A Guide to Trails at Lake Johnson Park in Raleigh

If you’re in West Raleigh or Cary, there’s a great trail waiting for you at Lake Johnson Park off Avent Ferry Road, not far from NC State University.

Lake Johnson features 500 acres of outdoor space for walking, running, hiking, biking, fishing, and more. You can even rent a shelter and have a picnic outdoors.

The trail is mostly shaded, making it great for hot summer days. There are some pretty serious hills in some parts of the trail, especially on the paved greenway Lake Trail on the north side of the park.

If you’re hoping to combine your cardio workout with some strength training and flexibility, the trail even includes QR code workouts you can scan with your phone. More on that below.

Where is Lake Johnson Park?

Lake Johnson Park is located off Avent Ferry Road in Raleigh, near the intersection with Tryon Road. It’s easily accessible from the west and south sides of Raleigh, as well as the Crossroads area of Cary.

Trailhead parking is available in three locations:

• Lake Johnson Park: 4601 Avent Ferry Rd. (paved/unpaved trails)
• Lake Dam Parking Lot: 1320 Lake Dam Rd. (paved trailed)
• Thomas G. Crowder Woodland Center: 5611 Jaguar Park Dr. (unpaved trails)
• South Parking Lot: 5041 Avent Ferry Rd. (paved/unpaved trails)

How long are the trails at Lake Johnson Park?

There are a series of trails that you can choose from at Lake Johnson. Some trails are paved, others are natural surface.

• Paved Greenway: The paved trails at Lake Johnson are part of the Walnut Creek Greenway Trail and include approximately 2.8 miles of looped trails. The paved trails go around the east side of the lake.
• Natural Surface Trails: Unpaved trails make up about 1.5 miles that form a loop along the west side of the lake. 
• Interpretive Poetry Trail: This is an unpaved trail that runs for about one mile on the west side of the park. A map of the Interpretive Poetry Trail is available online.

Get a Full-Body Workout on the QR Fit Trail

If you want to get a little more out of your cardio workout on the trail, you can give the QR Fit Trail a try. Over the course of a one mile loop on the west side of the park, signs with QR codes are visible. Scan the QR code and a video will load on your phone to take you through a series of additional workouts.

Workouts on the QR Fit Trail include upper and lower body, core, and flexibility exercises.

What else is there to do at Lake Johnson Park?

You can walk, run, and hike on the trails at Lake Johnson Park, but you can also bike the paved trails. Be sure you obey all the rules for bikers – there’s a 10 MPH speed limit and you must provide an audible warning before passing someone to the left.

But what else can you do at Lake Johnson Park?

• Fishing: You can fish from the boardwalk, fishing pier, designated bank fishing locations, and personal paddle craft. Be aware though, many of the banks do not permit fishing. All state and local regulations apply for fishing too. You must have a current North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission fishing license. Park at the Waterfront Center to easily access fishing locations.
• Hammock Posts: Throughout the trails and park you will find hammock posts where you can hang up your hammock to relax, enjoy nature, and take in the views of the lake. You can only post up in a hammock in designated areas though. The best place to park for this is the Waterfront Center.
• Boating: At the Waterfront Center, you can rent boats through Wake Rack. This includes kayaks and stand-up paddleboards. You can reserve boating equipment online.
• Shelters: These facilities are available for anyone to use, but you can also reserve them ahead of time through the City of Raleigh. These shelters are places you can have a group sit down and enjoy a meal while out in nature.

Note that swimming is not allowed at Lake Johnson.

Things to See

Because Lake Johnson Park is in nature, you are likely to run across animals and plants, depending on the time of year. However, there are other things you should put on your list to see.

On the east side of the park, along the paved greenway, there are two scenic overlook loops. These are marked clearly on the trails, but you may have to climb some hills to get to them. These overlooks give you a glimpse of the lake from an elevated perch and even have places to sit down and enjoy the view.

You can also get an up close and personal view of the lake along the paved greenway when you cross the dam. Be careful if you’re with small kids or pets though, there is no fence or barrier between the greenway trail and the lake itself when you cross the dam.

Just outside the Waterfront Center is a long boardwalk, which helps you access the greenway loop. The boardwalk is a fun place to walk over the lake. You may even see people fishing from the boardwalk and boats in the water below you.

If you’re on the west side of the park, check out the Interpretive Poetry Trail. Along the trail you will find poems from local poets. The poems are about the natural beauty of the park and greenways in Raleigh. This part of the park is heavily wooded and the trail is unpaved. You will have great views of Lake Johnson itself. It’s also likely you come across wildlife in the area.

Are Dogs Allowed at Lake Johnson Park?

Absolutely. Dogs are allowed to walk with their owners through Lake Johnson Park. However, they must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet, and you have to clean up after your pet.

What Other Rules Exist at Lake Johnson Park?

Beyond the rules for dogs and the rule prohibiting swimming in the lake, there aren’t many other rules you need to be aware of.

Alcohol is allowed in the park if you have a City of Raleigh permit. Smoking is permitted only in the parking lot. Drones are not allowed.

Need More Information?

Lake Johnson Park is a great place to get outside and be active in Raleigh. The paved and unpaved trails through nature and along the lake give you a chance to escape the city and get some exercise. On hot summer days, the trails are great because there is a lot of shade from trees.

If you want more information about Lake Johnson Park and the trails that wind their way through it, check out this page from the City of Raleigh.

If you’re looking for more information about trails in the Triangle, click here to see additional trail & greenway guides from Uno’s Fitness.