The best Moore County hiking trails: forests, lakes, and Longleaf pines

It’s never too late to enjoy the tranquil nature that surrounds the state of North Carolina.

Tucked in the Sandhills of Moore County is where the forest meets the fairway, and is home to an abundance of unique trail experiences for hikers to revel in.

While Pinehurst and Moore County is most synonymous for its golf courses, we encourage you to trade golf shoes for hiking boots, as the winding woodland trails are what really make this region worth the 1.5 hour drive from Raleigh.

This is a land where longleaf and loblolly pines fill the landscape, and where the outdoor activities are aplenty.

In this guide, we share our favorite hiking trails in Moore County that we did during our visit.

Where is Moore County?

Moore County is the county between the Peidmont and the Atlantic Coastal Plain. It’s known for the Pinehurst region, which is located in Moore County, and is nestled southwest of Raleigh.

It’s made up of lots of small towns, mostly known as Pinehurst, Southern Pines & Aberdeen, and they are all just over one hour’s drive from Raleigh!

All three towns are set up like a Triangle, similar to our own Triangle of Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh, except these are only 10-minutes’ drive from each other.

You’ll also hear this area called the Sandhills, which is a region characterized of rolling hills capped by deep coarse sands and dominated by the longleaf pine tree.

Moore County Hiking Trails

Moore County has about 50 trails and 20 municipal public parks across the region that range from beginner (including young children) to more experienced. They work for hikers, bikers, or trail runners. Here is a Moore County trail checklist.

It lists location, distance, difficulty level and whether you can bike on the trail. It also includes outdoor spaces good for horse riding, kayaking, and disc golf. Yep. Enjoying trails in Moore County doesn’t have to just be about walking. 

The great thing about the Moore County trails is you can easily enjoy them on a day trip from Raleigh. 

We recommend staying overnight as well to make an adventure of all the wonderful things to do in this region, but if you just want to stretch your legs on a new trail, it’s an easy thing to do in a few hours. 

Here are some of our favorite trails in Moore County:

Reservoir Park, Southern Pines

We started our first morning in the Pinehurst region with a hike around beautiful Reservoir Park in the town of Southern Pines.

The two-mile loop trail follows the perimeter of the lake under a canopy of pine, oak, and hickory trees, offering you beautiful views the entire way.

The lighting was soft, the air crisp, and the sky silent. It was a fantastic way to start the day. It is the Sandhills region so you may get a few gentle rolls, but really, it’s mostly flat the entire way. 

We saw plenty of joggers and bike riders along the trail, as well as people fishing off the jetty or from their kayaks. It would be a nice lake to paddle across, especially in a small pocket that’s filled with lilies.

There’s also covered picnic shelters and tables if you want to set up for breakfast, or lunch after your walk.

And Disc Golfers will be happy with the 18-hole course winding through the trees, following the edge of the lake.

Whitehall Trail

From Reservoir Park, you can hike the Whitehall Trail, which connects to the reservoir park greenway. This is a short, 1.6 mile loop trail that you can complete in about 45 minutes.

It’s very peaceful and traverses through a longleaf pine forest with a soft, natural surface, through a 157 acre park.

As well as forest, it also traverses through wiregrass meadows and seasonal wetlands, and is especially beautiful in the spring and summer seasons when the wildflowers are in bloom.

Nick’s Creek Greenway, Carthage

Families with younger children will love this 6.8km out and back trail in Southern Pines. It only has an elevation gain of 39 meters and is well-graded gravel the whole way. It connects to the Fox Creek Trail if you want to extend it, otherwise it will take about an hour and 20 minutes.

During the time we visited, the Sandhills Story Trail Adventures was installed as part of the NC Year of the Trail celebration, and we saw plenty of families pushing strollers on this trail.

The trail was lined with Winnie the Pooh characters, and there was an interactive element to them. We saw children interact with Pooh Bear and his beloved friends – this time, not in the 100-acre wood, but on the Nick’s Creek Greenway Trail. 

