A family 5K can be enchanting for the kids.

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, sponsored by the American Heart Association and William J. Clinton Foundation and dedicated to battling childhood obesity, has issued eight ways families can get fit together. We list those eight ways below and go one step further, suggesting specific ways you can make this happen NOW! Meaning this week now.

• Take a walk. Stroll together after a family meal or walk around the mall when it's cold or raining. Just walking in your neighborhood is great exercise; as we mentioned yesterday, living in North Carolina means your neighborhood may be a little more interesting than you think. And if your kids think walking is boring, bring along some props to liven things up. When our kids were smaller, we’d often set out for a neighborhood “walk” with skateboards, rollerblades, a Ripstik and a Trikke, swapping toys along the way.
• Choose an outing. Spend a weekend afternoon going to a pool, skating rink or basketball court. Right now, with winterlike temperatures, a good bet in this part of the country is a visit to your local North Carolina State Park. At Crowders Mountain near Charlotte, for instance, you can scramble about at The Boulders access area. In Wilmington there’s Carolina Beach, where there’s a unique collection of carnivorous plants. The Triangle has miles of hiking at Eno River and Umstead, while the Triad has great views from atop Pilot Mountain and Hanging Rock.
• Take breaks. Try to fit in 10 to 15 minutes of rigorous physical activity several times a day. At our house, we call it, “Hey kids, let’s go play in the street!” time. We live at the end of a cul de sac, the perfect arena for kickball and Whiffleball and, more often, a combination of the two.
• Team up. Have the family sign up for a group run, walk or car wash. You don’t have to run a 5K, you just need to finish it. And even if you don’t think you can walk 3.1 miles, odds are that once you get caught up in the pomp, pagentry and comradery of a typical 5K, the miles will pass before you know it. Upcoming 5Ks around the state (we’ll give you a couple weeks of training to get ready): 4th Annual Sweetheart 5K and 1-Mile Family Fun Run, Rocky Mount, Feb. 4; 32nd Annual Run for the Roses, Raleigh, Feb. 11, Frostbike 5K, 10K and 1-Mile Family Fun Run, Hendersonville, Feb. 19, St. Leo’s School 5K, Winston-Salem, March 17, Winter Classic 8K and Kids Run, Charlotte, January 28.
• Limit TV. Select which shows kids will watch ahead of time and limit screen time to just those programs. A good first step: No screens in your kids’ rooms.
• Join a club. Buy a family membership to a town recreation center, YMCA or health club. Better yet, join a family-fitness-oriented Meetup group. And if you can’t find one in your area, start one. Start the process here.
• Learn something new. Have family members take a lesson in an activity, such as martial arts, fencing or gymnastics. Opportunities abound at your local parks and rec department. In Raleigh, for instance, you can learn the above as well as how to scale a mountain or right a flipped kayak, among a myriad of other things. Track down your local parks and rec department here.
• Chores count. Working together around the house or in the yard is another way families can stay active. Yes, kids, it’s true: Working around the house can be good for you. And parents, you can use this as an alternative if the kids balk at taking a hike or a Whiffleball break.

Scrub the toilet vs. playing kickball? We’re guessing you won’t have a problem.

* * *

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Of course, being realists we acknowledged that finding 30 minutes a day might not be feasible during the typically hectic holidays. From a practical standpoint, we asked what you could reasonably commit to. Every other day? Three days during the week and once on the weekend? What’s a realistic commitment for you?

The majority of you, 60 percent, thought you could commit to walking two to four times a week, 20 percent said five or six days was realistic while another 20 percent said no to compromise, we’re walking every day!

We also asked about your favorite places to walk. Citing the convenience factor, many of you mentioned your neighborhood. But everyone mentioned a destination. Here are the top five:

Lake Lynn
Raleigh
Distance: 2.8 miles
Surface: Paved.
Access: Lake Lynn Road, just east of Leesville Road; Lake Lynn Community Center; Ray Road between Lauren Mountain and Knebworth.
Description: Trail circles Lake Lynn. Backs up to several neighborhoods, occasional passages through natural areas. Flat.
Comment: “ ... close enough and a pretty change of scenery.”

Taking a walk on the wild side of Lake Johnson (there are actual bridges, btw).

