Reedy Fork Trail Head at Lake Brandt

Love this trail and lake Brandt in general. You can see the lake throughout most of the hike and go as far as you want as it attaches to many other trails. Not super heavy traveled and bring boots if it rained recently as spots get quite wet and muddy. No amenities, but hey it's a trail!

There is parking here on Lake Brandt Road for maybe 5 cars. This is the trailhead. The trail is 3.79 miles in length one way and not a loop. To make it a loop, I usually start here at the trailhead and loop back around on the Laurel Bluff Trail. Reedy Fork Trail ends its 3.79 miles (in name) at Church Street. If you cross Church Street, it becomes the Blue Heron Trail. To make the loop I mentioned, I exit the trail at the end and turn right/go south on Church. You will cross a bridge or whatever and the Laurel Bluff Trail is on the right perhaps a quarter of a mile down. The Laurel Bluff Trail will return you to Lake Brandt Road near the dam and water station. Turn right/go north on Lake Brandt Road and you will return here at the parking lot. This is an easy trail with little elevation change. It is flat laterally and only has a few hills at parts. It is VERY narrow and whether you are biking or hiking, plants may touch you. It is mostly shaded, has some bridges, some roots, and is sand to clay. Can be muddy at spots but this trail drains well. A few spots have stagnant water with accompanying odor. It isn't unbearable however. A couple of places get you to the water but not many. Part of it runs parallel to Reedy Fork (stream) while others have views of Lake Townsend. The trail intersects Plainfield Road at 2 spots with part of the trail actually being on the shoulder of Plainfield Road. There is a small parking lot at the first intersection (more like a shoulder) with maybe 3 cars able to park there. This trail also intersects a trail that leads to Richardson Taylor Preserve. It's .7 miles in length. For the bikers, I would say this is an easier trail particularly comparing it to Owl's Roost or Wild Turkey. Very manageable. I mentioned how it is narrow. Sharing with other bikers going the opposite way or hikers requires someone to stop. For the hikers, you will find this an easy walk, very dense high canopy type forest, some swamp area with bridges and boardwalks, and typical of this area of Greensboro. Numerical markers throughout with excellent cell service.

This trail rewards the hiker with opportunities to see abundant wildlife, beaver meadows, mature forest and lots of views of the flow. Parking on the right side of the road is limited but one usually finds a spot. This trail is very popular with bikers so hikers be alert on constricted areas on the trail. Maybe the best aspect of all is one can forget the city for a bit and have a bit of quiet. Wildlife I have personally seen on the trail include deer (even small herds), all the local birds of prey (even eagles!) and a variety of reptiles including the spectacular green rough snake.

Would be awesome if you seasoned mountain bikers would rate this trail more realistically for the general public. I am a seasoned rider yet found this to be more moderate than easy due to the blind curves and obstacles such as unavoidable rough bridges and cobblestones. Roots are a given. Mountain Laurel in bloom! Everyone I met was very kind. I rode Reedy Fork and Blue Heron Trail, round trip - Strava says it was 9 miles.

This trail is probably the most scenic of all the Greensboro watershed trails. The trailhead is forested with a quiet creek close by and quickly the landscape meanders from forest to bog to creekside to lakeside. There is a lot of wildlife and evidence of wildlife. We met a juvenile deer, saw lots of jumping fish and frogs, heard a small group of cranes having a lively disagreement, found numerous tree stumps choked by beavers, and even discovered an animal's tail bone in the woods. There's also interesting flora to be found - mushrooms like chanterelles, Turkey tail, and indigo milkcap can be found on the right days, as well as paw paw trees and a few other fruit trees I couldn't get close enough to to identify. There is a moderate amount of mosquitos here - not enough to necessitate a sprint pace but enough to drive some away from the trail altogether. Be prepared and bring bug spray because this IS a bog and mosquitos are unavoidable.