Land managers: N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, N.C. Division of Parks & Recreation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Note: Some or all of this trail is on gamelands and hunting is allowed. Learn about local hunting seasons here.
Falls Lake MST Section No.: 4.
Trailhead/Access: Possom Track Road and Bayleaf Church Road. (At Bayleaf Church Road, gate hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; park above the gate leading to the Yorkshire center.) Click on map below for specifics.
A flipped car, vintage 1950s, is a reminder of the area's past.
Otherwise, this is a typical stretch of Falls Lake trail, ducking in and out of coves, jutting out onto a point for a view of the water, all the while under the cover of a maturing hardwood forest interspersed with pines. More evergreenery than you typically find makes this an especially nice hike in winter.
Geology Highlights: Along this section, the rocks contain a variety of distinctive minerals, including garnet, kyanite, and tourmaline.
Midway through an area of young pine growth (Trail is marked by several carsonite posts), cross a wide roadbed.
Reach the Yorkshire Center, a NC Parks and Recreation Facility. Bayleaf Church Rd, L, dead ends here.