Lake Johnson
Raleigh
Distance: 3.5 miles paved, 2.1 miles natural surface. Connects with 1.1-mi. Upper Walnut Creek Trail.
Surface: See above.
Access: Main parking at boathouse off Avent Ferry Road near I-440; secondary parking lot 200 yards south on Avent Ferry.
Description: Paved trail circles Lake Johnson east of Avent Ferry Road, natural surface trail rims lake west of Avent Ferry. South side of paved Lake Johnson trail has short but steep hills. (If you missed it, here's last week's 90 Second Escape to Lake Johnson.)
Comment: “Good hills on the far side of the lake.”

Durant Nature Park
Raleigh
Distance: 5 miles
Surface: Natural
Access: North: Camp Durant Road, off Durant Road; South: Off Gresham Lake Road.
Description: As the Raleigh P&R web site says, “Hike along a stream, through hardwood and pine forests, past wildflowers and ferns, through wetlands and alongside two lakes.” All in just 237 acres.
Comment: “Up and down hills, lots of wildlife, fun to sneak up on the deer.”

Al Buehler Cross CountryTrail
Durham
Distance: 2.9 miles (main loop)
Surface: Natural
Access: Two main access points off Cameron Boulevard.
Description: Extremely popular Durham trail, especially with runners.
Comment: “It’s a bit hilly but not terrible, I can do it in under an hour (so it doesn't involve setting aside half a day), and it's scenic.”

Falls Lake Trail runs 60 miles through the Triangle.

Falls Lake Trail
Wake and Durham counties
Distance: 60 miles
Surface: Natural
Access: Various points along the trail. Visit the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail at www.ncmst.org for locations.
Description: Trail runs from Falls dam in north Raleigh to Pennys Bend Nature Preserve in Durham County. Long trail running through an urban area, while giving few hints that it’s in an urban area, is a rarity.
Comment: “Accessible from our neighborhood.” Convenience is nice; it’s still a great trail!

* * *

Come back tomorrow when we'll ask you about walking’s more adventurous cousin, hiking.

Finding your favorite five

View Five Favorite Walks in a larger map

If you’re looking for a time of year that’s hardest on your body, you’d be hard-pressed to beat the one that kicked off with pants-unbuckling Thanksgiving and ends with a cold pack on your head New Year’s Day. Think about the damage alone done by the one-two punch of Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

Thanksgiving: overeating. Estimates place the typical holiday meal at 3,000-plus calories, or closing in on twice the recommended daily calorie intake for the average person. And that’s just for the main meal; in the case of Thanksgiving you can nearly double that amount if you throw in the follow-up leftover meals that will be consumed by day’s end.

Black Friday: stress. First, there’s the business of consuming nearly 6,000 calories on Thanksgiving, then heading out at midnight to elbow your way to the $2 waffle irons table. Add to that your wacko fellow shoppers — a female shopper at a California Walmart used pepper spray to keep her competitors at bay — and you’ve pretty much taken 10 years off your life with those two days alone. And the bulk of the holiday season remains.

You want a truly happy holidays, or at least a holiday season that won’t do you in? Then you need to do something that helps you deal with both overeating and stress. Lucky for you that some thing is one thing:

Going for a walk.

Walking is the nation’s most popular form of exercise. According to the National Sporting Goods Association, 95.8 million Americans walked for exercise in 2010 (exercising with equipment was a distant second, with 55.3 million participants). There’s good reason for this: most people can walk, it doesn’t require special equipment, you can do it spontaneously, out your front door, so it can be done quickly.

There’s more reasons to walk. According to the Mayo Clinic, walking can:

• Lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol)
• Raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol)
• Lower your blood pressure
• Reduce your risk of or manage type 2 diabetes
• Manage your weight
• Improve your mood
• Keep you strong and fit

Walking isn’t a magic bullet. It won’t completely diffuse the stress of the holidays; but it will take the edges off and make the season more manageable. And it won’t exactly act as a cross to that batch of Christmas fudge your vampire coworkers bring in, but it will help in keeping the damage to a minimum. And, truly, a half hour at lunch, after work or at some point during the day can make a huge difference.

That said, are you ready to commit to a daily walk? And if not daily, then what is a realistic goal? Take our survey and we’ll report back in a week or so with the results. And take a minute to tell us your favorite place to walk. It could serve as inspiration to others.

