Wandering through Old Salem, from which Winston-Salem derives its second half, I was reminded that you needn’t drive deep into the country to enjoy fall color. I was reminded, too, that while the season is always better on foot — more time to linger and enjoy — you don’t necessarily need to walk an unpaved surface.
All that said, here’s a short slideshow from Old Salem and a list of five urban walks where you can get an eyeful of color in the next few days:
1. Old Salem, Winston-Salem. From north-to-south, Old Salem, the Moravian community dating back 250 years is a half mile long and three blocks wide. Toss in the graveyard and cemetery and you’ve got a good two-plus miles of streetwalking (so to speak). You’ve also got a lot of great color, with an emphasis on brilliant orange sugar maples.
Plan a visit by starting here.
2. Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Greensboro. Guildford Courthouse is known for vicious Revolutionary War battle fought here on March 15, 1781. Two and a half miles of trail — some paved, some a foot-friendly natural surface — take you to key battlefield sites as well as through a mature hardwood forest bright with fall color.
Plan a visit by starting here.
3. Bollin Creek Greenway, Chapel Hill. Chapel Hill is ripe with fall color, making just about anywhere you walk a delight in fall. Bollin Creek is a little extra special, in part, because like many greenways it follows a floodplain/drainage where older, grander trees are more prevalent.
Plan a visit by starting here.
4. Neuse River Trail, Raleigh. At 27.5 miles, the Neuse River Trail offers lots of paved parking through a riparian corridor, where trees have been spared from the development that dominates nearby. Short walks, long walks are all easily accommodated here.
Plan a visit by starting here.
5. McAlpine Creek/Campbell Creek greenways, Charlotte. This 4.1-mile path, most of which is paved, is centrally located yet offers a quick escape into a colorful, floodplain forest. Part of the Carolina Thread Trail.
Plan a visit by starting here.
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