Shelley Lake is a large park in the North Raleigh area. It is located at 1400 W Millbrook Rd and is a popular place to walk and run, especially in the evenings. The lake is surrounded by a portion of the Bent Creek greenway trail that is 2.08 miles. The Lake Park trail (unpaved .42 miles) also connects off the greenway. A lot of the trail is shaded, but there are also long stretches of full sun. When you pull into the parking lot follow the snaking trail to the left where you’ll connect to the greenway.
As we walked around the trail we came across several different things this park has to offer.
The parking lot off Millbrook Rd and signage about the park
Beautiful viewing area overlooking lake
Continuing on, you’ll notice that the signage throughout the park is pretty thorough. This park has a lot to offer and it could be easy to get lost along the way. Luckily we didn’t have to leave bread crumbs to help us get back to the parking lot. The signs direct you to the Lake Park Drive (the unpaved section of the greenway), the Sertoma Arts Center, restrooms, and the Shelley Lake Trail around the lake. We didn’t venture up to the Arts Center, but it has a plethora of adult and youth art classes available.
As you continue on the trail, you’ll come across a wooden bridge where you can stop to take pictures and visit with the ducks and geese. Here are some pictures of Ashley with her own Duckie Wubbanub.
In addition to the amenities listed above this park also contains benches along the trail, workout stations, large open fields, and additional access to the other portions of the greenway trail. Here are some more spectacular views of the lake and open fields.
Thumbs up: spectacular views, great jogging trail, signage, access to other greenway trails, art center
Thumbs down: popular spot so it’ll be busy, litter in the lake