep that in mind. 

For families with kids, the trail was relatively flat with a few small inclines but our kids had no problem biking it, and we saw plenty of families pushing strollers. If you get tired, there’s some nice areas to rest and take in the views, especially along the boardwalk areas!

It’s one of the prettiest lakes in Raleigh, and definitely the one of the best walking trails for kids because it’s flat the whole way. The scenery is beautiful with the gorgeous trees and forest backdrop against the lake.

There’s also plenty of wildlife spotting with turtles, great blue herons, ducks, geese, and it’s a birding hot spot. It would be stunning here in the Fall. If you’re lucky, you may spot some deer, rabbits and squirrels grazing in the brush.

Compared to the other lake trails in Raleigh and the Wake County area, I liked this trail more than the Shelley Lake Trail, but the Lake Johnson Trail is still my favorite trail in Raleigh, and the Bond Lake loop trail in Cary is a favorite!

Overall, the Lynn Lake Trail is moderately-trafficked and mostly flat, and is perfect for families looking for a leisurely stroll or bike ride, or even for those that like to run. 

Video: Watch us bike ride along the Lake Lynn Trail

Press play below to watch this short video of the trail around the Lake Lynn.

Opening hours and entrance fees

The Lake Lynn Trail is open from dawn until dusk, seven days a week. It’s free to visit.

Is the Lake Lynn Trail worth it?

At just under three miles, it’s the perfect length for those with small kids and for those looking for a quick morning walk or after work evening de-stress. 

As well as the trail, Lake Lynn Park also has a community center with a gymnasium and art room, a playground, tennis courts, basketball courts and batting cages, locker room, a youth baseball field, and picnic shelter. So even if you visit the park just for the trail, you’ll find other amenities here, which make it 100% worth a visit.