* * *

Monday — never an easy time for the outdoors enthusiast. After a weekend of adventure, returning to the humdrum work-a-day world can make one melancholy. To help ease the transition, every Monday we feature a 90 Second Escape — essentially, a 90-second video of a place you’d probably rather be: a trail, a park, a greenway, a lake … anywhere as long as it’s not under a fluorescent bulb.

Today’s 90-Second Escape: Walking Lake Johnson.

Walking is our favorite form of outdoor exercise, and in the Triangle one of our favorite places to walk is Lake Johnson Park in Raleigh. Nearly two miles of natural surface trail on the lake’s west side offers great exploring for the more adventurous, but it’s the three-mile loop of paved greenway that rims the lake that is Lake Johnson’s chief draw. Runners, walkers, seniors, toddlers, athletes-in-training, casual strollers — Lake Johnson is home for them all. Talk a walk around the lake with us and see if there’s not something here for you.

Coast

In our quest to find not-as-demanding active benefit events (see Tuesday’s Tour de Toys post), we bring you Saturday’s Jingle Bell Walk in Pine Knoll Shores. This two-mile walk through the Beacon’s Reach area of Pine Knoll Shores is sponsored by St. Francis by the Sea and benefits the Boys & Girls Clubs of Coastal Carolina. The walk begins at 9 a.m. from the Beacon’s Reach Management Association Building on Sunny Shores Drive off NC 58. $25 for adults, $10 ages 13-16, kids under 12 are free. More info here.

Piedmont

Haw hail the turkey! That’s what they’ll be doing Friday at Haw River State Park north of Greensboro. First, there will be some frank talk about turkeys, including why Ben Franklin lobbied hard for the wild turkey, not the bald eagle, to be our national bird. Then they’ll hit the trail in search of turkey tracks and sign. Starts at 1:30, from the main lodge. Info about the park, including directions, here.

Looking south into the Davidson River area from the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Mountains

The Davidson River area of the Pisgah National Forest often gets overlooked in favor of its more well-known neighbors to the north: the Middle Prong and Shining Rock wildernesses and Mount Pisgah. Get to know this lesser-known area a little better this Saturday on a 9-mile hike by the Carolina Mountain Club. It’s the CMC’s Butter Gap Loop Hike, which will “follow parts of the Cat Gap Loop, ALT, and all of the Butter Gap trail through the beautiful Grogan Creek watershed to Picklesheimer Fields.” The hike will depart from the Pisgah Fish Hatchery at 9:40 a.m. To reserve a spot contact hike leaders Les & Catherine Love at 828.658.1458, lesrlove@charter.net. For more on the route, go here.

* * *

Those are GGNC’s thoughts for an active weekend. Find out other ways you can get out this weekend by browsing our super calendar, a collection of events calendars from throughout the state, below.

Coast

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

Crystal Cost Tourism Authority
Comprehensive calendar focusing on the Crystal Coast. Good source for programs offered by N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Lookout National Park, N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve and other costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

Blue Ridge Outdoors
Searchable calendar lets you extend your reach to events throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast (or you can just limit it to North Carolina). Also lets you search a boatload of categories, ranging from Hiking, Mountain Biking and Climbing to Trail Running, Triathlon and Road Walking.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Todd’s Calendar

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triad

GoTriad.com
Comprehensive calendar includes a Sports & Recreation category.

Piedmont Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triangle

Triangle.com
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including: Birding, Boating, Cycling, Nature, Rec & Wellness, Recreation, Running, Swimming, Tennis, Yoga.

Carolina Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Statewide

Office of Environmental Education
One calendar for the numerous Environmental Education Centers statewide.

North Carolina State Parks
Lets you search for programs at the state’s parks, recreation areas and natural areas by location, by month, by topic. To reach the calendar from the home page, click on “Education,” then “Fun & Free Programs at Parks.”

National Forests in North Carolina
From the home page, click on Carolina Connections for news updates on the state’s four national forests as well as hints on recreational opportunities and a detailed rundown of recreation areas and the amenities at each.

Coast

Thought your triathlon season was over? How about one last event — this Saturday’s Emerald Isle Triathlon. This is a slightly longer sprint distance tri: 750 meter swim in the Atlantic, 19.3k out-and-back bike ride along NC 58, 5k run along Ocean Drive. Flat, fast coastal race — with the buoyant ocean to lend a hand. 8 a.m. More info here.

