I did the entire Carolina Thread Trail in 2 months. Don't do it.

The Carolina Thread Trail (CTT). We all know about it right? At this point you’ve at least seen their compass logo marking numerous trails (or beer cans) throughout our area. But did you know how large and diverse the trail system actually is?

I just completed every single segment of the Carolina Thread Trail this summer and I don’t want you to do what I did… It is way more diverse than I originally thought and each segment of land, trail, and water needs to be admired and appreciated differently respective to what you are looking for.

At Charlotte based Human Powered Movement, we created and managed an organic two-month challenge entitled #CTTsummer primarily through our Strava club and Instagram. Our goal was to encourage people to get out and utilize the regional trail system in our own backyard. The challenge included various levels of participation to suit different ability levels with the stretch goal of completing every single segment of the system — all 260 miles on land and 170 miles on water. Many participated, thousands of miles were completed, and countless new corners of the greater Charlotte region were discovered in new ways.

2-day kayak camping trip on the Rocky River.

2-day kayak camping trip on the Rocky River.

A few #ThreadHeads (a self-proclaimed name that we affectionately gave ourselves) did, in fact, complete every mile of the system. Since recently finishing up the challenge, I feel that I can appropriately and respectfully offer this recommendation: Do not attempt to complete the system in its entirety; for speed.

Truth be told, there are many segments that are currently underwhelming but are part of a much bigger master plan that will evolve over time and will become more integrated down the road.

Completing each segment for speed is also not the point of the trail system’s existence in the first place. The goal of the CTT organization is to champion the planning for long term connection of people and places to lessen the dependence of vehicles, enrich the quality of life in our communities and to create/conserve various recreational opportunities for years to come. The CTT needs our collective help to make that happen!

The real public facing value of the CTT is diversity that it offers throughout the 142 different trail segments across 15 counties and two states. The CTT system provides countless opportunities to get out and explore so many great aspects of our region regardless of your location, physical abilities, age, sport, interests, gender, race, etc.

Below is a short list of CTT trail categories to help display some of the variety of the system that we encountered. I encourage you to do you research to find which segment(s) pique your individual interest and do them at your own pace. I bet you find a few new options that you didn’t even know about. Many of these segments can easily fit within multiple categories but I’ll leave the additional searching up to you:

Urban Greenways

Cruise smooth greenway miles along three Little Sugar Creek Trail sections (South, Central, North), Marcia H. Cloninger Rail Trail, or Riverwalk: Piedmont Medical Center Trail

Uptown Charlotte views - Little Sugar Creek Greenway

Hikes

Bonus benefit if you are looking for a close by beer afterwards at the Blue Star Trail at Anne Spring Close Greenway, Baxter Village Trail, or Kings Mountain Gateway Trail

Suspension Bridge - Blue Star Trail at Anne Spring Close Greenway

Mountain Biking

Rip at Overmountain Victory Trail: Lake Whelchel Segment (my favorite segment throughout the entire system), Cane Creek Park Trail, or Twelve Mile Creek Trail.

Flowy trails for days - Overmountain Victory Trail: Lake Whelchel Segment

Paddling

Test out your paddling skills along sections of the South Fork River Blueway, Rocky River Blueway, or Catawba River Blueway (below Lake Wylie Dam)

Sunrise paddling - Rocky River Blueway

Rural Trails

Get off the grid and explore Murray’s Mill Trail, Gold Hill Rail Trail, or Forney Creek Trails (Catawba Springs Preserve Trail and Kathryn G. Clark Segment)

Still operational mill - Murray's Mill Trail

Canals dating back to 1820 - Landsford Canal Trail

For the Family (Kid-Friendly)

Watch the wonder in their eyes (and enjoy other attractions near these trails) at Goat Island Greenway, Baker’s Creek Greenway & 8th Street Greenway, or Dan Nicholas Park Trail.

Leisure stroll - Dan Nicholas Park Trail

Part of the National Park System - Kings Mtn. State Park Trail - National Recreational Trail

Entrance to the town of Love Valley - Love Valley Trail

Entrance to the town of Love Valley - Love Valley Trail

This list clearly only includes 27 of the 142 segments. There are plenty of options to choose from and plenty more to be discovered. That is the whole point, the diversity of the Carolina Thread Trail system is surprising to most and more importantly, it is available and accessible to everyone. After a little research on your own, all you have to do it get up, get out and get moving.

Maybe you’ll even join the super exclusive #ThreadHead club.

Happy Trails.