Capitol Area Greenway – Crabtree Valley Trail 07 Report 1:

Background:

For those visiting Raleigh and new residents of Raleigh should be aware of the and the “Capitol Area Greenway.”

The “Capitol Area Greenway” is a project in process. Started in March 1974 by the city council of Raleigh it has a master plan to make sure that there is open space for residents throughout the city. It is being built one trail, one park and one community area at a time.

Today the city boasts more than 50 miles of trails connecting many of the more than 3000 acres of city park land.

In 1996 Hurricane Fran badly damaged the parks and trails throughout the city. A clearing and rebuilding was required the years immediately following the storm. Today the city is well underway on its project to create links between the greenways and realize the original plan. Many of the trails are still to be connected, while those that are create wonderful off road access to many parts of the city for bikers, hikers and runners.

Crabtree Valley Trail – Report 1

To get to Crabtree Valley Trail there are several points of entry that can be used.

The trail starts along Crabtree Valley Avenue behind Crabtree Mall at the intersection with Edwards Mill (continuation of Creedmoor Road.) There is a parking in the Mall parking lot. Hikers can follow the sidewalk along Edwards Mill aka Creedmoor.

A couple of foot bridges also lead from the parking deck to the trail.

A second point of entry, which is sort of in the middle of the trail, is behind the McDonald’s at the intersection of Crabtree Valley Avenue and Blue Ridge Road. The parking lot is dirt and is right beside the restaurants paved parking lot.

A third entry point, that doesn’t come with any parking, is from North Hills Drive just a short distance from where it merges with Lead Mine Road. There is no parking here and on street parking would not be advised due to the traffic. Nevertheless, there is an entry point here.

The final entry point can only be reached from other trails. This trail intersects with the Allegany and North Hill Trails at what looks like some part of the sewer or water system. At this point there is a connection to North Hills Park where a large parking lot exists.

To start of at one end, I began at the point Crabtree Valley Trail joins with Crabtree Oak Park Trail at the intersection of Crabtree Valley Avenue and Edwards Mill Road (aka Creedmoor Road).

Raleigh is full of roads that start with one name and continue on with another. Some have several names as they snake their way through the city.

I parked in the rear of Crabtree Mall in a small part of the lot that is usually empty. Then I went out to Edwards Mill and turned left until I got to the corner of Crabtree Valley. I took a left and went fifty to a hundred feet to where a ramp goes down under the roadway.

If I were to go under the roadway, which I did not, it is my understanding I would be at the start/end point of Crabtree Oak Park Trail. If I proceed straight along Crabtree Valley Avenue, which the path follows, then I am following the Crabtree Valley Trail. Because the trails here are not well marked, one must just separate the sections as best one can. This is the way I went on this day.

If all you want to do is be on the greenway, it probably doesn’t matter if you know the trail name for that section or not. For documenting the trails it is a bit more complex. I thought about talking to someone in Parks and Recreation, but then I decided it is better if first I see all the trails the way a visitor or new resident would. Then I will get a true feel for what might be experienced.

The folks at Parks and Recreation have updated the maps recently making them far more accurate and useful. Having seen them out working on the trails has been very impressive. They do an excellent job particularly considering Mother Nature’s attempts to pummel the trails earlier this year.

From the trail beginning I proceed east / southeast along the trail. On my right is Crabtree Valley Avenue which is lined on the opposite side with a retaining wall along part of its length. The vegetation above the wall is grassy field plants.

To my left is the tree lined banks of Crabtree Creek. Across the creek is the parking lots and parking decks of the mall. As the creek is lined on both sides with trees and scrubs it does create a bit of a barrier.

Fortunately Crabtree Valley Avenue is very lightly traveled so it does not make for a noisy hike. The noise of nearby route 70 and I440 are always in the background as a soft din.

The entire length of trail here is paved with what, to my untrained eyes, appears to be asphalt. This would not be considered a “green” trail as the trail will create extra runoff. The trail is open to the sun and very hot this summer day. The first segment is line sporadically with large stones on the creek side.

If the day is hot, the openness of the part of the trail could represent a bit of a problem. The trail is flat and easy to follow. It is also just a short distance to the Mall and has a McDonald’s near the mid-point of the trail.

The walk along the creek can be quite nice when the water is at a moderate level. Birds do frequent this portion of the trail and I see a number this day flittering in the greenery along the creek.

The trail meanders as though it were passing through forest following a stream bearing a little more southeast and back a little more eastward. The meandering is artificial due to absence of trees along the trail and the straightness of the creek.

I pass under an overhead road to the upper level of the deck on the left and then nearly immediately I now pass a foot bridge to the Mall parking deck. I have traveled about a quarter mile so far.

On the left the trees are a little closer to the trail. I notice a number of trees wrapped tightly in vines, like so many candy canes. Among the trees a notice a lovely sycamore with it’s plethora of colors; greens, browns, blues, oranges and grays.

I have seen but one park bench to this point. It is in a sunny spot with no shade for the overheated hiker. Perhaps someday someone in the “city of oaks” department will be kind enough to plant a couple magnificent live oaks for a bit of shade.

Shortly I cross over a street that enters the Mall from Crabtree Valley Avenue. The trail continues as a flat open trail all the way to the McDonald’s at the far end of the avenue.

Just as I arrive at the trail parking lot behind McDonald’s, I notice the sign that says “area subject to frequent flooding”. During the flooding following Alberto earlier this year (2006) this sign was underwater in a very real sense.

