East Coast Greenway in NC

The East Coast Greenway runs for 365 miles through North Carolina.  The main spine route runs through eastern and central NC, passing through the cities of Durham, Raleigh, Fayetteville and Wilmington as well as many smaller communities.  In addition, the Historic Coastal Route is an alternative running along North Carolina's coastal region.  Currently, 97 miles of the trail are protected greenway, with the remainder along roads.  In June 2021, the East Coast Greenway became an official State Trail and part of the NC State Parks system.

Spine Route:

The main Spine Route of the Greenway enters the state from Virginia and follows roads to Durham, where it runs along city greenways and the American Tobacco Trail through Chatham County and into Wake County where it picks up Cary Greenway Trails.  First, the trail follows Whiteoak Creek Greenway to Bond Park and then Black Creek Greenway to Lake Crabtree County Park.  The trail follows Old Reedy Creek Road, passing 286 Property, to William B. Umstead State Park, where it runs through the park on Reedy Creek Multi-Use Trail.

Exiting the park, the trail follows Reedy Creek Trail, part of Raleigh's Capital Area Greenway through the city.  The greenway passes through the North Carolina Museum Art Park and past Meredith College.

The trail then picks up Rocky Branch Trail through North Carolina State University campus and past Pullen Park, where it follows roads through downtown.  At Little Rock Trail, the greenway heads south to Walnut Creek Wetland Center to follow Walnut Creek Trail downstream to Neuse River.  The trail then follows Neuse River downstream to Johnston County, where it continues to follow the river along the Clayton Greenway.

External Links:

East Coast Greenway website: https://www.greenway.org/states/north-carolina

NC State Trails website: https://trails.nc.gov/state-trails/east-coast-greenway-state-trail