The focus of this project is on loop routes. Since the Hansel and Gretel debacle, the simple out and back trip has become a safer proposition, as asphalt trails, maps, and GPS have replaced breadcrumbs. in these routes, greenway segments are linked by roads and in some cases, other greenways.To enhance any simple out and back, you can use the Points of Interest page for interesting destinations, or the Greenway Connectors page to develop your own routes. One characteristic of a loop route is that by choosing any two points on the loop, the route represents two different ways to travel between said points, or two out and back rides.
These routes are illustrative. The Magic Kingdom ride and the ITB 20 go to roughly the same points, and use some of the same greenway trails, but differ in the connections that they use. The four routes to Cary all show different ways to connect the two greenway systems. In some cases the links themselves are broken out for clarity and transposition. For instance, Up and Over, shows three possible linking routes between Honeycutt Trail and the Neuse River Trail in the same post.
Sometimes you need to get out and explore, and other times you need to let the dogs out for a good run. A meander could be 5 miles or 25 miles, and a good hard run could be 15 miles or 50 miles. 20 miles is the threshold for division here, as it produced two relatively equal groups of rides. Most of the rides start at the parking lot for the soccer fields on Dix Park, off Hunt Dr.
These Routes generally focus on the area inside the beltline, and the area around Dix Park in particular. Most of the riding is on greenway trails, but many of the north/south legs use side streets, as there are fewer greenways to use in those directions.
The longer routes use more roads, but follow the greenway system as much as possible. Up and Over for instance is one of the longest rides with roughly 10 of the 48.1 miles following side streets.
The Dirt and Gravel Rides category is made up of any route that includes at least some gravel riding, such as Into the Woods, or Howling Cow Ice Cream Run. Routes through Umstead or Williamson Preserve aren’t shown as mapped rides, as that seems contrary to the spirit of trail/dirt riding.