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Lake Crabtree County Park

Current Trail Status

	Status	When Updated	Who Updated	More Info		Help keep this info accurate by clicking the red bicycle
	open	08/10 3:54 pm	drewc	Additional Information - Lake Crabtree Park Park is now closing @ 8:30 pm

Average ratings submitted by users                     Write a review   User submitted reviews

Category	Average Rating
Overall :	3.8 / 5.0   based on 76 votes
Technical :	1.9 / 5.0   based on 76 votes
Climbing :	1.7 / 5.0   based on 76 votes
Freeride :	2.5 / 5.0   based on 76 votes
Scenery/Wildlife :	3.3 / 5.0   based on 76 votes
Flow :	4.1 / 5.0   based on 65 votes

Description
Location: Just south of the RDU airport, off Aviation Parkway.
Miles: about 8
Skill Level: Beginner
Contact: Park office (919)460-3390 (call to see if trails are open)

Map
Park Hours and Fees
Directions
Rules of the Trail
Pump Track

Lake Crabtree County Park singletrack is by far the most popular place for beginner riders in the Triangle. Its central location is also great for relieving weekday stress if you work in RTP. The wooded trails connect to Umstead State Park and Cary's Black Creek Greenway.

Since it's so popular, plan on passing lots of other riders when the weather's good. Please be courteous and cautious with the riders you meet here. It is a great place to learn to ride and don't expect to come here and hammer people out of your way. Stopping to help out beginner riders does a world of good for our sport. There are six loops, some connectors, and the Lake Trail.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Crabtree trails are closed when they are muddy. Call ahead to see if they are open. Please respect the rules of the trail and don't ride on closed sections.

Directions
Go towards RDU airport on I-40 and exit onto Aviation Parkway going south. Crabtree County Park entrance is on the left. You may park in the first gravel parking lot or at the boat ramp parking area. One of the main trail entrances is across the road from the first gravel parking lot. Another great way to access the trail is via Connector C.

Park Hours
8:00am to sunset, seven days a week. The park is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.

Rules of the Trail

1. All riders must wear a helmet.
2. Respect the rights of all other trail users and obey park rules and regulations. Bikers must always yield to walkers.
3. Plan Ahead.
4. Ride only on officially marked trails.
5. Keep your bike under control.
6. Do not disturb or alarm wildlife.
7. Pets must be kept on a leash at all times.
8. Leave no trace (don't litter).
9. Set a good example and report violators/hazards.
10. Allow time to finish outings before the park closes.
11. Park management has requested that group rides park at the boat ramp parking area. This leaves ample parking for the users of the open play lot.

Pump Track

Thanks to the wonderful staff of Lake Crabtree Park and volunteers, the first public pump track in the triangle area has been built. The pump track is located near the "old field rows" label on the map near the intersection of Connector A and Loop 1. A pump track is a series of rollers and berms. Its intended to teach one to learn how to pump their bike over ups and downs on a trail, which when mastered, a person will be able to accelerate their bike with out pedaling. The pump track is not really intended to be jumped, which defeats the purpose of the track. Rules/Guidelines The building of the pump track involved uncounted hours of planning, negotiations, and construction labor. Please follow these guidelines to help preserve the pump track in a good condition. no skidding no pedaling no braking helmets required lower your seat body position should be more upright as you approach the roller push down as you come over the roller easier on a hard tail but can also be done on a full suspension bike Note that if feels awkward at first. But once you get use to it, it's a lot of fun and a really good workout. Pedaling and braking destroys the rollers and berms. Especially when you "catch" a roller by pedaling over it.

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.

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Lake Crabtree Park trail has been reviewed 76 times by our trianglemtb.com guests.

