Explore the most popular City Walk trails near Charlotte with hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you.
One of my favorite Charlotte area trails to get my long runs in. It’s flat and easy to navigate. I’m able to run 14-15 miles by taking the different offshoots. I’ve always felt safe but after a couple recent assaults on women, I’m nervous to go alone. Please stay aware of your surroundings and enjoy!
We started the “Toby Creek Greenway” Trail at the University of North Carolina, next to Target. This is a fairly new portion of the Mecklenburg County Greenway System. This trail is recorded as 2 miles in length by the County but we extended our hike into the Autumwood neighborhood. The Toby Creek Greenway has several outlets that empty into several Charlotte communities. This is a well cared for asphalt trail with boardwalks. There is a new addition to the trail starting at Rocky River Road West (see pic) that extends the trail approximately another 1/8 mile. Although the trail itself is clear you’ll get the feeling that you’re in a nature preserve, due to the overgrown foliage. We went North but you can go the other way into the UNC Campus and continue on the trail. The trail is super wide and allows room for biking, running, dog walking and other activities. The trail is maintained by Mecklenburg County government. Nice, lightly traveled urban hike in Charlotte. Come out and explore !
The Little Sugar Creek Greenway is a popular destination for residents to walk, bike and run in Uptown Charlotte. This trail is part of the Carolina Thread Trail that extends through North and South Carolina. I started the trail on Elizabeth Avenue next to CPCC community college. This is one of my favorites as you can people watch while walking. The trail aligns Midtown, through Uptown and empties into the Myers Park neighborhood of Charlotte. After about 2.6 miles I veered left onto the Ruth Samuelson Trail. This short trail will take you past the Nature Museum, just a little further down. You can also take the bridge into Freedom Park which is a venue within itself. The trails were a little muddy under the bridges but generally clear after last nights rain. The best thing about this trail is that you can “enter” or “exit” in multiple areas. There’s a running stream the length of the trail and a man made lake inside Freedom Park. If you’re interested in exploring Charlotte’s Uptown Neighborhood, bring your camera and enter any area along the stream. Trail is fully paved and narrow in some areas, so leisure biking is a better bet. A nice route in the heart of Uptown Charlotte
Urban is an understatement.
High traffic run route but so much to see and great run through South End
Great place to run minus the cigarette smokers and flooding after storms.
This Urban Trail is a nice leisurely stroll through Uptown Charlotte’s “Third Ward” District. I entered the Wesley Heights Connector next to Panthers Stadium on South Mint Street. This portion starts from the sidewalk, through a couple parking lots and then enters a more private part of the trail. This part of the trail borders the railroad tracks and gives you a nice view of the Wards mid century historic homes. I followed the trail to Seversville Park, then doubled back and branched off left to Frazier Park. The park has a soccer field, playground, and a decent sized dog park. I exited the the end of the Frazier trail at Sycamore and Margaret Brown. This asphalt trail is well traveled and looks to be a community favorite. Easy access to Uptown and is a part of the Carolina Thread Trail. Every few hundred yards, there’s access to your particular neighborhood which creates a great sense of connectivity. Experience this trail and get a great tour of Charlotte’s renowned Third Ward. Walk the trail around football season and you might get a peek at a few Panthers players . See ya on the trail
This Urban Trail takes you through Charlotte’s South End District into Uptown Charlotte. It starts at the New Bern Rail Station and continues through the spine of South End. About 1/2 mile in you will have to go “off the trail” (sidewalk) due to ongoing construction. Just take a right through the bank parking lot, then take a left onto South Blvd. until you can turn left (Tremont) back onto the trail. I went a little further up and turned around just past the overpass at E. Morehead Street. At the end, you can turn around, cross over the Lynx Rail tracks, then walk up the ramp to cross E. Morehead. You will re-enter the opposite side of the trail after descending down the staircase. This is the perfect trail for visitors to get a taste of what Charlotte has to offer. If you get tired of walking, just jump on the Lynx Light Rail. Great opportunity to experience the “Walkable” residential, business & entertainment District of South End in Charlotte N.C.
Fun scenic trail. Plenty of little hills that make for some good resistance. Quiet and peaceful.
Fun path, plenty of nature, saw a bunch of deer. Quiet and peaceful. A nice mix of rocky and smooth terrain. Construction is in process to extend the Greenway.
Very enjoyable, popular community trail. Mostly gravel or paved, and runs under 85. Plenty wide and lends itself well to walking, running, and bicycling. Not a hike, but you can do several miles in a nice environment.
For a city trail, this one was quiet and well shaded with a calm brook running along most of it. I only walked the Freedom Park area of the trail so I cannot speak to the rest of it.
Very nice area; easy walk with the family or alone or whenever. Playgrounds, sprayground, tennis courts, rental facilities, picnic tables ... really nice area. The trail is pretty much a sidewalk path. I'll definitely come back with my kids to play here.
Nice little trail. Stroller friendly.
An excellent choice to take children 10 and under for a bike ride without complaints. No high elevation so it is a smooth bike ride. There is intersection to cross over and not much for shaded areas. However this was a perfect trail to take my children on, I did not get one complaint.
The map is a little short It can Start just behind Park Road Shopping Center and also end going up 6th st with new trail. Parts have lots of trees and parts are very urban. It's my second favorite ride in Charlotte area...
very nice trail other than some muddy spots.
Be wary of the traffic intersections
Great trail, long straight aways with a few bends and shaded areas with benches, lots of room for any activity
Easy walk thru the city; not bad, not great. If there has been rain, been careful of the tunnels as the mud on the ground will be slippery. Sadly, there is active homelessness that is visible from the trail, and it is likely you may see people sleeping on benches in the park.
I didn't see any goose poop, saw some dog poop mostly on the edge of the Greenway. I'd say about half of it is paved the other half is gravel. I didn't go down the whole way because you had to get onto a bridge without a pedestrian section to cross over to the rest of the trail. I started at Sardis road and took it all the way down to the bridge you would have to cross to get to the rest of the trail.
Only hiked 1.5 miles of Greenway, but will definitely return to do more. Would be nice to have some signage along the way
Nice walk. Like a college campus.
Cycle or walk, this is a nice greenway through Charlotte. The path takes you very close to downtown yet in parts you might think you were out in the woods somewhere. the new sections is very nicely done, must have cost quite a chunk of money. My only issue is several of the underpasses were kind of sketchy with mud, sand and God knows what on the path which was not easy to see because they are quite dark. Otherwise I would have given five stars.
Nice little jaunt to get the motor running in the morning.
