This route connects parts of the Rocky Branch, Walnut Creek, Little Rock, and the Crabtree Creek trails to form an interesting loop through a variety of terrains. This route has a little of everything. From the flat creekside riding on the Walnut Creek and Crabtree Creek trails to the climb on Noble Dr from Kiwanis… Continue reading Dix to Kiwanis Park Loop 14.3 miles
Author: Craig Brown
Intervals for Lunch
This is short loop with four relatively gentle climbs is ideal for a quick exercise hit perfect for a one hour lunch break. Done clockwise the last two miles are a gentle downhill coast back to Dix Park. Starting from the parking lot for the (former) soccer fields at Dix Park, the first interval is… Continue reading Intervals for Lunch
Bakeries
Bakeries make for great destinations in the early part of the day. Most listed here have some outdoor seating, but all have calories dressed up in flour – with more even calories on top. A good thing, right? The Farmer’s Market may seem like the outlier on this list – for lack of ovens –… Continue reading Bakeries
ATT via Apex 45.3 miles
This route briefly uses Ten-Ten Rd. and Tryon Rd., both of which can be inhospitable to cyclists at high traffic times. Downtown Apex is charming, Olive Chapel Rd. is a good road, and the American Tobacco Trail opens all sorts of possibilities for permutations. While there is less traffic on the roads on Sunday mornings,… Continue reading ATT via Apex 45.3 miles
ITB Loop 20 miles
Inside the Beltline Loop shares a basic footprint and three greenways with the Magic Kingdom Loop. ITB Loop uses more streets, and could be used after a spell of wet weather, when the greenway bridges can become slick. A new spur is used here to return to the Crabtree Creek Tail after passing by the… Continue reading ITB Loop 20 miles
Southwest Meander 21.1 miles
Getting to Cary from southwest Raleigh can be problematic. This loop crosses US 1 with the Hinshaw Creek Greenway bridge, and the vehicular bridge at Athens Dr. Both the out and back legs of this trip follow roads that can be glutted with traffic at times. Better greenway connectivity to Cary would be a boon… Continue reading Southwest Meander 21.1 miles
Breweries
While many of the breweries listed below are near the center of Raleigh, longer treks are represented with stops in both Knightdale and Clayton. Each brewery has a page with a brief description, a map showing its connection to a greenway, and a list of routes from the site that pass nearby. Wether a mid-ride… Continue reading Breweries
Hidden overlook
About three quarters of a mile east of Anderson Point Park on the Crabtree Creek Trail, the greenway passes near a sharp bend in the waterway. The land rises 20 to 30 feet above the water surface and affords a view of the coming and going of Crabtree Creek. On the south side of the… Continue reading Hidden overlook
Memorial
Near Lockwood Park on the Crabtree Creek Trail, the greenway leaves the side of the creek for about a mile. The trail climbs 65 feet over about a tenth of a mile, curving sharply near the top of the hill. From the apex, the trail descends roughly the same elevation over two tenths of a… Continue reading Memorial
Covered Bridge Rd. tunnel – Clayton
With the recent completion of the Sam’s Branch Greenway tunnel under Covered Bridge Rd., it is possible to ride from Falls Lake to near downtown Clayton on a single ribbon of asphalt. The trail currently ends in a woods just behind the Clayton Municipal Park, which seems to beg for connection to something – to… Continue reading Covered Bridge Rd. tunnel – Clayton