Purple aster

Piedmont

When we explore the woods this time of year our natural tendency is to look skyward in search of color. Sunday’s ranger-lead hike at Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve will have you looking down at fall’s often-overlooked color display. The Fall Wildflower Hike begins at 3 p.m. and is free. Meet at the Visitor Center; more info here.

Look for a kid with a blanket at the Great Pumpkin Mountain Challenge.

Mountains

Linus may have waited in vain for the Great Pumpkin, but the wait has ended for the Great Pumpkin Mountain Challenge. Saturday at 9 a.m., help raise money to feed the hungry on a foot-based — hike, walk, run, your choice — excursion through Florence Nature Preserve in the mountains near Fairview. Event raises funds for The Lord’s Acre, Fairview’s Garden for Hunger. Your options for the day: 10k run up the south slope of Tater Knob, guided hike through the preserve, guided walk to (and into) historic Sherrill’s Inn. Every finisher gets a pumpkin! $15, $25 for couples and families. More info here.

* * *

Those are GGNC’s thoughts for an active weekend. Find out other ways you can get out this weekend by browsing our super calendar, a collection of events calendars from throughout the state, below.

Coast

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

Crystal Cost Tourism Authority
Comprehensive calendar focusing on the Crystal Coast. Good source for programs offered by N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Lookout National Park, N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve and other costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

Blue Ridge Outdoors
Searchable calendar lets you extend your reach to events throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast (or you can just limit it to North Carolina). Also lets you search a boatload of categories, ranging from Hiking, Mountain Biking and Climbing to Trail Running, Triathlon and Road Walking.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Todd’s Calendar

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triad

GoTriad.com
Comprehensive calendar includes a Sports & Recreation category.

Piedmont Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triangle

Triangle.com
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including: Birding, Boating, Cycling, Nature, Rec & Wellness, Recreation, Running, Swimming, Tennis, Yoga.

Carolina Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Statewide

Office of Environmental Education
One calendar for the numerous Environmental Education Centers statewide.

North Carolina State Parks
Lets you search for programs at the state’s parks, recreation areas and natural areas by location, by month, by topic. To reach the calendar from the home page, click on “Education,” then “Fun & Free Programs at Parks.”

National Forests in North Carolina
From the home page, click on Carolina Connections for news updates on the state’s four national forests as well as hints on recreational opportunities and a detailed rundown of recreation areas and the amenities at each.

Start the weekend with a Friday evening paddle at Jordan Lake.

The headline says it all. Without further adieu ... .

Coast

Last year we drove through Elizabeth City on the way to New Jersey. We stopped, walked around for about an hour, wished we had more time. We vowed to look for a reason to return, a reason such as this Saturday, when there’s not one, but two walks, both of which provide an opportunity to explore Elizabeth City, stretch your legs and help a good cause.

The Great Strides 4th Annual Walk for a Cure for Cystic Fibrosis is billed as a “leisurely” 2-mile walk at Charles Creek Park. The leisurely is underscored by the fact the walk is from 9 a.m. until noon. The incentive is underscored by the fact there’s free locally handmade pizza for lunch. Call 252-340-5425 or email curecf4reilly@hotmail.com for more information.

Meanwhile, down at Waterfront Park, the Waterway 5K Run/Walk will take walkers — and runners, if you so choose to be — down Rivershore Road to River Road and back. Registration begins at 6:30 a.m., the 5K at 8 a.m. (there’s also a 10K, which also goes at 8 a.m.) $25 for the 5K, $35 for the 10K. More info here.

Piedmont

We don’t often get to invoke the, The-Weekend-Technically-Begins-Friday-at-5 Rule, but we do this weekend.

Start your weekend off Friday evening at Jordan Lake paddling “the sub impoundment” — a k a Weaver Creek — off Beaver Creek Road / SR 1008, three miles south of U.S. 64 (just past Pea Ridge Road). Ranger Steve McMurray leads this paddle, which should take in a fair amount of wildlife including, if you’re lucky, bald eagles. Bring your own binos; all paddling gear is provided (though if you’ve got your own canoe/kayak, you’re welcome to bring it). Paddle begins at 6 p.m. and will run until 8 p.m.

