falls lake state recreation area

Great place to go and relax close to city. Quiet, great place to hike and just watch the sunset over the lake. Beautiful mature trees everywhere and even beaches to layout and swim near..

I stumbled upon this while visiting NC had some nice trails and looked very enjoyable. The hiking paths seemed well maintained and the lake was pretty close to the road for viewing.

Nice place to visit whether you want to go for a nature hike, picnic with your family, go fishing or boating...

We had passed the drive to the visitors center several times and went in on a whim. What a pleasant surprise!. the lake is gorgeous, the Dam is very different, small but very forceful water on the outlet. Nice picnic areas, lots of walking trails. They have several camping areas in other parts of the park. We have since gone and seen them, they are equally as beautiful, for bare bones camping.

We stopped here to camp on our way elsewhere. We didn't have time or energy to explore all it has to offer. It appears there are a lot of hiking trails and a big lake. There are lots of camping spaces too. In the Holly Point section at least, the camping spaces have a good deal of trees and such between the spaces to give a decent feeling of privacy. Our beef with this place was that there are tons of airplanes flying low overhead on the way to a nearby airport. A lot of the time there were a couple per minute it seemed. If you're looking for peace and quiet, this isn't the place. If you don't mind that and want to fish and boat and hike, it's ok.

We recently traveled to the Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina area and wanted to camp nearby so we could go into Raleigh for a Bluegrass festival. We travel with our three dogs and have an 18-foot hybrid travel trailer. We booked two nights at Holly Point Campground in the Falls Lake State Recreation Area. Falls Lake is a 12,000-acre lake and, according to the park’s website, has 26,000 acres of woodlands. Falls Lake State Recreation Area includes several recreation areas Beaverdam, B.W. Wells, Highway 50, Holly Point, Rolling View, Sandling Beach and Shinleaf.The lake itself is serene and while we were there didn’t have a lot of boat traffic like other lakes near urban centers (Lake Norman comes to mind near Charlotte). We loved the peace and quiet of the lake and so did we. We camped at Holly Point which was clean and well laid out. There’s a great beach and swimming area at the lake with a boat ramp and dock.The campsites were cut into the woods with enough space between each so that you don’t feel on top of your neighbors in nearby sites. Our campsite had water and electricity and sat back off the park road. The bathrooms and showers were clean as campgrounds go, and trash cans and recycling centers were placed throughout the campground. Honestly, you’d have to want to litter to miss a trash can.One of the great benefits of Falls Lake is its proximity to Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and other cities in the North Carolina Triangle area. It was a 30 minute drive to downtown Raleigh and less than that to Durham.Proximity to urban areas has its benefits but comes at a cost and for Falls Lake that means being in the flight pattern for RDU, the Raleigh Durham International Airport. We saw and heard quite a few fly overs during the day and evening, but this didn’t keep us awake at night. The planes remind you fairly often that while you are in the woods you aren’t far from civilization. Also, Holly Point is close to a bridge that crossed the lake, and we heard quite a few motorcycles (sans their mufflers) roaring across the lake after dark.We didn’t see many extras–as in a nature center–but that may be at one of the other campgrounds. We also didn’t interact with any of the campground’s rangers or staff except briefly when we checked in. That may have more to do with the fact that we were in and out of the park traveling into Raleigh for the festival. But we can’t remember when we visited a state park and didn’t have interact with park staff.Finally, the park closes at 9 p.m. and once closed you have to be on the inside unless there’s an emergency. At other parks we’ve visited, the last call was at 10 p.m. and at some we were given the combination to the lock so we could let ourselves in. We love knowing that at night people aren’t coming and going but we had to hightail it back from Raleigh in order to get in before closing time.Holly Point is a good campground and the pros outweigh the cons like flight noise. That it is clear and near the Triangle will have us camping there again.

We did the Duck Cove Hike with our 2 dogs. It was 1.2 miles of uphills & downhills...just enough to give the dogs some exercise. Great endpoint on Falls Lake with beautiful views. The park has many picnic shelters, a swimming area, and several hiking trails.

Boat ramp. Swimming. Hiking. Picnic areas. A good place to cool off on a hot summer day. Public rest rooms. Plenty of parking.

When I moved to Wake Forest, I was thrilled to find a lake area that was convenient. I would often take books to the lakeside beach area with friends, pack a lunch, and spend the day.However, as someone who spend a great deal of her life in GA on various lakes, it does leave a bit to be desired. But go check it out! Worth the trip.

There is a significant section of the Mountains to Sea Trail that winds for perhaps 30 miles along the hills bounding Falls Lake.Frequent access points make it easy to take the trail in 2-4 mile pieces. In spite of being in North Raleigh, the lake shore has the feel of considerable isolation, and the very hilly terrain is reminiscent of that 150 miles further west.The trail is not heavily trafficked in the winter, so it is quite pleasant to enjoy. It's not unusual to see deer and other wildlife.

Many outdoor activities for family and friends. We have had many family campouts and overnight stays at several campsite locations including Holly Point and Rolling View, each has it's benefits including typically ample parking at sites and convenient access to shower and restroom facilities within walking distance, firepits, and large flat tent pads. Boating, including canoe and kayak only access from the Beaver Dam area provides plenty of non-gas motorized water recreation and fishing. Hiking opportunities abound in all areas, in particular from the Falls Lake Dam area trails start from the parking lot at Falls of The Neuse Road where you can nike for hours on end with ample views of Falls Lake.

Many beautiful sights in Park system. Great boating and fishing opportunities. Some of the parks do not allow gas motors, making these areas perfect for distance swimming and paddle boarding (SUP). Great trails and birding year round.

The FMST is honored by the US Army Corps of Engineers each year with a thank you Cookout at the RollingView Rec Area Site 14. Adequate parking adjacent to the Shelter & a short walk to the Rest Room building make it a good place to feed a crowd. We had a fire in the fireplace and enjoyed good weather. Adequate tables, water close by & plenty of Trash Receptacles were also nice to have.

I was a little worried about staying here without a reservation on a weekend. We did manage to get a very nice site, but I don't think there were many left, so I'd recommend making a reservation if you plan to stay on the weekend. The sites are large and private, and the walking trails are great. We had no problems with the restrooms.

I've lived in and around Raleigh/Durham for 40+ years and only recently started taking advantage of Falls Lake. The more time I spent on and around the lake the more I realized how fortunate I am to have it so close by. It's not the biggest lake in NC, and gets crowded on summer weekends and holidays. But there are literally half a dozen different boat ramps, some of which have as many as 8 lanes and other are open 24/7 free of charge. The fishing must be good because bass boats are out nearly year round. There are several big camping areas, one of which has an exclusive boat ramp and miles and miles of hiking trails. It's not Yosemite National Park, but it's also essentially in my back yard, largely free and very well maintained. Give it a try if you're in the area.