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New trail system aims to make up for lost mountain biking trails near RDU.
The fight for new local mountain biking trails is gaining momentum—and for riders, the stakes are immediate.
In March, Wake County officials proposed a new trail system at Lake Crabtree Park to help replace the former 286 East Mountain Bike Trails, which are being lost as part of a new lease agreement with the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. The proposed ~400-acre network—dubbed Haleys Branch after the stream that forms the western boundary—would merge new trail development with a portion of William B. Umstead State Park.
An ad hoc solution to a larger expansion, the proposal comes after a major shift in how the county can use the land. Last June, the Wake County Board of Commissioners renewed its lease with RDUAA to maintain Lake Crabtree Park—but under new terms that significantly change the footprint. The park will lose nearly 150 acres back to the airport authority, much of it home to popular mountain biking and hiking trails. RDUAA, in turn, is exploring the possibility of developing an outdoor recreation destination on the land.
For decades, the arrangement was a bargain. Wake County first leased a 33-acre tract from RDUAA back in 1985, paying just $1 per year as the park expanded. Under the new 20-year lease agreement, that cost jumps to $214,488 annually starting this year—plus a 3% increase each year—after an increase in FAA policy compliance, combined with RDUAA’s shifting priorities for land use, led to a market-rate shift in the price for lease renewal.
Translation: The county is paying more for less land—and mountain bikers are feeling it the most.
“The cycling community is cautiously optimistic about the extensive trail network draft of the Haleys Branch Trails,” says Shaun King, executive director of Triangle Off-Road Cyclists. “The land at Lake Crabtree and the 286 East Tract has been highly contested, but Wake County’s expanded trail network draft proposal is a significant reimagining and a commitment to the development of natural surface trails for cyclists in the heart of the Triangle.”
Meanwhile, RDUAA is potentially partnering with Pacific Elm Properties on a wellness and recreation destination for the 130 acres by Lake Crabtree—expected to include water and land sports, family-focused activities, retail, food and beverage, and lodging.
What this means for existing trails at Umstead is still unclear. The park currently offers 15 routes across hiking and biking, and Wake County has hosted several community meetings to gather input.
For now, the future of riding in the Triangle is in flux. And while Haleys Branch may be the next chapter for local riders, it also signals a broader shift in how—and where—we make room for the outdoors.
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The possibility of a wellness and sports destination by Pacific Elm Properties could add a whole new dimension to the area’s recreational appeal. Thanks a lot.