Day Hike B: Raven Ridge Road to dead end off Possum Track Road

Raven Ridge Ramble

Distance: 2.6 miles

  • Difficulty: Easy.
  • Camping: No.
  • Land managers: N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Note: Some or all of this trail is on game lands and hunting is allowed. Learn about local hunting seasons here.
  • Volunteer Task Force Leader: Jeff Brewer, jdbrewer104@gmail.com
  • Piggyback trail: Falls Lake Trail, a/k/a South Shore Trail.
  • Connecting trails: Assorted fisherman trails to lake and connectors to adjoining neighborhoods.
  • Falls Lake MST Section No.: 2.
  • Trailhead/Access: Possum Track Road and Raven Ridge Road. Click on map below for specifics.

A wintry passage through a maturing hardwood forest..

You’ll find classic Falls Lake hiking as the trail ducks in and out of mellow coves, spends some time in a maturing hardwood forest and meanders through an emerging pine forest. At times, the trail widens and you find yourself on one of the old carriage roads that served this area that supported agriculture less than a half century ago. This is one of the older stretches of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, and as such the trail is well trod and easy to follow. One sign of the region’s past is a lovely farm pond about midway, a nice spot for reflection.

The trail is well-marked with the MST’s trademark white-dot blaze, which comes in handy considering the number of neighborhood trails that connect from upslope and fisherman trails that lead down to the lake. Fortunately, any wrong turns are short-lived and reveal a little more of the area’s character, past and present.

Geology Highlights: This trail section has two major types of rocks, intermingled.  Mica schist locally containing garnets underlies the majority of the area; distinctive dark green ultramafic rocks underlie the remainder.

For detailed hiking directions and parking information, download the Segment 10 guide from our Trail Guides page, using the “Primary Trailheads” section to pinpoint the location. You can also visualize the route on our interactive map.