
Little Sugar Creek Greenway is made up of five distinct sections and will feature more than 19 miles of trails when complete. Enjoy paved trails through forested areas and along Little Sugar Creek for a gentle or brisk walk, and bring your dog for company! Picking up at Four Mile Creek Greenway, Lower McAlpine and McMullen Creek Greenways connect to offer just over four miles one way or 8.3 miles out-and-back. Located in south Charlotte, the trail is composed of asphalt and gravel and is popular with walkers, trail runners and cyclists, but users can find peace during quieter times of the day. Nestled amid secluded streams and winding trails, The Little Sugar Creek Greenway provides a wide-open space for countless activities – walking, biking, running and more.
Shooting near Stewart Creek Greenway in west Charlotte results in 2 arrests: CMPD - Fox 46 Charlotte
Shooting near Stewart Creek Greenway in west Charlotte results in 2 arrests: CMPD.
Posted: Wed, 24 Apr 2024 16:10:55 GMT [source]
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There are numerous neighborhood connections throughout the greenway. Great blue herons, gray foxes, white-tailed deer and a wide variety of birds can be spotted much of the year. In the late summer or early fall butterflies can be found in abundance. Long Creek Greenway can be accessed by parking near the Northcrest Shopping Center adjacent to Target Shopping. Parking at Birkdale behind Fleet Feet Huntersville is the easiest way to access the trail. Park in the lot on Johnston Road at the east end or a lot off Pineville-Matthews Road at the northwest end.
McDowell Creek Greenway

Taggart Creek Greenway is a short, 1-mile out-and-back trail along Taggart Creek off Billy Graham Parkway, near Charlotte Douglas International Airport. This fully paved trail skirts around a neighborhood and is close to Southview Recreation Center, so it’s easy to add mileage walking nearby residential streets. Located in Charlotte, near Pineville, Six Mile Creek Greenway is 1.8 miles out-and-back. The trail is paved and shady, but it’s worth noting that some lower sections are prone to flooding after heavy rainfall. Six Mile is a great place to walk, bike, walk your dog and spot wildlife. Eventually, this trail will connect to neighborhoods in Mecklenburg and Union counties.
Hikes Near Charlotte: Complete Guide to 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.
Greenways
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.
The county holds 52 miles of developed greenway trails, many of which fit under the greater Carolina Thread Trail, a regional network of trails reaching across 15 counties. This is just the beginning of local greenway development – there’s so much more to come. Charlotte is situated in Mecklenburg County, featuring an elaborate system of linear parks, or greenways. They not only support wildlife and water quality but connect visitors and locals to destinations across the area.
larks Creek Greenway
This benefits cities by reducing vehicle traffic, pollution and individuals’ carbon footprints. When you’re new to hiking or returning to the trails after an extended break, getting started can be overwhelming, and heading straight to the mountains can feel daunting. Rest assured, you don’t have to tackle North Carolina’s hardest trails right away to reap the physical and mental health benefits of hiking. There are 11 total segments of the Cross Charlotte Trail, plus a bicycle boulevard that improves connectivity to the trail in North Charlotte. Street parking is reserved for handicap access, specific retailers and short-term parking. Levels P1-P3 of the parking deck are exclusively reserved for Metropolitan visitors.
Stroll the UNC Charlotte campus and botanical gardens.
That is also true in regards for areas to park—all of the greenways have a designated parking lot but you can park in most neighborhoods along the trail as well. The Irwin Creek and Stewart Creek Greenways offer 3.2 miles out-and back and are connected to other trails in uptown Charlotte making it easy to extend your mileage when you’re ready. Surfaces are gravel/crushed stone, sidewalk and pavement and are shared by walkers, hikers and cyclists looking to enjoy views of the creek and wildlife. For Hoover Creek Greenway we recommend parking in front of the shopping center and walking around the building to access the trail.
Flyover Video of the Brandywine Road to Tyvola Road Segment
We recommend parking at the Winchester Playground or the TMSA Charlotte Secondary School near the Mallard Creek and Clarks Creek junction. Once completed, the Cross Charlotte Trail will allow residents to travel seamlessly from one end of Charlotte to the other. Approximately 140,000 residents and 130,000 jobs will be within walking distance of the proposed trail and the adjacent greenways that connect to it. The Clarks Creek and Mallard Creek Greenway is among the longest greenways in the region.
These trails also serve as vegetated natural buffers that promote water quality, help reduce the impacts of flooding and provide wildlife habitat. In addition to the County's greenway system, there are numerous miles of mountain bike trails managed by the Tarheel Trailblazers. As a heads up one of the Google Maps locations will take you to an apartment complex without parking options, so I’d recommend the parking lot AllTrails directs you to. Unfortunately this parking lot is not at the exact beginning/end of the trail, it is right on Margaret Wallace and intersects the trail. If you follow the path from this parking lot on the same side of the road as the parking lot you will hit McAlpine Creek Greenway in about a half mile.
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.
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.
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.

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.
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.
The Mecklenburg County Greenway System is quickly becoming one of the finest in the nation. Greenways are vegetated natural buffers that promote water quality, help reduce the impacts of flooding, and provide wildlife habitat. Greenway trails provide recreation, transportation, fitness, and economic benefits for all to enjoy. There are currently 56 miles of developed greenway trails in Mecklenburg County, with more being built every year.