This week the City of Raleigh officially opened the first 6.5 miles of what will soon be a 28-mile trail along the Neuse River from the Falls Lake dam to the Johnston County line. Even before the opening, Raleigh citizens were out exploring the trail. One of them reported that he counted 150 other walkers and bikers on his recent visit.
The Neuse River greenway is a significant accomplishment in itself, but it is also a great addition to North Carolina's Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST), which runs 1,000 miles from the Great Smoky Mountain National Park to Jockey's Ridge State Park on the Outer Banks. Raleigh has asked the state parks system to designate the Neuse Greenway as part of the MST. Soon Raleighites out for a stroll will encounter hikers with backpacks who are exploring our beautiful state - one step at a time.
By designating the Neuse River greenway as part of the MST, Raleigh joins communities all over North Carolina that are designing and building new sections of the trial. Approximately 530 miles of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail are now complete. By the end of 2012, we expect that number to grow to 610 miles, with new trail openings near Boone, Pilot Mountain, Greensboro, Burlington, Hillsborough, Durham and Clayton in addition to Raleigh.
Many of those miles are built and maintained by thousands of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds. Working in heat, cold, wind, rain and even snow, they have plowed ahead to accomplish a shared goal.
Thanks to their efforts and leadership at the local and state levels, within five years we expect people will be able to walk from Clayton to Hillsborough on one continuous 150-mile trail. To have such a trail experience within easy reach of a population of more than 1 million people will be extraordinary. It will reinforce the quality-of-life message that has helped attract businesses and talent to this area.
As new trail opens, more and more people are now hiking across the state, using back roads to make connections where trail has not yet been built. Hikers on the MST rave about the natural beauty they encounter but also about the people they meet along the way.
Ian Fraher, who through-hiked the MST last year, wrote, "Now I cannot help but call North Carolina my home. I have a deep emotional and spiritual connection to this land and to have trekked across it is a spectacular way to experience what The Old North State has to offer."
North Carolina's investment in the Mountains-to-Sea Trail pays off in many ways. It provides an extraordinary outdoor adventure - whether hikers are out for a Sunday stroll with their families or a 1,000 mile trek. It showcases the beauty and diversity of North Carolina, and tourists exploring the trail give an economic boost to towns and counties. And the MST is the backbone of a growing trail network that provides easily accessible places for people to exercise, lose weight and stay healthy.
Yet, there are challenges ahead. More funding and volunteers will be needed to continue to build, protect and promote the trail statewide. We have a particular challenge in the coastal plain, from Smithfield to Havelock, where almost no progress has been made since the trail was first proposed in 1977. A Friends of the MST Task Force has proposed a new route to N.C. State Parks that would take the trail through pine savannahs and Carolina Bays on public conservation lands in Bladen, Pender and Onslow counties
Friends of the MST know the success of Raleigh and the Neuse River Greenway will be a catalyst for additional progress on the MST. We invite others to seize this opportunity to make a difference and share the feeling of accomplishment the Mountains-to-Sea Trail can provide in so many forms.
