Falls Lake State Recreation Area

Close to urban Raleigh and Durham, Falls Lake State Recreation Area was completed in 1981 to control flooding on the Neuse River. Reached via SR 50 in Wake Forest, it encompasses 12,000 acres of water and 26,000 acres of woodlands - all divided into seven recreation areas. Beaverdam and Rolling View areas are open year-round; the others, seasonally. Most of the boat launches are for non-motorized boats, but a private concession near Rolling View offers boat launching, slips and mooring, a snack bar, gasoline, and other supplies. Visitors may choose from more than 300 tent and RV campsites, most with water and electric hookups, as well as ...

Close to urban Raleigh and Durham, Falls Lake State Recreation Area was completed in 1981 to control flooding on the Neuse River. Reached via SR 50 in Wake Forest, it encompasses 12,000 acres of water and 26,000 acres of woodlands - all divided into seven recreation areas. Beaverdam and Rolling View areas are open year-round; the others, seasonally. Most of the boat launches are for non-motorized boats, but a private concession near Rolling View offers boat launching, slips and mooring, a snack bar, gasoline, and other supplies. Visitors may choose from more than 300 tent and RV campsites, most with water and electric hookups, as well as showers, restrooms, and dump stations nearby. A number of sites accommodate group and backpack camping. Visitors swim at Sandling Beach, Rolling View, and Beaver Dam, with restrooms and changing rooms nearby. Several hiking/walking trails are in various stages of development, including the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and the Falls Lake Trail around the lake. Fishing for bass, bluegill, catfish, and crappie is popular with anglers. Nature lovers may study a variety of wlldflowers; birds such as goldfinches, red-tailed hawks, bald eagles, and owls; and resident animals such as white-tailed deer, rabbits, foxes, and raccoons.

About the Expert

Carol Timblin has contributed to numerous guidebooks and authored four editions of Houghton Mifflin's Best Places to Stay in the South.