We North Carolinians should be familiar with our State’s nicknames: The Tar Heel State and the Old North State. But what about the Great Trails State?
“Naw, I’m not familiar with that one. What‘s that?” said James.
What’s the Great Trails State?” asked Mary.
Since you asked, Mary and James. The most common North Carolina boy and girl baby names. The Great Trails State is a network being developed by the North Carolina Department of Transportation and North Carolina State Parks to connect every 100 counties and 41 State Parks with shared-use paths and trails. This plan is astonishing. Just imagine how the final design could bring more outdoor recreation awareness outside Western North Carolina.
When I typed “Where is the best hiking in North Carolina?” into the Chrome search bar, the results displayed several of those “People Also Ask” questions which are “questions people commonly search on Google.” The top question was, “Is there a lot of hiking in North Carolina?” According to the Visit North Carolina website, there are more than 900 miles of trail in the mountains. But what about the Piedmont and Coastal regions? With more emphasis on Piedmont.
Sure, The Blue Ridge Mountains, Pisgah Forest, and the Great Smoky Mountains are some of the massive natural areas covering the western part of the State and offer a plethora of enriching experiences for all outdoor admirer types. Day Hikers can take one of the many trails to the highest point east of the Mississippi River, Mount Mitchell. Long-distance hikers have access to the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and a section of the Appalachian Trail. Car Trippers can park in a parking lot and walk down a short paved path to a large waterfall—all impressive and beautiful natural scenery. I love our mountains but don’t always want to travel I-85 westbound to hit a hiking trail or walking path.
Of course, there are many land recreation opportunities outside the State Parks in the Piedmont. Initiatives like the Carolina Thread Trail have physically put them on a map. I recommend checking your city or town’s website for information on pedestrian routes close to home. But I feel like this geographic area doesn’t come close to the recognition and reputation of the Mountain region. For obvious reasons like many national forests, several mountain chains, and the elevation.
So because of that, I want to spotlight some trails in the Piedmont and outside a State Park. Some flatter trails than their cousins in the mountains, but some are picturesque and awesome in their style.
McAdenville South Fork River Greenway
Open Google Maps and drop a pin at 315 Lakeview Dr, McAdenville, NC 28101 to get to the
McAdenville South Fork River Greenway trailhead. McAdenville, or Christmastown, USA, is famous for its seasonal evergreens decorated with lights and ornaments, but This 10-ft wide concrete path runs straight through a deciduous forest. The type of forest provides great lengths of shade in the summer and turns vibrant shades of yellow, red, and orange during the Autumn months. Hence the name, this three-fourths of a mile parallels the South Fork River and is excellent for an easy there and back 1.5-mile round trip. The pavement makes the trail ADA friendly for wheelchairs, walking, biking, and running.
Some other fantastic amenities at the trailhead include workout equipment and a kayak launch. The Catawba Riverkeepers do walk-up kayak rentals on Saturdays and Sundays during the warmer months. Downtown McAdenville is near and is a great destination to grab a beer at 115 Craft, fresh eats and treats at the Spruced Goose Restaurant, or craft cocktails, fresh pizza, and a variety of Italian dishes at Terra Mia.
For more information, please visit the below web pages.
The Great Trails State Plan https://www.ncdot.gov/divisions/bike-ped/great-trails-state/Pages/default.aspx
Visit North Carolina https://www.visitnc.com/
Town of McAdenville https://townofmcadenville.org/
Carolina Thread Trails interactive map https://www.carolinathreadtrailmap.org/trails
Catawba Riverkeeper Kayak Rentals https://www.catawbariverkeeper.org/kayak-rentals/
115 Craft https://www.115craft.com/
Spruced Goose Station https://www.holyangelsnc.org/spruced-goose-station
Terra Mia https://terramiaristoranteandbar.com/