Your source for Mountain Biking in the Triangle Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill	Our sponsors support this site, the mountain bike community at large, and you. Please support them.
Home General Trails Events Forums Passion Other Cycling

Harris Lake County Park: Hog Run Trail

Current Trail Status

	Status	When Updated	Who Updated	More Info		Help keep this info accurate by clicking the red bicycle
	open	06/19 3:11 pm	biggins48

Average ratings submitted by users                     Write a review   User submitted reviews

Category	Average Rating
Overall :	3.4 / 5.0   based on 16 votes
Technical :	2.1 / 5.0   based on 16 votes
Climbing :	1.6 / 5.0   based on 16 votes
Freeride :	1.8 / 5.0   based on 16 votes
Scenery/Wildlife :	3.6 / 5.0   based on 16 votes
Flow :	4.1 / 5.0   based on 8 votes

Description
Location: Southwestern Wake County
Miles: 8
Skill Level: beginner to intermediate
Contact: Park office (919) 387-4342 (call to see if trail is open)

Map
Park Hours and Fees
Directions
Rules of the Trail

Like Lake Crabtree Park, Harris Lake's mountain bike trails are close to a lake, made up of several loops that connect to a main trail, and are managed by Wake County Parks. The breeze coming across the water can be quite refreshing on a hot summer day! The major loops here are signed as "beginner", "intermediate" and "advanced", and can be enjoyed by all skill levels. A few optional "double black diamond" loops have been added near the advanced section. This trail has something for everyone, from the "just got my first off-road bike" beginner to the more seasoned rider, and all obstacles have optional ride-arounds so that beginners and veterans can enjoy the trails together. In short, this is just a good set of single-track trails. Currently there is approximately 8 miles of bicycling trails.

The park is located in a flatter part of Wake County so there aren't as many long or steep hills as some other trails, but rest assured, the available terrain has been used wisely. There are several log crossings, a couple of whoopdee-doo sections and a few small bridges on the trail.

Harris Lake County Park also has full amenities such as restrooms, picnic shelters, play areas, Frisbee golf, fishing locations and canoe rentals.

Check the Events calendar for upcoming races and trail workdays at Harris Lake County Park.

Park Hours and Fees
8:00 am to sunset, seven days a week. Hours are posted at the gate, and on the phone answering system. The park is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.
Access to the park is free.

Directions
From Raleigh: Take 440 to US 1 South. Take US 1 12 miles from beltline to exit 89. Take a left and go about 2 miles to the park entrance. Go to the back of the park and turn left into the parking area. The trailhead is labeled "Hog Run Trail".

From Durham/Ch. Hill: Take 751 past New Hill and over US 1 (Note: road changes name a few times, just keep on keepin' on). After
crossing over US 1 go about 2 miles to the park entrance. Go to the back of the park and turn left into the parking area. The trailhead
is labeled "Hog Run Trail".

Rules of the trails

• Trails are closed when wet. Call the park office to check status.
• Gates are locked at posted closing time, be off the trail ½ hour before park closing.
• Wear a helmet
• Ride on designated biking trails only.
• Be courteous to other users.
• Don't litter.

This trail is not open for night riding except under organized night ride events coordinated with cycling clubs and park staff. Stay tuned to this site for upcoming night rides.

Rules, guidelines, and definitions for our TriangleMTB.com trail reviews

• The trail reviews should be reviews based on first hand knowledge. If you have never ridden the trail, then ride it before reviewing it.
• Obviously, the ratings and reviews should be just that, not big discussions, stuff for sale, or chit chat.
• Ratings should be made relative to the other trails in the greater triangle area of North Carolina (listed on our review page). For example, the "Technical" difficulty rating should be relative to the most technical trail listed on our review page.
• There should be no references to other reviews in your review (eg. you should not argue or state disagreement with other reviews).
• No profanity or vulgar words or context.
• Keep in mind, these reviews are opinions only. One mans pleasure is another mans pain. Take the reviews with a grain of salt.
• Please report inappropriate reviews using the link that appears beneath the rating summary of each review.

You must be logged into our forum to submit a trail review.

Harris Park trail has been reviewed 16 times by our trianglemtb.com guests.