More info: Call Ranger McMurray at 919.362.0586, ext 244, or email him at steve.mcmurray@ncdenr.gov It’s free, but preregistration is requested.

How good is the view atop Mount Jefferson? Slaves could see freedom from its summit.

Mountains

It’s a two-fer this weekend as well at Mount Jefferson State Natural Area near the twin cities of Jefferson/West Jefferson.

Saturday, there’s an Underground Railroad Hike exploring the role Mount Jefferson played in helping slaves escape to the north in the 1800s. That program starts at 2 p.m. at the picnic area.

At 2 p.m. Sunday, at the 2nd Overlook, there’s a Vista Viewing program. Check out three states “while learning the oral tradition associated with Mount Jefferson and its surrounding mountains.”

Both programs are free. Go here for more info.

* * *

Those are GGNC’s thoughts for an active weekend. Find out other ways you can get out this weekend by browsing our super calendar, a collection of events calendars from throughout the state, below.

Coast

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

Crystal Cost Tourism Authority
Comprehensive calendar focusing on the Crystal Coast. Good source for programs offered by N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Lookout National Park, N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve and other costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

Blue Ridge Outdoors
Searchable calendar lets you extend your reach to events throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast (or you can just limit it to North Carolina). Also lets you search a boatload of categories, ranging from Hiking, Mountain Biking and Climbing to Trail Running, Triathlon and Road Walking.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Todd’s Calendar

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triad

GoTriad.com
Comprehensive calendar includes a Sports & Recreation category.

Piedmont Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triangle

Triangle.com
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including: Birding, Boating, Cycling, Nature, Rec & Wellness, Recreation, Running, Swimming, Tennis, Yoga.

Carolina Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Statewide

Office of Environmental Education
One calendar for the numerous Environmental Education Centers statewide.

North Carolina State Parks
Lets you search for programs at the state’s parks, recreation areas and natural areas by location, by month, by topic. To reach the calendar from the home page, click on “Education,” then “Fun & Free Programs at Parks.”

National Forests in North Carolina
From the home page, click on Carolina Connections for news updates on the state’s four national forests as well as hints on recreational opportunities and a detailed rundown of recreation areas and the amenities at each.

Then the Triangle Greenways Council came up with the Circle the Triangle Trail concept.  Circle the Triangle basically called for linking these disparate stretches of trail to create a trail network linking the Triangle’s various communities. Roughly 15 years later, the Triangle has more than 180 miles of greenway comprising a system — a true system — where it will soon be possible to, for instance, ride a bike from Clayton in Johnston County to Raleigh, to Umstead State Park, to Cary, to Chatham County and on to downtown Durham. Amazing what a little focus can accomplish.

In 2005, the Charlotte area found itself where the Triangle was 15 years earlier, with a mile or so of greenway here and there. Wouldn’t it be great, 40 or so regional leaders brought together by the Foundation For The Carolinas thought, if we could have an extensive network of trails — paved, natural surface, wet — linking communities in 15 counties representing 2.3 million people? A “green interstate system,” as it were? Two years later, in 2007, the Charlotte area’s version of Circle the Triangle was launched.

The Carolina Thread Trail, “rooted in a region with a rich heritage of weaving fabric,” is the region’s carrot for developing a secondary, non-motorized transportation network. It’s an aggressive effort that has since raised $16.8 million in cash donations, $3.77 million in land donations and $17.8 million in committed public funds. It’s goal: blaze at least 1,200 miles of trail to link its communities. (“At least” 1,200 miles, says Amanda Anderson, CTC’s grants and volunteer coordinator, because that’s how many miles are covered in the trail master plans approved by 12 of the 15 Thread counties. The total will grow when the remaining three counties adopt their master plans.)

Most of those 1,200-plus miles of trail will be built by local municipalities, counties, parks & recs — the various public agencies that typically do such things. The Carolina Thread Trail brings two crucial elements to the table.  One, that most crucial of elements, money to build the trails. To complete the Thread Trail will require an estimated $150 million. By serving as coordinator/cheerleader, the CTT has been able to attract significant financial support: chipping in $1 million or more are The Bank of America Foundation, C. D. Spangler Foundation  Duke Energy The Duke Energy Foundation, Foundation For The Carolinas, John S. & James L. Knight Foundation, Turner Family Foundation, The Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation and the Clean Water Management Trust Fund.

