Carl A. Schenck Memorial Forest – Home – Parks & Forests – Camping – Hiking – Links – Adventures
Carl A. Schenck Memorial Forest
Schenck Memorial forest is a teaching forest connected to N.C. State University and named for Carl A. Schenck (1868-1955) the founder of the Biltmore Forest School, the first school of forestry in America. The 245-acre tract in west Raleigh has easy trails and dirt roads through a variety of managed woods, plus a picnic area with a shelter and a grill.
Complaints about dogs running loose in the forest led to a ban in 2005. Signs at every entrance ensure that the rule is well known.
The trailhead for the Frances L. Liles Trail (below), said to be the most popular trail at Schenck, is several yards down from the gate.
The trail goes through examples of managed forests, moving under tall loblolly pines (above), through grassy areas and to mixes of pines and hardwoods with ferns trailside as it heads slightly downhill.
Though there are educational signs throughout the forest, trails are not well marked (note the fork above), with the exception of where the Liles Trail joins the Loblolly Trail, which is actually part of Raleigh’s Capital Area Greenway.
From this intersection, Liles and Loblolly head slightly upward toward Reedy Creek Road.
Came upon this fella sunning himself on the Liles Trail …
The Loblolly Trail, which is blazed and has mileage markers, seems to head back around to make a loop, but it actually leads to a tunnel under Wade Avenue west of the Forest after following Reedy Creek for awhile. (In the other direction, after crossing Reedy Creek Road, it leads into Umstead State Park.)
Along the creek, debris and cleared sandy areas show evidence of flooding.
Among the forest’s demonstration areas is a seed orchard, which is explained by a sign.
N.C. State’s forestry, botany, ecology, soils, recreation and wildlife biology programs use the forest. In one corner, there’s a ropes course.
Horse farms are immediately adjacent to Schenck, but State’s Carter Finely Stadium and the RBC Center, which is home to the Carolina Hurricanes and NCSU basketball, are within sight across Wade Avenue.
Carl A. Schenck Memorial Forest is in western Raleigh off of Reedy Creek Road. On the map, it is the small green spot below-right from William B. Umstead Sate Park.
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