But the idea has lingered. It’s come to the fore of late with talk of creating a Trails Center on about 600 acres owned by the RDU Airport Authority between Lake Crabtree County Park and Umstead. If you aren’t familiar with the area, it is a mecca for local mountain bikers and runners. There’s about 35 miles of legal trail in the vicinity, perhaps twice that if you throw in the … unauthorized paths. A year ago, RDU commissioned a study suggesting this land — including some of the legal trail at Lake Crabtree — might be put to more economic use by housing offices, apartments, retail. The local outdoors community has responded with a proposal to instead create a Trails Center that, in the words of Wake County Commissioner Sig Hutchinson, could establish the Triangle as the Boulder of the East.

Boulder of the East: that’s selling short the area’s true potential.

Trails — and more

So far, the focus of this center has been on trail aimed at bikers, runners, hikers.

But the potential here is so much more. Take that canoe trip I didn’t take. Crabtree spends about an hour meandering through Umstead, a nearly pristine run through protected forest that includes old growth beech groves and bluffs of rhododendron and mountain laurel. After leaving the park to the east, at the Ebenezer Church Road boundary, the creek continues about 17 miles before feeding into the Neuse River. As many know because for 14.6 miles the creek is escorted by Raleigh greenway, it’s a diverse stretch: there’s some of the natural beauty found in Umstead, you can stop and shop at a mall (Crabtree Valley), you can lookie-loove the backyards of some of Inside the Beltline’s grand homes. There’s even a portage, at Lassiter Falls. Because of downfall strainers dropped over the years, Crabtree is only paddled as a lark, for quirky bragging rights.

And how about that greenway. On the Lake Crabtree end, trail connects with the Cary greenway system: Black Creek Greenway meets the White Oak Greenway in Bond Park, White Oak is just two short stretches shy of connecting with the American Tobacco Trail and a ride into downtown Durham. Heading east out of the park, there’s a short stretch of yet-to-be-built greenway before the Crabtree Creek Greenway picks up and begins its nearly 15-mile run to the Neuse. There, it meets with 32 miles of greenway running from the base of Falls dam to Clayton. A short distance downstream, you can ride up the 15-mile Walnut Creek Greenway and ride through N.C. State’s Centennial Campus to Lake Johnson.

In all, there’s some 200 miles of nearly connected trail, nearly all of which is paved (and what isn’t, in Umstead, is a crushed gravel surface friendly to most bikes).

Last summer I was at Umstead, waiting for a hiking group to show. A guy in running gear pulled up, hopped out, asked if I knew the trails. “I need to catch a plane in two hours,” he explained. “I’m looking for a 5-mile run.”

Ride, run, hike, paddle, climb …

It wasn’t the first time I’d fielded such a question from a visiting business type. For a runner traveling for work, you couldn’t ask for a better amenity than Umstead. Made me wonder how a traveling mountain biker might respond should there be a quick and easy bike rental option near the airport.

The triumvirate of Umstead, Lake Crabtree and RDU makes for an ideal recreation hub exceeding that of even the National Whitewater Center in Charlotte. Think about it: A Triangle Adventure Center that would:

• Rent canoes and kayaks, and provide shuttle service, for trips down Crabtree Creek, either to the edge of Umstead, to various spots in Raleigh, or to the Neuse. (Or on to New Bern.)
• Rent mountain bikes, do repairs, and offer guide service and skills training with access to 25 miles of single-track trail.
• Serve as a bike touring center for cyclists skittish in traffic but eager to ride long — of 100 miles or more.
• Serve as a hiking center to those interested in exploring the 20 miles (currently) of hiking trail in Umstead.
• Serve as a nexus for runners, perhaps offering training packages to distance runners eager to take advantage of Umstead’s natural surface trail.
• Attract folks who are into bouldering. (We’re not supposed to know this, but there’s a great outcrop on RDU land just up Crabtree Creek from Umstead.)
• And what the heck, let’s throw in a climbing wall, maybe convince our friends at the Triangle Rock Club to build their first outdoor climbing facility.

Recreation ready

Much of the recreational infrastructure is in place. Perhaps the biggest challenge would be making Crabtree Creek navigable: those strainers create habitat over time, and care would need to be taken not to disrupt the ecological balance.

The Triangle Adventure Center would be a great asset for local residents. Its proximity to RDU — its existence within RDU — would make it one of the top airport amenities in the world (and if you don’t think that means something, just ask any RDU board member). It would draw serious athletes for focused training as well as families looking for an adventure vacation with the amenities (shopping, food, culture, an actual bed to sleep in) of an urban area.

Rather than settle for being the Boulder of the East, let’s think big.

Let’s make Boulder the Triangle of the West.

The post The RDU Solution: Let’s think big appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

As of 9 a.m. on Friday, the prospects for cross-country skiing were grim in the Triangle: the nearly six inches of snow forecast the night before — the minimum amount creating a sufficient base on some trails — had taken more the form of ice, a surface good for little more than hockey and busting your keister. But hey, it’s still early in this weather event dubbed Jonas.