Reviewed by: BMeyer Reviewed on: 06/28/2020 Overall: Technical: Climbing: Freeride: Scenery/Wildlife: Flow: Report inappropriate review	New to the area and would love to see the jump line area flowing again @ Crabtree. Anyone to contact to help get the jumps up and running? Bryan
Reviewed by: TrailRider68 Reviewed on: 01/11/2020 Overall: Technical: Climbing: Freeride: Scenery/Wildlife: Flow: Report inappropriate review	Great trail to get me back into the sport after 22 years off my bike. Nothing really technical on the trails, and no need to get off the bike. Great scenery, lots of people biking, but all were courteous on the trail.
Reviewed by: OutLore Reviewed on: 11/02/2019 Overall: Technical: Climbing: Freeride: Scenery/Wildlife: Flow: Report inappropriate review	No detailed review given.
Reviewed by: SnowTrailsSurf Reviewed on: 08/28/2019 Overall: Technical: Climbing: Freeride: Scenery/Wildlife: Flow: Report inappropriate review	Fun trails with cool jump lines and good flow.
Reviewed by: Zilla Reviewed on: 08/25/2019 Overall: Technical: Climbing: Freeride: Scenery/Wildlife: Flow: Report inappropriate review	Overall this is still my favorite beginner/intermediate trail, even after all these years. It has changed over the years, with the added pump and jump tracks, flow sections, wooden structures, etc. Still easy enough to not frustrate a beginner, but hard enough to challenge one.
Reviewed by: donut Reviewed on: 07/31/2019 Overall: Technical: Climbing: Freeride: Scenery/Wildlife: Flow: Report inappropriate review	Really fun for weekday laps. I usually start off on 1 and then see where the evening takes me. If you're just starting out, these trails won't be super intimidating. If you're experienced you can get a good workout in with some flowy sections along the way.
Reviewed by: freedomnf Reviewed on: 03/05/2019 Overall: Technical: Climbing: Freeride: Scenery/Wildlife: Flow: Report inappropriate review	I'm glad these trails are here and hope to not lose them. Perfect for XC riders and my 3 year old daughter. I'm not including the jumps that are usually blocked off since it's not part of the normal trail system and cannot be ridden most of the time.
Reviewed by: Zanegrey72 Reviewed on: 07/30/2018 Overall: Technical: Climbing: Freeride: Scenery/Wildlife: Flow: Report inappropriate review	Great place to learn a lot about mountain bike riding! Just enough hills to climb here and there and areas where you can carry some speed. Well kept and always enjoy riding here.
Reviewed by: Zilla Reviewed on: 01/11/2018 Overall: Technical: Climbing: Freeride: Scenery/Wildlife: Flow: Report inappropriate review	LCCP is a PERFECT beginner/intermediate trail. It's easy enough that pure beginners won't get too frustrated, but challenging enough to develop intermediate skills. I ride the trails for the flow. I usually chain all trails and connectors together and ride the outer-most loop that connects all trails. I feel like riding it this way clockwise is easier than counter-clockwise. I always tell new riders "Keep making rights unless you see an entrance sign" for counter-clockwise, and of course "Keep making lefts" for clockwise.
Reviewed by: strobl Reviewed on: 09/14/2017 Overall: Technical: Climbing: Freeride: Scenery/Wildlife: Flow: Report inappropriate review	Crabtree is a really nice system that's accessible to all skill levels. A couple of quick downsides first- you'll run into plenty of areas where noise from highway traffic cuts into the experience. There are better trails for feeling like you're out in nature. In addition, it gets really crowded on nice days, and there's no real organization on the loops. You'll get riders going in all directions, which usually means some stopping or slowing to pass. That being said, this system has a series of really nice loops that are flowy and enjoyable to ride. By repeating you can get some good mileage and decent elevation in. For reference, hitting most of the system one time typically yields about 7 miles and just over 450 feet of elevation, which is comparable to Harris Lake Park but features a bit more climbing/ up and down. The trails themselves are well maintained and easy to ride in a variety of wet and dry conditions. There's a pump track, jump section, and skills areas that allow for practice and a bit of adrenaline, but the trails aren't very technical. Crabtree is an all-around good choice if you want something close and convenient that you don't have to overthink.

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