The path slopes down gently at this point until it is able to pass under the bridge holding the roadway of Blue Ridge road. The trail moves down closer to the creek here. It is nicely lined with a very nice looking stone retaining wall. There is another retaining wall between the trail and the creek to keep the trail bed intact.

Crossing under the roadway bridge I notice a number of sparrows flitting between the girders. I suspect that they are out hunting bugs but are in no way sure of this.

The trail follows the creek closely as I approach and pass under a second roadway. I am now crossing under Glenwood (aka route 70). This is a fairly wide bridge and there are signs on the pavement warning bikers to be careful as pedestrians may be trying to pass through. The road above this crossing is at least seven lanes wide.

There are stairs beside the bridge to allow pedestrians to enter or leave the trail at this point. The stairs are in a nice attractive reddish stone with metal railings for safety. They are lined with the same stones all the way up. They are quite well done.

Immediately following the passage under this roadway I get to cross a wood and steel bridge. It is a sturdy bridge that has survived a few times as the flow of the stream has run right over the top of it. It brown metal and gray boards look sturdy.

Most days, including this one, the creek flowing below this bridge is relatively clear and smoothly flowing. During storms and other runoff up the creek it can be a reddish brown and flowing like a full grown river.

Once I pass this tangle of bridges, above and below, I come quickly to a side path. This proves to be an entry point from North Hills Drive just down the street from where it ends on Leadmine Road.

I check out the entry path which is very short. There are a number of apartment buildings near this entrance which can either lead to the greenway for exercise or provide safe passage to the Mall across some otherwise, nearly impassable roadways, should you be a pedestrian in this part of town.

Now I was in for a night and day experience. The first part and bulk of this trail is open, hot and sunny. It follows roadways and the sound of cars is never far away.

As I move parallel to North Hills I find that the sound of cars becomes distant and the trail, after a second access path to North Hills, takes on more of a forest texture. The bird sounds are clearer now that they don’t have to compete with tractor trailers. The trail is surrounded closely by forest vegetation. It moves further from the roadways and deeper into the woods behind quiet neighborhoods.

As it becomes more bound into the forest, the trail rises. Wooden retaining walls replace the stone walls near the Mall.

Along the trail are many oak trees and well as a plethora of other deciduous trees that fill the forest floor with leaves. The trail rises as though it was moving above the stream bed and then you are back near the stream. For the remainder of this trail it follows a stream that is coming from Shelley Lake and joining Crabtree Creek near the Allegheny Trail.

The trail wanders for a while until it comes to a crooked bridge. This may have been built as a Chinese Bridge to prevent evil spirits from passing, or it may have been built to make sure bikers dismounted and walked their bikes across.

A distance beyond I come to a large cement cone painted with “orange” signs. Beside this is a trail sign which points in one way to the Alleghany Trail and in the other to Shelley Lake and Crabtree Trails. The third choice goes to a city park but there is nothing on the sign to indicate that.
As near as I can tell the Crooked Bridge is the actual demarcation between the North Hills Trail and the Crabtree Valley Trail. So if you reach the bridge and just wanted a two mile (give or take) hike this would be where you would turn back toward Crabtree Mall.

If you are with small children and need a destination for a picnic or playground experience you can cross the bridge and take the unmarked trail at the intersection to the playground area. It is an uphill trek, but is mercifully short.

From here I returned over and under bridges along the creek back to my car. Along the return trip I saw a number of fellow travelers; some on bikes; some on foot; a few with dogs and baby carriages.

I only noticed one park bench for the entire length of this trail. Hopefully the powers that be will either furnish more or find ways to encourage the public to pay for benches. It is possible there were more before the last flood, but I do not know.

I have noticed several city and state parks (not just in this state) where people were encouraged to pay for benches and tree plantings in exchange for a placard, usually in memory of someone. I liked best the ones where the park authority controls the standardization so that appropriate park elements with solid lasting power are placed along the trails. I have noticed that things built here since Hurricane Fran (decks, benches, tables) have been shown to have the quality to weather extreme conditions and return quickly to full functionality. This, I think, is a credit to the planning done by Parks and Recreation and by the quality work done by Park employees.

I recently got an opportunity to see how porous concrete can mitigate and in some cases eliminate runoff. Hopefully as the city paves more miles of greenway, they will start looking at this new technology which as I understand it has a version of asphalt that has similar qualities.

Recommendations:

Bikers: Excellent short flat ride which can be extended by several miles by following the connecting trails along Crabtree Creek north toward Allegany Trail or Shelley Lake. The ride can be extended south along the Crabtree Oak Park Trail.

Hikers: Okay, open trail hike on paved surface. Round trip is 2.0 miles mostly along a city street. Connecting trails create the opportunity for a longer hike through more of a natural environment.

Older Walkers: Fair. Though the trail is flat, it has no benches or places to rest. The connecting trails are better choices.

Very Young Walkers: Good. Trail is long and flat. Facilities are available in the mall.

Baby Strollers: Excellent flat trail. Trail is very open to the sun. Early morning or late afternoon would be comfortable. Midday can get very hot on this trail.

Roller Skaters: Excellent. Good short flat trail connecting to flat trails on either end.

Picnickers: Not a good choice no benches or tables.

Runners: Excellent for a flat run or jog. Trail connects to other trails on either end to allow for a more extensive run.

Birders: Not the best spot for birds. The trail is open and follows a road for a large portion of its length. Connecting trails on both ends are a better option for serious bird watches. The trail lacks benches or alternate sitting places.