Near Wake Forest, North Carolina, it covers 5,035 acres (20.38 km2)[1] along the shores of 12,410-acre (50.2 km2) Falls Lake.

Prior to 1978, flooding of the Neuse River caused extensive damage to public and private properties including roadways, railroads, industrial sites and farmlands.

The Falls Lake Project was developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers to control damaging floods.

In addition to recreation opportunities, Falls Lake now provides flood and water-quality control, water supply, and fish and wildlife conservation.

[citation needed] Falls Lake is one of the settings in the spy thriller novel Crisis Four by Andy McNab.