Park will open entrance early

Umstead caters to runners and cyclists

RALEIGH -- Umstead State Park will start opening its Glenwood Avenue gate an hour earlier each day -- at 7 a.m. -- for park lovers who like to hit the trail first thing in the morning.

The change is aimed at runners and cyclists who were shut out of their morning routines this fall when "No Parking" signs sprouted outside a busy but informal park entrance on Graylyn Drive.

The 7 a.m. opening takes effect Saturday, on a trial basis.

The earlier opening will improve trail access for some runners and cyclists, but it won't resolve competing concerns of park users, neighborhood residents, and state park and transportation officials.

"It's not everything everybody wants, but it's a concession we're hoping is going to help," said Scott Letchworth, Umstead superintendent.

Graylyn Drive is a short, gravel spur road off Glenwood in West Raleigh that ends at the locked gate to an Umstead maintenance road. It became a popular entry point -- sometimes with 100 cars lining both sides on warm weekends -- because it provided quick and easy access to bridle and bike trails in the 5,579-acre park.

Some users parked on Graylyn so they could enjoy its trails before the 8 a.m. opening or after the gates close at sunset -- 6 p.m. in winter, 9 p.m. in summer. The official alternative is a parking lot three miles inside the Umstead gate, a drive of about 8 minutes down paved and unpaved roads.

This fall the state Department of Transportation began preparing Graylyn for paving next spring. DOT engineers erected "No Parking" signs to protect newly seeded shoulders and ditches and to resolve complaints from Graylyn residents.

"If you had all those cars parking in front of your house every day, you wouldn't be happy, either," said Wally Bowman, who oversees DOT work in Wake and other Triangle counties.

Dozens of park users protested the parking ban to Umstead and DOT officials. Some said it takes too long to drive to the parking lot inside the park.

"I would go running and I would be done quickly and I'd be home again. But it's no longer convenient to use," said Audrey Schipprack of North Raleigh.

"I'm glad the park's trying to accommodate people," said Scott Taffer, also of North Raleigh. "My issue is more with DOT and Graylyn Drive. Why don't they just add some parking spaces there?"

Letchford said only the Glenwood gate will open early, and only for trail users. The change requires three to five of Umstead's 13 employees to come to work an hour earlier.

Bowman said Umstead officials should consider making Graylyn Drive available for parking inside the maintenance gate. But Letchford said state legislation makes that part of the park a nature preserve and protects it from paving and other development.

The same restrictions have hampered the state's response to a similar parking problem near Umstead's southeast corner. Paving Trenton and Reedy Creek roads and extending a greenway wiped out a parking area there last year.

Letchford offered little hope for a solution that would restore park access through Graylyn Drive, but he said state park officials are determined to make it possible for trail users to park again near Trenton and Reedy Creek roads.

"We'd like to buy some land right outside the park that people could use for parking off Trenton Road, but so far we have not been able to find a willing seller," Letchford said.