Spine of the greenway

The American Tobacco Trail is on its way to connecting the Triangle

It began in 1989 as a volunteer effort to turn 22 miles of abandoned rail bed into a recreational trail. It took 11 years for the first section of that dream -- a 3.2-mile greenway running south from from downtown Durham -- to become reality. If things go according to the plan, the entire American Tobacco Trail will be completed in summer 2010.

It's not just the length of the American Tobacco Trail that makes it special. Beginning near the town of New Hill in western Wake County and running north through Chatham County and into downtown Durham, the ATT plays a pivotal role in the rapidly evolving Triangle greenways scene.

"It's huge," says the Triangle's top greenway advocate, Sig Hutchinson. "It's the spine of the entire greenway grid."

In Wake County, for instance, the 7-mile White Oak Greenway, more than half of which is complete, will run from the ATT to Cary's Bond Park. From there, the 7-mile Black Creek Greenway runs to Umstead State Park. A 5-mile trail through Umstead links to a Raleigh greenway that runs to the N.C. Museum of Art, to Meredith College and eventually to N.C. State University, where it will connect with a nearly completed greenway that runs along the city's west and south sides to near the Walnut Creek amphitheater.

Thus, conceivably, you could catch an afternoon ball game at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, then ride your bike to a concert that night at Walnut Creek.

Similar greenway connections are envisioned off the ATT throughout Durham and into Chapel Hill.

Before any of that can happen, three bridges must be built on the ATT (two in Chatham County, one over I-40 in Durham) and a 1.8-mile stretch of trail around the Streets at Southpoint mall must be completed. ATT architects say the trail could be completely open by the summer of 2010.

Until then, you can still enjoy 20 miles of the ATT, one of more than 1,400 such rails-to-trails conversions in the U.S. To help you do that, we've put together a pull-out map on page 5E that identifies the practical -- trail access, restrooms, where you can find water -- as well scenic highlights, such as the kudzu-draped forest that insulates the trail from its most urban stretch. Plus, today's Get Out! Get Fit! column on page 2E tells you which stretches of the ATT are best for certain activities.

Enjoy.