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Lake Hickory Trails
4.7 ★★★★★ 21 Google reviews · Running trail in Hickory, North Carolina · Hours vary
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Mixed
- Loop distance
- 1 mi
- Shape
- Loop
- Shade
- Not reported
- Access
- Not reported
Confirmed from Lake Hickory Trails' own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
What runners say about Lake Hickory Trails
Choices! Walk or bike the paved greenway or go off into the woods to ride ( did a walk on the 1 mile loop). Ride my bike and completed the 1.5 mile loop in 15 minutes. It was a fun trail; nothing strenuous. I enjoyed a walk to the lake/riverside too. Poop bags at the beginning of the trail. Well- marked
Beautiful trails for everyone in the family. For those who want to ride in the dirt, there are options, and for those who want to stay on the greenway, it runs right down the middle.
This is a mountain bikers paradise. Gotta pay attention to the trailhead signs. I walked on a trail that was for mountain bikes, lucky that I didn't get hurt. Some natural trails are meant for walking and others are meant only for bikes. The paved trail is nice and the boyscout cabin was neat.
I was excited to try out the wooded trails to prep for the Lightning Bug 5K, but the lack of signage made the experience stressful. I came across several forks that had no markings, which was especially frustrating as a first-time user trying to follow the correct direction, since runners and bikers are meant to…
Trail conditions & character
“The paved path is great for walking and bike riding, especially for older people who can’t make it to the mountain biking trail but still want the spectacular views.”
“The intermediate trails have a good mix of flow, small jumps, moderate climbs, and slightly technical sections (roots, not rocks).”
“Walk or bike the paved greenway or go off into the woods to ride ( did a walk on the 1 mile loop).”
Plan your run at Lake Hickory Trails
The practical stuff
- AccessHours vary — hours are not posted for this trail, so check before an early or late run
- SurfaceMixed — more than one surface along the route, so check the segment you plan to run
- Loop distance1 mi back to where you parked
- ShadeNot reported. Assume some of it is exposed and carry water in summer.
- At the trailheadparking — reported by runners
- Websiteridenwnctrails.com
- Social Instagram · Facebook
Running trails near Hickory
Other trails within easy driving distance — useful when this one is flooded, gated, or just not the run you had in mind today.
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