The Little Sugar Creek Greenway is the longest continuous off-road trail in the Charlotte area. The mostly paved multi-use trail runs for nearly 16 miles, from the NoDa district south to the South Carolina State line. Inspired by the San Antonio River Walk, the Greenway runs along Sugar Creek most of the way, passing through several parks. Since most runners won’t do the whole trail at one time, we’ve divided it into a few sections, headed south.

North Section: Brevard St. to Freedom Park, Miles 1-5. First 1.3 miles is nice, passing through several parks. Then a section around the I-277/SR-84 highway tangle [note: improvements underway around Atrium Health].  The 1-mile section through Freedom Park is lovely. Add with 1 km loops around the lake.

Mid-Section: Freedom Park to Park Road Park. Miles 5-8. Mix of open & wooded, residential & industrial. Nice add-on paths at Park Road Park, including short loop around Duck Pond. Most runners won’t do this whole triA good way to explore Charlotte on this ~3 mile multi-use path that goes through several parks and residential areas. This greenway, completed in 2012, was inspired in part by the San Antonio Riverwalk. A full out and back is 5.6 miles, including a lovely loop around the lake at Freedom Park

Southern Section: Park Road Park to Lakeview Park (South Carolina Line). Miles 8-16.  Path winds along the stream, mainly residential. A not as scenic 1-2 mile section around I-486 in Pineville.

Add-Ons: Booty Loop, which can incorporate Freedom Park