Cascades Preserve – Headwaters Trail

Headwaters Trail is one of two extension trails feeding off the Falling Waters Trail at Cascades Preserve — a 2.2-mile out-and-back hike marked by Blue Circle blazes along the Haw River headwaters just outside Kernersville, NC, near Oak Ridge in Guilford County.

The trail’s most genuinely singular distinction is that it’s part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail — North Carolina’s premier long-distance hiking trail that runs over 1,175 miles from Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains to Jockey’s Ridge State Park on the Outer Banks. That MST connection places the Headwaters Trail on a much broader statewide hiking network than most local preserve trails can claim.

Be sure to check out the YouTube video and pictures below to get a feel for Headwaters Trail before you go — or to relive the visit after.

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail Connection and Haw River Headwaters

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail is genuinely one of the American Southeast’s most substantial long-distance hiking trails — over 1,175 miles of connected paths from western NC’s highest mountains to the state’s Outer Banks Atlantic coastline. The Headwaters Trail at Cascades Preserve is one of the trail’s Piedmont-region segments, giving hikers a genuine connection to that broader statewide network on an otherwise manageable 2.2-mile local hike.

The trail’s name comes from its location along the headwaters of the Haw River — the river’s origin in the Piedmont near the Forsyth County / Guilford County border. From these headwaters, the Haw River eventually flows east through Alamance County to join the Cape Fear River system, ultimately reaching the Atlantic near Wilmington. Standing at the Haw River’s headwaters gives visitors to Cascades Preserve a genuine sense of where one of NC’s more significant Piedmont rivers begins.

The Trail Experience — Woodlands, Wetlands, and Wildlife

The 2.2-mile out-and-back is rated moderate — though the elevation gain is genuinely minimal, making the trail accessible for hikers of most skill levels. Hikers walk through a mix of wooded terrain and wetland areas — a distinctive landscape combination that gives the Headwaters Trail a character genuinely different from the more creek-focused Falling Waters Trail.

The wetland sections add landscape variety that most Piedmont hiking trails don’t offer — a genuine swampy woodland environment alongside the more standard hardwood forest sections. Wildlife sightings along the trail may include deer and various songbird species that use the wetland edges for feeding and cover.

Practical trail considerations: Hikers should expect some muddy patches — particularly after rainfall — and occasional spider webs across the trail during warmer months. Sturdy shoes and bug spray are recommended for a comfortable visit, especially during spring through early fall.

Getting There — Two Parking Options

The Headwaters Trail has two distinct access options that give hikers flexibility depending on their planned hike length.

Option 1 — Combined with Falling Waters Trail: Park at the standard preserve parking across from the entrance on Goodwill Church Road, then hike a portion of the Falling Waters Trail to reach the Headwaters Trail junction. This is the natural option for hikers wanting to combine both trails into a single visit — starting from Falling Waters (the network’s central spine) and adding Headwaters as an extension for the full ~3.7+ mile experience.

Option 2 — Direct Access via Linville Road: A small gravel parking lot on Linville Road provides direct access to the Headwaters Trail without requiring a hike to Falling Waters first. This is the natural option for hikers focused specifically on the Headwaters experience — including MST through-hikers connecting this segment to their broader Mountains-to-Sea Trail journey.

Good to Know

Location: Cascades Preserve, just outside Kernersville, NC, near the town of Oak Ridge in Guilford County
Trail length: 2.2 miles (out-and-back)
Trail blaze: Blue Circle
Difficulty: Moderate — though with minimal elevation gain, making it accessible for hikers of most skill levels
Network role: Extension trail that feeds off the Falling Waters Trail (the preserve’s central spine)
Broader trail network: Part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail — NC’s 1,175+ mile long-distance trail from Clingmans Dome to Jockey’s Ridge
Signature geographic feature: Along the headwaters of the Haw River
Landscape character: Wooded terrain and wetland areas (distinctive from the more creek-focused Falling Waters Trail)
Wildlife sightings: Deer and various songbird species
Practical trail conditions: Occasional muddy patches (especially after rainfall) and spider webs during warmer months
Recommended gear: Sturdy shoes and bug spray, especially during spring through early fall
Parking Option 1: Standard preserve parking across from the entrance on Goodwill Church Road (requires a Falling Waters Trail hike to reach Headwaters)
Parking Option 2: Small gravel parking lot on Linville Road (direct Headwaters Trail access)
Full preserve context: Cascades Preserve main sub-page
Full trail catalog: Cascades Preserve Trail List
Deep-dive resource: Hike the Cascades Preserve trail guide blog post
Cost: Free
Best for: Moderate-distance hikers, Mountains-to-Sea Trail through-hikers or day-hikers looking to complete a Piedmont segment, wildlife watchers (especially birders), and hikers looking for a wetland-terrain experience alongside typical Piedmont woodland trails
Pair with: The Falling Waters Trail for the preserve’s signature cascading water features — especially after rainfall; the Keyauwee Trail for a shorter 0.5-mile loop extension; the broader Cascades Preserve experience; or the full Kernersville attractions cluster including the 1880 Körner’s Folly historic home, the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden, the Kernersville Auto Museum, and Triad Park (including the Carolina Field of Honor veterans memorial)

A Kernersville Highlight

Headwaters Trail is the kind of stop that stays with you for the sheer scale of trail network connection packed into a 2.2-mile Piedmont hike. Standing on a segment of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail — which extends over 1,175 miles from the western NC mountains to the Outer Banks Atlantic coastline — gives hikers a genuine sense of the broader statewide hiking network that most local preserve trails can’t offer.

The Haw River headwaters context rounds out the appeal. Between the MST connection, the wetland-and-woodland terrain variety, the wildlife sightings, and the two-option parking flexibility that makes the trail accessible whether hikers want a combined Cascades Preserve visit or a focused Headwaters-only experience, the Headwaters Trail has become one of the more distinctive hiking destinations anywhere in the greater Winston-Salem / Piedmont Triad region.