Biking the Little Tennessee River Greenway, Franklin, NC

 

• Date Biked: March 20, 2021
• Posted Mileage 4-ish
• Total miles Tracked:  6.19
• Type of Trail:  mixed surface rail trail
• Conveniences:  Trailhead with bathrooms and picnic tables
• Best Features:  Covered Bridge
• Worst Features:  Rough surface, confusing trail path 
• Wildlife spotted: None
• Vegetation:  Wildflowers
• Associated Website: https://www.littletennessee.org/ 
• Primary Author: James

When we tackled the Silver Comet and Chief Ladiga Trails back in March, we saw no reason to race straight home. From north Georgia, it's a relatively short hop into western North Carolina, so I scanned Google Maps to find a greenway we might explore. The Little Tennessee River sprang up. It is, as far as I can tell, the westernmost rail trail in North Carolina, so it seemed like a good one to check off our list. 

The Little Tennessee River Greenway follows two railway cuts along the eponymous river through Franklin, NC. Franklin is a lovely little town. We ate lunch at the Motor Company Grill, which specializes in ridiculously decadent burgers and shakes. Laden with calories, we went in search of parking for the greenway, and launched our journey from Tassee Park near the midpoint of the trail. This has bathrooms and picnic tables, but the paths down from the parking area to the trail itself were a little rugged. We headed south. Before long we reached the best feature of the greenway, the Nonah Bridge, a wooden covered bridge that is a thoughtful blend of functional infrastructure and public art. Riding through it is reminiscent of riding through a cathedral, or perhaps the upturned belly of a wooden sailing ship. 

I've thought a lot about this bridge in the last two months. Having ridden several dozen greenways in numerous states, some of our favorites are ones where the people in charge of the trail understand that greenways are more akin to parks than to highways. Yes, we love long trails that let us ride from one town to another, but usually the trail itself is the destination for us, not merely a neutral surface that exists to provide easy passage from point A to point B. Once you think of a greenway as a long, thin park, it sets some expectations. Parks feature sculptures, flower gardens, and picnic shelters. Obviously, on a thirty mile greenway that passes through multiple jurisdictions, you wouldn't expect every foot to be lined with flowerbeds. Some of our favorite trails just let nature run wild six inches off the pavement. But the Nonah Bridge leaves me wondering why more greenways don't make the effort to build beautiful infrastructure. Not to name names, but Cheryl and I can name a trails where, instead of a lovely bridge crossing a pleasant river, there's are bland concrete slabs bordered by chain-link that give the surrounding the feel of an industrial wasteland. I understand that a beautiful bridge like the Nonah costs more than something drab, but we drove over a hundred miles out of our way because of the pictures of this bridge. No doubt other people do as well. Attractive things make good attractions! 

So, big bonus points for the LTRG having such an excellent feature, one that's made me look at every greenway I've since ridden in a different light. Unfortunately, the fact that this trail includes such a great bridge makes the rest of the trail a baffling disappointment. The trail is a mix of paved and gravel surfaces, at somewhat random intervals. The gravel is rough enough that I wouldn't recommend tackling this trail on a road bike. The other problem we had was a lack of clear signage. As you head toward downtown, the trail reaches the back of a shopping center. Google maps indicated the trail continued on the other side of the river, but the pathway wasn't immediately clear, and the bridge crossing into downtown had a ton of traffic on it, so we turned back. It looks like we only missed out on another mile or so of riding. Even though there are downloadable trail maps, if a trail sort of fizzles out in a parking lot, clear markers pointing toward the next step of the journey are a necessity. 

If you're serious about biking, this trail is probably a little too short to be worth the drive just to ride it. But, I imagine that in the fall, when the color is changing, this would be a spectacular greenway for a walk or run. But, if you are looking for a longer trail that has fully embraced the "greenway as a park" philosophy, do we  have a trail for you! Up next: The Swamp Rabbit!

Biking the Neuse River Trail Greenway

• Date Biked: May 25, 2020
• Posted length: Neuse River Trail:  27.5 miles.  Clayton Riverwalk + Sam's Branch Greenway: 5.25
• Total miles Tracked: 68 miles 
• Type of Trail: paved greenway
• Conveniences: Parking lots
• Best Features: Only two road crossings the whole length. Plenty of access points. 
• Worst Features: Very few bathrooms or water stations near the trail, especially the southern portion. Sometimes crowded. 
• Wildlife spotted: It's common to see deer, rabbits, herons, snakes, turkeys and turtles. 
• Vegetation: Hardwood forests, overgrown briers, wildflowers
• Associated Website: https://raleighnc.gov/places/neuse-river-greenway-trail
• Primary Author: James

The Neuse River Trail is, in our opinion, the best overall greenway you can bike in North Carolina. It's the longest continuous greenway in the state at 27.5 miles, and flows seamlessly onto the Clayton Riverwalk, which connects to the Sam's Branch Greenway, for very close to 33 miles of trail. It was designed like a bike interstate; there are underpasses and overpasses to get you past intersecting roads, so that on the whole length you only have two roads where you might encounter cars. There's a short bit of road that takes you into Anderson Point Park, and you also cross Brownfields Road, where I can't recall ever encountering a single vehicle. If you enjoy riding without once worrying about traffic, this is as good as it gets. 