One goal of the Carolina Thread Trail: Increase the need for directional signs on a growing greenway network.

Significantly, too, the Carolina Thread Trail brings a sense of unified vision to trail efforts in the 15 member counties. In the Triangle in the mid-1990s, Circle The Triangle prompted local greenway and trail planners to take note of what their neighbors were doing. That  focused efforts that helped one municipality’s 5-mile trail become part of a much larger network. In Raleigh, for example, where it is now possible to hop on a greenway in the southeast part of town, ride up through the N.C. State and Meredith College campuses, continue on to Umstead State Park, ride through the park to Cary’s Black Creek Greenway, which hooks up with the town’s White Oak Creek Greenway, which — with a brief road connection — links to the American Tobacco Trail into Chatham County and Durham — a roughly 50-mile ride through six jurisdictions.

“We have two community coordinators who work with the counties to keep track of what’s going on,” says Anderson of the CTT’s effort to make similar connections. “They know each county and what’s expected to come on line in the near future.”

Anderson says the Carolina Thread Trail plans to launch construction of 2 miles of trail at Long Creek in October, and that the entire network should grow by 10 to 12 miles by February, putting it near the 90-mile mark.

A backhanded positive of this growth: No printed trail map exists for the Carolina Thread Trail.

“By the time we’d put one out,” says Anderson, “it would be out-of-date.”

For now, you can find a quick rundown — including name, location, length and suitable recreational activities — of the 26 trails in the Carolina Thread Trail network below. You can find additional details on each property at the Carolina Thread Trail site.

* * *

Current members of the Carolina Thread Trail

Baxter Village Trail
Fort Mill, S.C.
2.25 miles
Natural surface
Mountain biking, running, walking

Bakers Creek Greenway
Kannapolis
2.0 miles
Paved
Walking, running, paved surface bicycling, rollerblading, skateboarding

Blue Star Trail
Fort Mill, S.C.
1.0 miles
Natural surface/gravel
Hiking, walking

Broad River Greenway
Shelby
3.0 miles (adjoining 17 additional miles)
Natural surface
Walking, running, biking, horseback riding, fishing, canoeing

Catawba Creek Greenway
Gastonia
1.8 miles
Paved
Walking, running, paved surface biking, skateboarding

Catawba River Greenway at Tuckaseege Park
Mt. Holly
1.0 mile
Paved
Walking, running, paved surface bicycling, rollerblading, skateboarding, fishing

Highland Rail Trail
Gastonia
1.5 miles
Paved
Walking, running, paved surface bicycling, rollerblading, skateboarding

Irwin Creek/Stewart Creek Greenway
Charlotte
2.1 miles
Paved/gravel mix
Walking, jogging, biking

Kings Mountain Gateway Trail
Kings Mountain
2.26 miles
Paved/gravel mix
Walking, running, biking, rollerblading, skateboarding

Landsford Canal
Chester, S.C.
0.75 miles
Crush-and-run gravel
Paddling, running, walking

Little Sugar Creek Greenway
Charlotte

— Cordelia Park to Alexander Street Park
0.7 miles
Asphalt/sidewalk
Walking, running, biking

— Freedom Park (Morehead Street to Brandywine/Westfield Road)
2.6 miles
Paved
Skateboarding, running

— Huntingtowne Park
0.8 miles
Paved
Skateboarding, running

— Morehead Street to Brandywine/Westfield Road
2.2 miles
Paved
Walking, running, paved surface bicycling, rollerblading, skateboarding

Lower McAlpine Creek/Campbell Creek
Charlotte
4.1 miles
Paved
Walking, running, biking
Detailed information also at GetGoingNC.com

Mallard Creek/Toby Creek Greenway
Charlotte
8.5 miles
Paved
Walking, running, paved bicycling, skateboarding
Detailed information also at GetGoingNC.com

Manchester Meadows Trail
Rock Hill, S.C.
1.1 mi.
Paved
Walking, running, biking

Marcia H. Cloninger Rail-Trail
Lincolnton
1.1 mi.
Paved
Walking, running, paved surface biking

McDowell Creek Greenway
Huntersville
1.5 mi.
Paved
Walking, jogging, biking

McEachern Greenway
Concord
1.42 mi.
Paved
Walking, running, biking, dog walking
Rollerblading, skateboarding