So we’ll go ahead and optimistically resurrect our list of places to cross-country ski in the Triangle. And we’ve updated it to include spots in the Triad and Charlotte, where the prospect for Nordic skiing were more promising. Again, this is an update of a piece that originally ran on Jan. 28, 2014, and can now be found on our cross-country skiing site on our home page.

It’s days like today that I pat myself on the back for a decision made 13 years ago.

I’d just finished a gorgeous day on the groomed trails at the White Grass ski touring center in West Virginia and was returning my rental equipment.
“How was it?” asked the ski rental guy.
“Incredible!” I oozed. “I can’t wait to go again.”
“You know,” he said, “Our rental skis are for sale.” At a price, it turned out, that was more than I could afford but too good to refuse. I’ve used them a dozen times since; I’m hoping to make it a baker’s dozen tomorrow.
As Winter Storm Leon (sheesh) makes its way up the coast, the prospects are good for cross-country conditions, from the Triangle into the coastal plain. As of this morning, parts of the Triangle were expected to get up to six inches of snow — with points east forecast to get 10 inches or more.
On the right kind of trail, six inches is all it takes to make or decent cross-country conditions. Where might one find the right kind of trail?
Glad you asked.

Natural surface trails

Because of the rocks and roots found on most trails in the Triangle, you need a substantial amount of snow — 10 inches minimum — to ski. There are some exceptions, however:

Umstead State Park
Raleigh
The 13 miles of bike and bridle trail here offer the perfect base for six-inch conditions. A finely crushed gravel, the surface is devoid of the rocks and roots common on most trails hereabouts, thus, fewer imperfections to cover up. If you’re not comfortable with downhills, pick up the trail via the neighborhood entrance off Old Reedy Creek Road from Lake Crabtree. There, you’ll find more than two miles of flat trail before the rollers begin.
More info here.

Duke Forest
Durham, Orange and Alamance counties.
The fire roads here aren’t quite as surface-friendly as at Umstead, but they’re close. And there are lots of ‘em: the seven individual tracts making up the forest contain 7,020 acres and are accessed via 45 entrances. Learn more about the forest and where you can find helpful maps, by going here.

Al Buehler Cross Country Trail
Durham.
The 3.1-mile Al Buehler Trail has a foot-friendly natural surface similar to that at Umstead. It’s also got some rollers, making for some nice downhill action and some heart-pumping climbs.
More info here.

American Tobacco Trail
Wake, Chatham and Durham counties
At 22 miles, the ATT offers the prospect of long, contemplative escapes. It’s surface is finely crushed stone and because it follows an abandoned rail line, the trail is great for beginners or folks who haven’t been on skis in a while.
More info here.

Greenways

They’re relatively flat, their surface is smooth and because they snake throughout the region, they are generally accessible without a lot of time spent on icy roads. Here are some of the larger greenway networks in the area, which a quick snapshot and where you can go for more information, including how to find the greenway nearest you. You can also find maps, directions and detailed information about local greenways on GetGoingNC’s Greenway Guide.

Cary. The Cary greenway system has more than 70 miles down, anchored by the Black Creek Greenway running from Bond Park to Lake Crabtree and the White Oak Greenway, running from Bond Park nearly to the American Tobacco Trail. More info here.

Chapel Hill. Seven greenways are sprinkled throughout town, perhaps the most popular is the 1.5-mile Bolin Creek Trail, which runs from the Chapel Hill Community Center west to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
More info here.

Durham. In addition to the northern end of the American Tobacco Trail, Durham has several other greenways suitable for skiing, including the Third Fork Greenway.
More info here.

Raleigh. The capital city’s Capital Area Greenway System now has more than 100 miles of greenway, the spine of which is the 28-mile Neuse River Greenway. Lots of good opportunity for Raleigh residents.
More info here.

Farther east

Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center, Four Oaks. Located just east of I-95, Howell Woods is in Leon’s sweetspot, with snowfall totals in the double digits possible. With 15 interconnected trails (the longest of which is just under a mile) navigating a variety of ecosystems, Howell Woods could be the nordic center of North Carolina in a few hours.
More info here.

Jones Lake State Park, Elizabethtown. Also in the storm’s sweetspot is Jones Lake State Park, which features a foot-and-ski-friendly 5-mile loop trail around its namesake lake. Gorgeous by foot, the trail should be especially fetching on skis.
More info here.

Smithfield. The 3.3-mile Buffalo Creek Greenway runs from downtown to the Smithfield Recreation & Aquatics Center. A good bet, with snowfall totals in Smithfield expected to eclipse the six-inch mark.
More info here.

Alas, if you’re intrigued but don’t have skis and wonder where you can rent them, the closest place — and only place in North Carolina — is the Pineloa Inn and Ski Shop in the mountains.

Triad

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The post Where to cross-country ski in urban North Carolina appeared first on GetGoing NC!.