Taking you above and below existing roads, you can bike for miles without worrying about cars. 

At least, you don't have to worry about cars. Foot traffic and bike traffic are a different issue. The trail is fairly wide for a greenway, but bikes share the path with runners and walkers, and sections of the trail can be downright congested, especially on Saturday mornings. 

But, even on a crowded Saturday, one of the best parts about riding the Neuse is that it's not just bikers that enjoy the absence of traffic. Ride for any distance at all, especially early morning or later in the evening, and it's almost a guarantee you'll see wildlife. Deer are abundant, rabbits are pretty common, and herons are easy to spot during the summer. Wild turkeys tend to show up on the southern sections. There's enough wildlife that, when we took a picture of some wild turkeys in a fields, they got photobombed by a deer. The trail also makes snakes feel at home, so keep your eyes open for copperheads. 

There are so many deer along this trail they sometimes turn up in photos uninvited! 

We ride the Neuse frequently. Given its length, it offers several convenient rides. Out and back the full length is certainly doable during the spring and fall. Things get a bit trickier in the full heat of summer because one area where the Neuse falls short is in water stations. There are bathrooms and fountains at Anderson Point Park, which is located between miles 17 and 18. There's also bathrooms and a fountain at mile 0, at the Falls Lake Dam. And in between... nothing, at least not directly on the trail. There's a few spots where you can detour away and reach a good breaking area in less than a mile between the dam and the park. One of our favorites is a spur at Trailhead Lane. You can follow this to an apartment complex, and next to that there's a Sheetz. South of Anderson Point Park, alas, is a journey for people with strong bladders. There are zero restrooms along the trail. There are, however, miles and miles of rolling landscape that make you feel far removed from the large city only a few miles distant. 

Come for the bathrooms, stay for the birdhouses! 

Usually, we park at Anderson Point Park and ride either the northern section or the southern section, and add it little connecting greenways to get in about 40 miles of riding. North of Anderson Point Park, you encounter the Mingo Creek Trail, the Smith Creek Greenway, and the Abbotts Creek Trail. The Mingo Creek is the longest, at just over 3 miles, and has some nice boardwalks through wetlands. The Smith Creek Greenway looks like it's planned to eventually connect to a longer greenway, and has an impressive bridge to ride across, but is mainly just a mile through backyards of recently built houses. Abbotts Creek Creek is only about a mile before it hits Falls River Avenue, and is one of the most wildlife rich places you can ride. Your odds of seeing deer here are very high, and even if the deer aren't around the boardwalks will take you over wetlands full of wildflowers. 

Also some truly enormous butterflies.

Speaking of wildflowers, around mile 15, near the site of the old Milburnie Dam, there's was an impressive display when we biked in May, and there are fields south of Anderson Point Park brimming with flowers. In Anderson Point Park itself there's a large meadow, and numerous magnolia trees. Anderson Point Park is also the start of the Crabtree Creek Greenway. Currently, you can bike out about 6 miles before it's shut for maintenance. Two miles south of Anderson Point, you'll encounter the Walnut Creek Greenway, which is over ten miles long, but shows it's age after the first three or four miles. Still, between the Neuse and the connecting greenways, it really wouldn't be difficult to put together 100+ miles of biking without hardly any road crossings. 

A final note is that the Neuse is a segment of two larger trails. The full length is part of North Carolina's Mountain to Sea Trail. South of Walnut Creek, the Neuse is also part of the East Coast Greenway, which will one day be a series of greenways from Maine to Florida. North Carolina has one of the longest continuous segments, allowing you to bike from the center of Durham all the way to Clayton with nearly all of the distance on greenways or park roads. 

Cheryl and I feel very lucky to have a greenway with such a great length and design less than an hour from our house. The Neuse wasn't completely finished when we first started biking, and, much like the American Tobacco Trail, the the trail kept getting longer which pushed us to keep biking further. The fact that both trails are now fully linked up by connecting trails makes the Triangle one of the best places you could want to live if you enjoy biking. 

