The Palmetto Trail parallels the shores of Lake Brandt and offers opportunities for viewing waterfowl and wildlife as well as some unique geological features.

The trail was built by volunteers in the fall of 2003, led by local trail advocate Bill Craft. One hundred palmetto trees were planted along the trail to commemorate its dedication. This is an easy out-and-back trail, or consider connecting with the Atlantic and Yadkin Y Greenway and Nat Greene Trail to create a four mile loop. 

The Nat Greene Trail is one of the oldest and most popular of the City's watershed trails. It winds through diverse mixed hardwoods and pines along the watershed buffer of Lake Brandt’s southeast edge. Wildflowers and running cedar adorn the trail as it meanders around the coves of Lake Brandt.

Explore the trail from Lake Brandt Marina and learn about the plant and tree diversity on the interpretive signs interspersed along the trail. A 400-foot boardwalk near the Old Battleground Road trailhead allows hikers to cross mud flats and bogs where Horse Pen Creek feeds into Lake Brandt.

The Nat Greene Trail is one of six watershed trails designated as part of the North Carolina Mountains-to-Sea Trail system.

The Piedmont Trail hugs the northern shoreline of Lake Brandt and is popular with hikers, trail runners, and birders.

The western section of trail departs from the Atlantic and Yadkin Greenway traverses through a kudzu field before jutting into the wooded watershed buffer. The trail takes hikers by blackberries, strawberries, cherry trees, stands of cedar, and wildflowers. Keep an eye out for whitetail deer, wild turkeys, or an Eastern Bog Turtle, the official state reptile, near the trail.

The Crockett Trail is a hiking only trail that winds along a peninsula jutting out into the backwaters of Lake Townsend. The trail offers hikers a pleasant vista along the shores of the western portion of the lake. Spectacular views of fall foliage across Lake Townsend make this trail very popular during the autumn months.

The trail was renamed to honor Pat Crockett, an avid hiker who was killed while trying to cross the road at the trailhead on North Church Street. After his death, Pat’s wife worked diligently with state and City representatives to improve the pedestrian crossing area near the trailhead.

The Crockett Trail is one of six watershed trails designated as part of the North Carolina Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

The Osprey Trail is an easy-to-moderate out-and-back trail popular for birding, hiking, and trail running. 

It winds along the southern shores of Lake Townsend and offers plenty of opportunities to see native flora and fauna along the southern banks of Lake Townsend. Ospreys have been nesting along this trail for years and, if you watch carefully, you may spot one overhead, hovering above the lake, or looking for fish.

The Osprey Trail is one of six watershed trails designated as part of the North Carolina Mountains-to-Sea Trail system.

The Townsend Trail is one of the longest hiking only trails in our system. This easy-to-moderate out-and-back trail hugs the southern shores of Lake Townsend and is popular for birding, hiking, and trail running. You are sure to see plenty of wildlife and water views as you pass through the diverse ecosystem.

The Townsend Trail is the easternmost of six watershed trails designated as part of the North Carolina Mountains-to-Sea Trail. 

The West House Trail meanders through a gorgeous forest, just north of the Lake Jeannette spillway that feeds into Lake Townsend. The end of the trail leads to an historic home site known as the West House, built between 1815 and 1820. The decorative “Flemish Bond” brick work was relatively expensive to construct and somewhat rare for this area. The West House Trail was blazed in 2002 by the Crafty Cruisers hiking club.

The Laurel Bluff Trail traverses through beautiful woodland and wetlands along the edge of Reedy Fork Creek. Enjoy hiking through a mountain laurel grove and taking in great views of the backwaters of Lake Townsend.

This hilly trail is popular for birding, hiking, and trail running. This trail is one of six watershed trails that have been designated as part of the North Carolina Mountains-to-Sea Trail.