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These greenways are dog friendly and visitors are treated to wooden bridges, boardwalks and paved surfaces. Mecklenburg County is home to 15 greenways offering more than 60 miles (and growing!) of developed trails for Charlotte-area residents and visitors to explore. The trails vary in length and are a mix of pavement, gravel and dirt making them ideal for all fitness levels. Each greenway below is linked to a trail map and trailhead parking is linked to addresses or pinned locations on Google Maps.
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You can also park in one of the neighborhoods with a connector trail. Toby Creek Greenway travels through the forested area south of UNC Charlotte and connects the campus to Mallard Creek Greenway at its northern end. This paved trail is 5.8 miles out-and-back and does include multiple road crossings, so it’s important to be vigilant of vehicle traffic. Walkers, runners and cyclists frequently use Toby Creek Greenway, but it’s possible to enjoy some solitude at quieter times of the day.
Stay connected
At the northernmost end, park in Elizabeth Park near Second Ward. At the southern terminus, park at the Carolina Pavilion shopping mall and hop on the South Boulevard Connector to get to Little Sugar Creek Greenway. We love the greenways in Mecklenburg County because they’re plentiful, free to access and offer a peaceful place to take a break in a busy metropolitan area. Runners, walkers, cyclists, inline skaters, skateboarders and those with jogging strollers find Clarks Creek and Mallard Creek Greenways a great place to get outdoors.
Take in uninterrupted miles and natural sights.
It is just over 6 miles long total and connects to Mallard Creek Greenway if you’d like to expand your journey. Part of this trail is more nature filled than the section that goes through campus, but it is interesting to stroll across campus and provides great people watching. Here is the AllTrails link with a map, but the parking lot and distance are inaccurate. Walker Branch Greenway is a 1.9-mile out-and-back off South Tryon Street behind the Rivergate Mall. It has a handful of trailheads from the shopping area’s parking lot and nearby neighborhoods.
atta Nature Preserve
In addition to shopping, dining and running errands all in one convenient location, you can walk the greenway and enjoy time with friends in an ever-changing and energetic urban landscape. First Broad River TrailFirst Broad River Trail is currently closed to the public for trail maintenance. Please check back and enjoy the improved trail once work is done. There is also a lower section of the McAlpine Creek Greenway running 8 miles out and back going further South, here is the AllTrails link. This greenway is segmented across parts of Charlotte and has multiple different sections, arguably this is the most confusing greenway in CLT. There are a variety of entry points depending on the section of Little Sugar Creek you’d like to hike or walk.
Mallard Creek and Clarks Creek Greenways
Mallard Creek Greenway is part of the Cross-Charlotte Trail, a partnership between Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte that strives to develop a 26 mile contiguous trail. This greenway will eventually connect the SC/NC State line to Cabarrus County." MeckNC.gov More than 5.7-miles between these two greenways are part of the Carolina Thread Trail. A more urban section of the Little Sugar Creek Greenway winds through Midtown and Myers Park. This section is mostly just sidewalks through the city, but some sections are more scenic. You could also hop on near the Target and Harris Teeter in Midtown and go in the opposite direction.
Cross Charlotte Trail Segments
This 1.4-mile segment of the Thread Trail is comprised of a both paved and gravel surfaces. Walkers, runners, and bikers will enjoy exercising along this trail, which at various points, provides appealing views of the creek. This short section of greenway is 3 miles out and back near South End. It runs from Revolution Park with a turf football field across a golf course to Clayton Park. It is a little odd to venture directly through a golf course, but the trail is pretty empty and the rest of it follows a creek through a more relaxing setting. Both Mallard Greek and Clarks Creek Greenways feature a half-dozen connecting trails to neighborhoods.
Hoover Creek Greenway is on the other side of the Rivergate Mall running behind the Ulta, Home Goods and Kohl’s. Despite being close to each other, these greenway trails are not connected. After all, there are many places within 50 miles of Charlotte to walk and enjoy fresh air and green spaces. There are plenty of greenway trails right in Mecklenburg County, which includes Charlotte and surrounding cities and towns. Greenways are linear parks that connect people and places, providing recreation, transportation, fitness, and economic benefits for all to enjoy.
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Woman helps police track down man who allegedly exposed himself on Charlotte greenway.
Posted: Wed, 03 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
You do need to cross a road at one point, but otherwise it is pretty relaxed. Here is the AllTrails link, but I personally enjoyed combining part of Mallard Creek Greenway with Toby Creek Greenway. These three greenways intersect in West Charlotte towards Uptown. At one point there is a fork where you can decide to follow Stewart Creek or Irwin Creek, but they are both about the same distance. I would recommend parking at the Stewart Creek Greenway Trailhead (904 Woodruff Place). Nestled in Huntersville, Torrence Creek Greenway is a quiet, paved 2.8-mile out-and-back trail running through woods along Gilead Road with multiple connecting trails to nearby neighborhoods.
If you cross Margaret Wallace from the parking lot the trail runs about two miles which is the main section of Campbell Creek Greenway. This trail is about 5 miles total out and back and is nice and nature-y. Park at Mallard Creek Elementary and enjoy your walk along the river! Other resources out there are just completely inaccurate in regards to distances and segments of the trails. AllTrails has the same issues with inaccuracies, but has some helpful maps and GPS directions to parking lots so I will link those for each greenway. We recommend parking at Rosedale Nature Park and walking across Rosewood Meadow Lane to access the trailhead for North Branch Torrence Creek Greenway.
Enjoy the views of a small pond, and take a break on one of the benches along the trail. The Campbell Creek and Upper McAlpine Creek Greenways combine to offer an 8.3-mile out-and-back trail in southeast Charlotte, just north of the town of Matthews. These trails are popular for hiking, biking and running and are open to dogs that are on leash. This path features forest, wildflowers and wildlife sightings, so it’s great when you’re seeking peace and beauty outdoors. This trail is over 9 miles long out and back and is located up near UNC Charlotte.
I am an avid outdoorsman that loves to teach people about the outdoors whether its specific skills like camping or just exposing people to different outdoor activities. I have been in the skilled outdoors space for 30+ years and have been loving it forever. If not for friends, I would still be focused on my corporate career instead of focusing on the things I love to do.
Park at Best Buy to access the trailhead for Walker Branch Greenway. Located north of Charlotte, McDowell Creek Greenway is a fully paved 2.8-mile out-and-back that offers some gentle hills to prepare for hiking elevation. This greenway connects Cornelius neighborhoods to Birkdale Village in Huntersville.
Hop on at the west end of Four Mile Creek Greenway where it meets Lower McAlpine Greenway. There’s a parking lot on Johnston Road where you can take a connector to the main trail. Or, at the eastern end of the trail, there is a parking long at the corner of Rea Road and Bevington Place. For locals living nearby, neighborhood access to the trail can be found at the end of Radner Lane and near Stanton Green Court.
Parking is available in Abersham Park at the north end of the West Branch Rocky River Greenway. To hop on South Prong Rocky River Greenway, park at Davidson Elementary School or River Run Athletic Park. The map below shows the entire alignment of the trail from the South Carolina state line to Kempsford Drive near the Cabarrus County line. Whether you’re new to the city or a native, you can find an adventure around every turn.
Personally I prefer the section that starts in Villa Heights and goes through the Belmont neighborhood towards Uptown. There is a parking lot near The Hobbyist, a great coffee shop and craft beer bar. Here is the AllTrails link that will give you GPS directions to the parking lot and a map of the route. Occasionally the bridge under Parkwood Avenue will flood, if that is the case you can simply cross Parkwood on the main sidewalk and then rejoin the greenway.
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