| Walnut Creek | |
| Name Other: | Tributary to Neuse River |
| Map Size: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map: | USA North Carolina#USA |
| Pushpin Map Size: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Walnut Creek mouth |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | North Carolina |
| Subdivision Type3: | County |
| Subdivision Name3: | Wake |
| Subdivision Type4: | Cities |
| Subdivision Name4: | Cary Raleigh |
| Length: | 17.93miles[1] |
| Discharge1 Location: | Neuse River |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 49.58cuft/s at mouth with Neuse River[2] |
| Source1: | divide between Walnut Creek and Crabtree Creek |
| Source1 Location: | Cary, North Carolina |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 35.7894°N -78.7547°W[3] |
| Source1 Elevation: | 485feet[4] |
| Mouth: | Neuse River |
| Mouth Location: | Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 35.7508°N -78.5319°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 151feet |
| Progression: | Neuse River → Pamlico Sound → Atlantic Ocean |
| River System: | Neuse River |
| Tributaries Left: | Simmons Branch Rocky Branch |
| Tributaries Right: | Wildcat Branch Big Branch |
| Waterbodies: | Lake Johnson Lake Raleigh |
Walnut Creek is a 17.93miles long 4th order tributary to the Neuse River in Wake County. Its source is a small pond near WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, and it flows generally eastward through several small reservoirs, including Lake Cramer in Cary as well as Lake Johnson and Lake Raleigh in Raleigh, before reaching its confluence with the Neuse just south of Poole Road in East Raleigh. The course of the creek closely parallels Interstate 40, running mostly along the north side of the freeway.
The Walnut Creek Trail, a branch of the Capital Area Greenway, follows the length of Walnut Creek from Lake Johnson to its confluence, and is the second longest trail in the Greenway System. A large swampy wetland (which has been partially reclaimed by urban development), occupies the area around the last several miles of the creek; the Walnut Creek Wetland Center, operated by Raleigh Parks and Recreation, is dedicated to the study and preservation of the wetlands. The Coastal Credit Union Music Park, commonly known by its original name of Walnut Creek Amphitheater, is located near the wetland area near where the creek passes under the I-40/I-440 interchange.
According to the Geographic Names Information System, it has also been known historically as:[3]
Walnut Creek rises in a pond in Cary, North Carolina in Wake County and then flows east to meet through Cary and Raleigh to join the Neuse River.[4] Walnut Creek drains most of the southern areas of Raleigh, North Carolina.
Walnut Creek drains of area and is underlaid by a number of geologic formations on its course east. These include the Carolina terrane, Crabtree terrane, Falls Leucogneiss, Raleigh terrane, and the Rolesville Batholith.[5] The watershed receives about 46.8 in/year of precipitation, has a wetness index of 429.16 and is about 22% forested.[2]