Reviewed by: quisk Reviewed on: 06/23/2009 Overall: Technical: Climbing: Freeride: Scenery/Wildlife: Flow: Report inappropriate review	Harris is a well-maintained, well-marked/mapped network of trails that provides a better-than-average range of trail options for different skill levels. The Beginner trail is as easy as it gets, a very flat path with no real challenges - perfect for exposing your young child to riding on dirt trails. The Intermediate section is a nice step up, best for older children and/or adults who are learning basic MTB riding skills. The Advanced section is mostly fairly easy/flat singletrack, but there are some excellent challenges along the way, including a steep hill or two. I consider Harris to be a step up in difficulty from LCCP, but not a big step. Compared to LCCP, the biggest difference is Harris has a LOT less traffic, surely due to its location being away from the most populated area of the Triangle. Also, I'm not sure if hiking is discouraged, but I've never seen a single hiker on the Harris Lake trails.
Reviewed by: ttucker Reviewed on: 06/19/2009 Overall: Technical: Climbing: Freeride: Scenery/Wildlife: Flow: Report inappropriate review	No detailed review given.
Reviewed by: jcw5002 Reviewed on: 05/09/2009 Overall: Technical: Climbing: Freeride: Scenery/Wildlife: Flow: Report inappropriate review	Harris is pretty sick! It is pretty fast and not too technical. There's lots of fun to be had over in the advanced loop about halfway through. The terrain back there is pretty wild and there are lots of whoop-de-dos to have fun with. We'll definitely go back soon!
Reviewed by: vulcangreen Reviewed on: 04/27/2009 Overall: Technical: Climbing: Freeride: Scenery/Wildlife: Flow: Report inappropriate review	Harris Lake is probably my second most favorite place to ride in the Triangle, next to Beaver Dam. I am not a fast rider and places like New Light and Beaver Dam really keep me right sized with my ego in regard to my riding ability. But Hog’s Run makes me feel like I am mountain biking pro! Harris Lake is fast and easy to navigate. There are no major hills and the trail is relatively free of roots and rocks. The berms on the turns are pretty stable and can support speeding bikes, too. Much like Lake Crabtree, it is a great place for beginners it does have some fun features as well. My favorites are the gully drops, whoop de doos, and black diamond sections at about the half way point near the lake. There is a nice little technical hill climb back there too. Mostly, Hog’s Run is just a place to haul ass! Harris Lake is can give you that feeling of being deep in the woods but there are often reminders that there is a nuclear power plant close by. The worst is when the security force at the power plant is using the gun range. It starts off as alarming and then just gets annoying. Other than that, it is a very pretty setting and a great place for families, too. There are nice facilities inside of the park and plenty of parking.
Reviewed by: IMHO Reviewed on: 04/20/2009 Overall: Technical: Climbing: Freeride: Scenery/Wildlife: Flow: Report inappropriate review	Great trail for all skill levels. Even Beginners can negotiate the advanced section as there are ride-arounds. Nothing in the advanced section (that must be ridden) is more difficult than what is in the intermediate section. An intermediate/advanced rider can go through this trail system in under 45 min. For a good ride, go through beg. intermediate ccw, advanced ccw then run advanced cw and intermediate cw. For a better ride just keep looping on the advanced trail and be sure an hit the small center loop with each lap.
Reviewed by: drfloyd5 Reviewed on: 04/17/2009 Overall: Technical: Climbing: Freeride: Scenery/Wildlife: Flow: Report inappropriate review	No detailed review given.
Reviewed by: bank5 Reviewed on: 04/12/2009 Overall: Technical: Climbing: Freeride: Scenery/Wildlife: Flow: Report inappropriate review	PROS: Never crowded, flows well, not a lot of hills CONS: not very technical. might be too short for some riders, faster riders will be able to cover all the trails in under an hour Something to consider: Although almost everyone rides the advance loop counterclockwise, I highly recommend trying it clockwise. I think it flows great clockwise, it almost feels like the majority of it is downhill
Reviewed by: terrible1one3 Reviewed on: 04/11/2009 Overall: Technical: Climbing: Freeride: Scenery/Wildlife: Flow: Report inappropriate review	I loved Harris, it was the only park opened one day after a quick shower so my fiance and I went for a quick ride. Her skill level is beginner. I am intermediate. It was great because we both could enjoy the park. The beginner/intermediate area is great for a nice warm up and to get her used to riding again. Then on to the advanced part I absolutely loved. Everything is quick in this area, quick down hills, quick up hills. Pretty open singletrack. Great signs, one at every path to the exit clearly marked saying "parking lot" as opposed to a sign with a number where I have to read a map and get lost. She had enough about 3 miles into the 6 mile advanced loop. I was thirsty for more, this place was quite fun. Out of the 5 or 6 people we saw on a Saturday (awesome!) only 1 was a jerk racer guy who didn't yield to us as we were going uphill. Still pretty good odds! Can't believe how open the trails were on a Saturday especially with them being the only ones open in the area. Glad to see there is at least 1 park in the area that doesn't close after a quick shower... wish there were more though!
Reviewed by: Triebert Reviewed on: 03/21/2009 Overall: Technical: Climbing: Freeride: Scenery/Wildlife: Flow: Not Rated Report inappropriate review	No detailed review given.
Reviewed by: DAG Reviewed on: 03/06/2009 Overall: Technical: Climbing: Freeride: Scenery/Wildlife: Flow: Not Rated Report inappropriate review	Great opportunity for all experience riders. Even the advanced loop has ride arounds around most of the obstacles such as skinnies are log piles - though not always. I really enjoy this trail.

Show all reviews