Roger Snyder and Rock Creek Park Greenways

Albemarle has two rail-trails, both are worth a visit.

The paved Roger Snyder Greenway runs first north, then east, and finally south. It begins at the south end of Don Montgomery Park beside Little Long Creek and continues on a widened sidewalk up Main Street and along Salisbury Ave to the newest section, which starts at Salisbury Ave and follows the old Yadkin RR corridor south. The total length of the greenway is 1.4 miles. Parking is available at Don Montgomery Park, and within a few weeks (by mid-April 2011) parking will be available off Glenn Street as well. The newest trail section is currently surfaced with granite screenings and does not officially open until the summer, when it will also be paved, but walkers or cyclists are now welcome to use it as well. This section looks across a large tract of city-owned land on which sits the Wiscassett textile mill, abandoned about 10 years ago, and a warehouse building.

The Rock Creek Park Greenway (~1 mile) is just south of the city in Rock Creek Park. This trail also follows the Yadkin RR corridor. Part of the corridor is now the paved road entrance to the park (it is one mile from the park entrance to the end of the Rock Creek trail), but the trail proper is about 0.8 miles long, beginning at the south end of the road, and is marked with a gate. No bicycles are allowed. This unpaved trail follows Rock Creek. The trail has a pleasantly rural secluded feel with trees on either side, a field to the east and the creek on the west side (on a recent visit a blue heron was spied in the creek), but it also gets plenty of use.

Contact Toby Thorpe, Director, Albemarle Parks and Recreation 704 984 9654.