This original story trail featured a QR code to scan, which takes you to the story of their Sandhills adventures. You can read the next chapter for each one or listen on your smartphone. 

This unique hiking experience was created, written, and voiced by the CVB, primarily by Destination Storyteller Dan Dryer. 

It was a fantastic way to engage younger children especially and teach them from an early age that walks in nature are soothing for the soul and full of fun surprises. 

The Nick’s Creek Greenway trail is open all year, but the Sandhill Adventures has closed down now. You can still walk the 1.8-mile one-way hike – the lush forest setting is still beautiful without the stories.

It starts with a view of Nick’s Creek Reservoir and travels down to join the 2.7-mile Forest Creek Trail. It’s important to note there are no restrooms here. 

Aberdeen Lake Park

The picturesque Aberdeen Lake is located in the heart of the town of Aberdeen, and should not be missed on any visit.

The trail here is short and easy at 0.9 miles. It takes you around half of the lake crossing over a beautiful wooden bridge. 

There’s also a playground here and a fountain in the middle of the lake, and lots of waterfowl. You can fish and boat on this lake as well. 

The trail will take you no more than 15-20 minutes to do.

Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve

We did not get to Weymouth Woods Tract near Southern Pines, but we heard great things about it. It’s one of the best places to walk amongst the pristine longleaf pine forests and wiregrass forest. In fact, it’s home to the oldest known living longleaf pine tree dating back to 1548.

You’ll find a network of nature trails throughout the 900-acre state park spanning for 5 miles, as well as a museum, equestrian trail, and weekly events. There’s also a Discovery Room with things for kids to touch and explore.

Here are some top-rated hiking trails in this preserve:

Lighter Stump Trail

An easy, 0.9 mile loop trail in the Pinehurst area which traverses through the forest and offers plenty of shade. The trailhead is at the Visitor’s Center, and it can easily be extended by adding on the Pine Island and Holly Road Loop, which we highly recommend you do.

This extended trail is 3.7 miles and takes you on a shaded path through most of the forest. It offers a chance to see the large pines up close, and has a few creeks, wooden bridges, and benches along the way.

Keep your eyes on the lookout for the red-cockaded woodpeckers who roost here.

Pyxie Moss and Fox Squirrel Loop, Paint Hill Tracts

From the Aberdeen area, you can connect to the Weymouth Woods via the Paint Hill Tract.

This loop trail is an easy 1.3 mile hike that takes no more than 30 minutes, and is a popular spot for hiking, running, and walking amongst the pines.

Round Timber Trail, Boyd Tract

From the north near Southern Pines, you can access the Weymouth Woods via the Boyd Tract. The Round Timber Trail is a short, half hour 1.4 mile circular trail that has grassy fields, unique flora, and flat walking trails.

Best time to go hiking in Moore County

The best time to go hiking in Moore County is the Spring season and the early Summer season (April and May) when the wild flowers are in bloom.

Fall (September – November) would also be a lovely time to visit as this is a really leafy area, known for its towering pines and lolloby trees, so it would be a great time to go to see the leaves change color to reds and oranges.

Where to stay in the Pinehurst Region

If you want to make it a hiking weekend, then consider staying overnight! We stayed just outside of Aberdeen in the Hilton Garden Inn. It’s quite a flashy hotel, with very spacious rooms, and was beautifully furnished with a great lobby and bar area. 

However, if you want a more quintessential Pinehurst experience you will want to stay in the Carolina Hotel, or perhaps rent a vacation home on VRBO. I fell in love with this village amongst the trees and plan to have this accommodation experience in the future. 

We finally will be staying in one of the Pinehurst hotels in September for a 36 hour visit. Subscribe to your email newsletter so you don’t miss our insights and tips. You can also follow on Instagram and Facebook.

Are you planning on visiting Moore County and doing some hiking? Have you been to Pinehurst, Aberdeen, and Southern Pines before? Let us know in the comments.