Nation Ford Greenway /Springfield Section
Fort Mill/York, S.C.
2.1 mi.
Natural surface single track
Mountain biking, running, walking

Riverside Greenway
Cramerton
1.2 mi.
Paved
Walking, running, paved surface bicycling, paddling, fishing

Rocky Creek Trail
Great Falls, S.C.
2.4 mi.
Natural/gravel
Walking, running, biking, paddling

Southeast Greenway
Davidson
2.3 mi.
Paved
Walking, running, biking, skateboarding, rollerblading

Spencer Mountain/R.Y. McAden blueway
Spencer Mountain
5.5 mi.
River
Paddling

Torrence Creek Greenway
Huntersville
0.8 mi.
Paved
Walking, running, biking,

Wylie Walking and Biking Trail
Chester, S.C.
1.0 mi.
Paved
Walking, running, paved surface bicycling

Monday — never an easy time for the outdoors enthusiast, especially come summer. After a weekend of adventure, returning to the humdrum work-a-day world can make one melancholy. 
To help ease this trying transition, we’re running a new feature every Monday, at least during the summer, called 90 Second Escape. Essentially, it’s a 90-second video of a place you’d probably rather be: a trail, a park, a greenway, a lake … anywhere as long as it’s in the sun.

Today’s 90-Second Escape: Exploring the first 8 miles of Raleigh's Neuse River Greenway.

Friday, we updated you on the first 8-mile stretch of the Neuse River Greenway. Today, we take you for a ride.

Depending upon how adventurous you are, the first 8-mile installment of the Neuse River Greenway is open.

Based on a scouting expedition yesterday, roughly 7.9 miles of the Raleigh greenway, which eventually will run the length of the Neuse in Wake County, are finished. That tenth of a mile that’s not technically opened is over two short stretches. The first comes 2.6 miles from the northern trailhead at Falls of Neuse Road just below Falls Dam. There, a boardwalk is under construction: the footings and supports are in, the decking being screwed down. Although the area beneath appeared wet, tracks to the side of the structure suggested it had been bypassed by cyclists and travelers afoot.

An eighth of a mile farther south, a stretch under Capital Boulevard was also under construction. Heavy equipment, which was busy at work, made passage impossible.

A 50-yard stretch of the greenway under the new Falls of Neuse Road bridge is yet to be finished as well, pending completion of the above bridge, but is passible.

Thus, if you want a sneak peek of the new greenway this weekend without having to dodge construction, your best bets are the 2.6-mile stretch from the northern trailhead south and the 3.1-mile stretch north from the southern trailhead at the WRAL/CASL soccer complex off Perry Creek Road between Capital Boulevard and U.S. 401.

The southern end of the trail is especially unique for Triangle greenway, with isolated stretches through mature bottomland hardwoods. A nice treat comes midway on that stretch at an area marked as “River Access.” A short spur leads to a bench overlooking a bend in the river; below is a small, partially shaded sand beach dissolving into an especially clear stretch of the Neuse.

Overall, this down payment on the Neuse River Greenway promises the best long-distance romp on paved greenway in the Triangle. The trail is well marked: at the various neighborhood spurs, as well as the intersection with Abbotts Creek Trail, “street” signs make it clear which way to go. It’s got nice flow: It avoids the constant and often gratuitous swerves that are a trademark of older greenways in favor of trail that better works with the landscape. And it goes on and on and on: you’ll never have to deal with traffic.

Eventually, the Neuse River Greenway will go 28 miles, from Falls Dam to the Johnston County line. (And when it reaches Johnston County, it will meet five more miles of downstream greenway now under construction.) The entire trail is expected to be finished in 2013.

Easiest access at this point: The expanded and paved canoe access below Falls dam off Falls of Neuse Road (beware: the turn-in, just downstream of the old Falls of Neuse bridge, isn’t marked yet and traffic can be heavy), and at the WRAL/CASL soccer complex off Perry Creek Road between Capital Boulevard and U.S. 401 (trailhead is off the gravel lot near the fields closest to the river). Use the accompanying map for reference.

Come back to GetGoingNC.com Monday when we’ll take you on a 90 Second Escape video tour down the southern section of the new greenway.

View Upper Neuse River Greenway (Phase I) in a larger map