Biking the Lynchburg VA Trail system

• Date Biked: May 2, 2020
• Total miles Tracked: 19.85 miles 
• Type of Trail: Greenway
• Best Features: Long trail road tunnels and bridges
• Worst Features: Creekside trail is very rugged
• Wildlife spotted: None
• Vegetation: Pines and hardwoods, wildflowers
• Associated Website:https://www.lynchburgparksandrec.com/trails/
• Primary Author:  James

They Lynchburg greenway and rail trail system doesn't pop up if you're googling for long greenways, which is a shame, and something of a branding problem. Lynchburg's trail system is mostly interconnected and cumulatively adds up to permit 20 miles + of biking without ever once needing to ride on a road. But, rather than advertise it as one big trail, it gets promoted as a bunch of little trails: The Riverwalk Trail, the Blackwater Creek Trail, the Kemper Station Trail, and the Point of Honor Trail. There's also several unpaved mountain bike trails connecting to this, including the Creekside Trail, which has a very rough and rocky access but then flattens out into a fairly nice ride. If you're like us, you might not be motivated to load up your bikes and drive two hours to ride the three mile long Blackwater Creek Trail, or even the 6.5 mile Riverwalk. Once you discover that these are really one long greenway, the destination becomes more tempting. 

You should give in to that temptation! First, downtown Lynchburg is near the hub of three of the trails, and it's a wonderful, walkable historic area, with plenty of restaurants catering to people who've come downtown for recreation. It's a very nice blend of the old and the new, and Lynchburg gets high marks as a town that seems to really appreciate the users of its greenways. 

Another nice feature of the rail trail segments of the trail system is that Lynchburg is still very much an active railroad hub. You'll almost definitely encounter trains if you're in the area for any length of time at all. And, the rail trail makes use of some fantastic relics from it's previous life, including the Hollins Mill Tunnel on the Blackwater trail and a big trestle bridge on the Riverwalk at the end of Percival's Island.  

There are numerous trail access points, but the best two we've found are the Awareness Garden at mile 0 of the Blackwater Creek Trail, which has bathrooms and a water fountain, and the downtown parking for Percival's Island, which you'll recognize by Lynchburg's "LOVE" sign. No bathrooms or water here, alas, but it does give you easy access to the part of the trail that runs downtown. 

The trails do have a few challenges. The Kemper Station Trail is short, but a real work out, pretty much a continuous uphill grade, though it is fun to zip back down. We didn't ride the full length of the Creekside Trail because it was very muddy, probably because, you know, it's beside a creek, and it was spring time, and there was evidence that parts of this trail are probably underwater for parts of the year. Speaking of being underwater, the Point of Honor Trail crosses a spillway just beneath a dam. We wound up walking our bikes across because the water looked pretty swift, though in retrospect riding through it wouldn't have been any particular challenge. Even if you don't get wet here, prepare to be dripped on in the Hollins Mill Tunnel, which was pretty wet the day we visited. I imagine as we move deeper into summer the trail system will be dryer,

One final recommendation of the trail system is that it's got a nice variety to it. On Percival Island, the trail is flat and straight and rolling through forest and fields, while the Blackwater segment is full of deep railroad cuts, the tunnel, and is generally steeper. I'm hard pressed to think of another trail that packs in such a wealth of different scenes into so few miles. 

The LOVE sign on the Riverwalk features bike wheels, boot prints, kayak paddles and skate wheels. It pretty well sums up our feelings about this trail. It's just a lovely place to spend a day engaging in one or more these activities. 

Hiking at Ayr Mount

• Date we visited: 1/26/2020
• Posted length: 1 mile
• Total miles Walked: 1.45 miles
• Type of Trail:  Walking path/crush
• Conveniences:  Parking
• Best Features:  River views, sweeping landscapes, benches, history
• Worst Features:  gates close early, no bathrooms
• Wildlife spotted:  None at this visit.
• Vegetation:  Fern, crocus, daffodils, pine, cedar, native hardwoods
• Associated Website: https://classicalamericanhomes.org/ayr-mount/

On a sunny Sunday afternoon we went to Ayr Mount and walked the Poet’s walk, a 1 mile loop around the property. While tours of the house are only offered certian times throughout the year, the grounds are available for anyone to enjoy without an entry fee. The Poet’s walk is one of Hillsborough's hidden gems.

The parking lot is generous and there were many people out walking the grounds. We headed to the right of the house past the private cemetery. There's a small seating area and picnic tables for folks to enjoy the grounds, then the trail drops down, heading towards the river. Just before you enter the woods, you have the option to cut over towards the pond

The trail is lined with fences made from fallen branches.

While many people utilize the poet’s walk for exercise, there are numerous places to sit and contemplate your surroundings.

You can look across the river and see one of the trails at the Historic Occoneechee Speedway.  There are plans to connect the two properties in the future as well.

Along the path there were ferns, squill and crocus popping out of the ground.  Daffodils, scammed by the unseasonably warm January, were also beginning to sprout.

As you leave the river and exit the woods, the pond comes into view.

During the hot summer months, they place a cooler of water for those on the Poet’s walk.

As we looped back to the house, you can see the depression from the old trading path, and a Little Free Library.  If only we had some books to add!

The Poet’s Walk at Ayr Mount is the perfect length for a quick walk.  But don’t forget to take in the serenity and the beauty that this property has.  Take a moment and sit on one of the benches and listen to the Eno bubble by, or the wind slip though the willows.

#hillsborough
#arymount
#poetswalk
#walking