This article appeared in the March 20, 2021, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with original local news. Sign up today.

by Amber Veverka

Mecklenburg County greenways, parks and nature preserves have never seen so many of us. Record numbers have turned to the solace of the natural world to relieve stress and stretch horizons in a virus-cramped existence. In just the county’s nature preserves alone, some monthly visitation jumped almost 30% since the pandemic.

But it’s not easy to cultivate calm when you’re dodging so many other peace-seekers — and their bikes and Goldendoodles — on a crowded path. (Yep, we’re talking about you, Four Mile Creek Greenway at Rea Road.)

Instead, try these eight trails. They’re quiet enough that you can hear the trill of chorus frogs, the “keer keer” cries of red-shouldered hawks and yes, even the thoughts in your own head.

1. Stevens Creek Nature Preserve. This is the area’s newest nature preserve — so new that on a recent weekend, the property had few other visitors. Expect to get your feet wet as some parts of trails are still under construction. You can combine several trails to make a nearly 3-mile loop. Along the way, admire the stands of stately silvery beech, which keep last season’s copper leaves all winter long. We can all be grateful this nature oasis was preserved. Located at 15700 Thompson Road, Mint Hill.
2. West Branch Nature Preserve. Davidson residents know this spot, but not many others venture here. Park at 18150 Shearer Road and walk a short section of the West Branch Rocky River Greenway  — see if you can spot the stands of pawpaw trees — until you get to the preserve’s edge. The forest trail takes you to an overlook above what Mecklenburg County says may be its most ecologically important wetland. On a warming day, the frogs will be loud enough to drown out conversation. A good spot to spend your next workplace Zoom call?
3. Irwin Creek and Stewart Creek Greenways. Winding through Wesley Heights and other neighborhoods near uptown Charlotte, these urban walkways are lightly used. Irwin Creek, like the other creeks of our heavily urbanized landscape, has a complicated history. Today it provides a welcoming corridor for green ash, tulip poplar and nesting birds. The greenway paths are well-maintained and peaceful.
4. Evergreen Nature Preserve. Flanked by Winterfield Elementary, Eastway Middle School and Evergreen Cemetery, this 77-acre woods is an island of peace on Charlotte’s east side. While the woods itself is a little scruffy with invasive English ivy, the trails are lovely, with one paved loop section that’s accessible for wheelchairs and strollers. Did anyone at your house pick up birding as a pandemic hobby? Evergreen is known as a birding hotspot in the spring. There’s a very clean restroom at the preserve entrance, across from Eastway Middle School, 1336 Norland Road.
5. RibbonWalk Nature Preserve. Located at 4601 Nevin Road in Charlotte, this walk takes you past active beaver ponds and designated “treasure trees” — some of the county’s largest American beeches. On a budget that has fallen well behind demand, Mecklenburg Park & Recreation has still managed to upgrade the trails and install helpful signs. You’ll park near the road and walk a graveled path to the trailhead — the county moved the parking lot closer to the street a few years ago for greater visibility. RibbonWalk was underused for many years, to the point that it sometimes felt unsafe to be there. That’s changed. On a recent Saturday, the lot was full, and families and their leashed dogs were out in good numbers. But don’t worry — there are enough trails in this 187-acre preserve that you can walk even on a Saturday and feel you have the place to yourself.
6. Twelve Mile Creek Greenway, Waxhaw segment. Want your early-morning stroll to touch two states? You’ve got it at this little-known gem if you’re willing to drive a bit out of Charlotte. Park at 1304 H.C. Nesbit Park Road, Waxhaw. Near the trail’s start, it splits into a Y. The left path is a paved section that skirts the Millbridge neighborhood and is nice for a short stroll. The right trail takes you onto the greenway, which winds 7.4 miles through forest, sometimes perched above a ravine of mature tulip poplar, red oak and beech. At the North Carolina-South Carolina state line, the trail crosses a graceful suspension bridge. Bikers are able to use this trail. The trail is very narrow in places overlooking a steep ravine drop-off, so meeting others could be a squeeze. Your dog, like our collies, might be a bit nervous about the swaying bridge, but it’s undeniably cool.
7. Campbell Creek Greenway. Many people walk the trails in southeast Charlotte’s McAlpine Park, but not nearly as many continue along the Upper McAlpine Creek Greenway to where it hits Campbell Creek Greenway. Park at 2116 Margaret Wallace Road and be sure to check out the ruins of the Lucas family grist mill, built in the early 20th century to harness the creek’s power. In the spring, wildflowers abound alongside this trail, which takes you under Independence Boulevard. Learn about the mill’s history and the ecological importance of this area.
8. Southwest District Park. Not far from Charlotte Douglas Airport at 1720 Vilma St., this park is situated next to the Southview Recreation Center and features short loop trails that bracelet a woodland. Warning: You may be dodging mountain bikers here. However, bikers are told not to ride the trails when they’re wet as it can cause erosion, so consider this as a drizzly-day walking escape. This brings up a key tip for achieving alone time during the pandemic: Weather equals space. Over the last year, premier hikes throughout the Carolinas have been so overused that trash, crowds and yes, even human waste on the ground have hurt the experience — and the landscape. If you’re willing to win your solitude at the price of short-term discomfort, your rainy or cold-weather walk will be rewarded. Leave a thermos of something hot in the car for afterward, throw on your rain gear and pretend you’re British.

A few final tips:

• Mecklenburg County has created a mobile-friendly mapping app that shows you most area parks and nature trails (some in the southwest part of the county still to be added).
• As a reminder, the county advises people to walk with a friend for safety and to socially distance even outdoors.
• Dogs must be leashed and please, for everyone’s sake, pick up your dog’s waste and throw it in a trash can. Biodegradable dog-waste bags sitting alongside the trail do not help the environment. Pet waste is a known major source of E. coli in nearly all Mecklenburg creeks.
• Last, if you love your nature preserves, greenways and parks, please tell your county commissioner. It can make a real difference come budget time.

Amber Veverka is a freelance writer and editor. She can be reached through her website, amberveverka.com.

• exercise
• greenway
• nature preserve
• outdoors
• paths
• walking