On the Trail of the Greenway in Raleigh – Shelley Lake Trail Report 1

Background:

If you are visiting Raleigh or are new resident of Raleigh you may not be aware of the wonderful park system and the “Capitol Area Greenway.”

When we first arrived in Raleigh in 1995, the only portion of the Greenway we were aware of was the two mile hike around Shelley Lake. In other neighborhoods around the city people were only aware of the local loops. Many less ambition trails existed, than the two mile hike around Shelley Lake.

In fact the Greenway system was already on its way, it just was being built one leg at a time. Each disparate leg being built as funding allowed and population increased in various parts of the city.

The Greenway project, per the city’s Parks and Recreation website dates from March 1974. The first projects were built within the parks that existed at the time. As new park land was purchased more trails were built.

Today the city boast of at least 46 miles of trails connecting many of the 3000 acres of park land. Over the next few years I hope to follow all of these trails and share my impressions.

In September, 1996 the suffered major damage to the parks and the trails that made up the Greenways of the time. It took several years for the city and community groups, such as the Friends of Shelley Lake, to restore the trails. Many old groves became new fields as the clearing from this horrendous storm revealed parts of the trail that had lived in shadow for generations, if not longer.

I hope to be able to shed a little light on each of the miles of trails that make up the Greenway and trails that are within Raleigh but are provided by the County or State governments. I do this in part because I have a natural curiosity and I part because I need the exercise.

Shelley Lake Trail – Report One

Shelley Lake park entrance is located on West Millbrook Road. The Lake is located between Millbrook Road on the south; Lead Mine Road on the West; Lynn Road on the North; and North Hills Drive on the East. Residential housing borders the park on both the east and west sides on an intermittent basis. The main Parking is just west of the park entrance at the Sertoma Arts Center. This is also a city bus stop location. There is a smaller parking lot (much more popular) at the outflow pipe on West Millbrook directly south of the lake. Entrance can be gained to the park from North Hills Drive where there is usually some limited on street parking available. There is also a trail from the Optimist Center just across the street. (The trail is located there, Optimist Park is a quarter mile up Northcliff Dr.)

You can also enter the park from trails from several other streets north and south of the park. I will cover those trails in later articles.

Taking one trail at a time, I will start with the trail identified as the Shelley Lake Trail.

My start point for this trail is the lower parking lot on West Millbrook. From the parking lot I have two choices. I go east by the park map, down the wooden stairs to start the trail. The trail a loop and is about three miles in length. It is completely paved in tar with some sections over water made of wood in a boardwalk fashion. These sections were heavily damaged by Fran in 1996. All the damage has since been repaired, where this was possible.

Take a right here and you will be on a forest trail. I take the Loop trail to the left. This takes me up a steep hill. This hill is maybe thirty feet high and forms the dam that holds in the storm waters that reduce flooding in the Crabtree Valley during severe weather. Like many parks, Shelley Lake has two faces. On one side it is a marvelous recreational area with boats, soccer fields, fishing docks and bird feeding areas. The other side, it is a serious attempt to manage runoff that has largely resulted from the exponential development that has been taking place in North Raleigh for decades.

Reaching the top of the hill can be difficult for those who are not strong walkers. Once at the top of this hill the hiker is greeted by a marvelous vista of the lake. There are some small trees at the bottom of the banking. The view from the top is totally unobstructed. Though there are some deciduous trees, most trees directly around the lake are pines. I believe they are primarily Loblolly and Long Pole Pines. These trees dressed in green needles provide shelter from sun and wind along most of the trail.

In the center of this short portion of the trail (about a quarter mile) is a well placed bench. On a hot evening this is a great place to find a breeze. Sometimes in the summer the air will be filled with small birds searching for insects. You may even see a few bats here.

From the bench as I looked right (east) I could see kites flying near the soccer fields. The children pulling the kites were stirring up dust in a cloud that showed the parched nature of the region these days.

I continue on going west. The well paved trail goes down here rather steeply. The kids on bikes and skates usually look forward to the thrill. Their parents and those with strollers take a big breath as they go down or watch their little daredevils rush for the bottom of the hill.

In the first week or two of April this section of the trail will display one of the true wonders of the park. Over the decades Wisteria vines have climbed through the pine trees here and in some other locations. Right here at this hill the vines will flower with a brilliant soft purple. The pine trees will be adding new dark green needles. The combination would make any ancient king jealous of the gardening prowess of the Parks Department. It is one really beautiful sight, of course not provided by the Parks Department but perhaps by a department a little higher in managing nature.

As soon as you get to the bottom of this hill, you get to go up again. It isn’t quite as steep as the hill just gone down. At the top of this hill are the rest facilities. In the summer time someone usually puts a doggy dish out here by the fountain to allow dogs to drink.

From the water fountain you are overlooking the boat dock. If you need a snack during the summer, there is also some available at the boat rental office.

From here the trail descends again, though in a more gradual way. To the left there are a couple of trails that lead to Sertoma and the “Big” parking lot. To the right is one really grand view of this serene little lake. Though most trees here are evergreen, there are enough deciduous trees to provide a great color show in the fall. The ones right on the Eastern shore of the lake take on airs of red and orange at that time of year. From a distance the trees reflect in the water, doubling the size of the display for those who need a little shot of color in the fall.

As I proceed along I see a fishing dock to the right. It turns out the lake is stocked with catfish. If you like fishing, you are allowed to take up to six fish in a day. Given that the water is unfiltered runoff water mixed with water from natural streams, I’ll pass on this. The folks fishing down sure look like their having a pretty good time. Reminds me of the days when my dad used to take my brothers and me fishing with bamboo poles. Didn’t matter what you caught, it was just plain fun. I have seen some pretty decent sized catfish caught, as well as some tiny fish that weren’t much bigger than the worm.

A bit further down the trail I cross a bridge over a small inlet. This is a fairly long bridge which is about twelve feet above the water. From here you can see a good size flock of Canadian Geese almost under the bridge. Out a little further in the lake is a flock of seagulls. Mixed in with these are a number of ducks of various types. On the bridge are mostly mothers and small children throwing bread and crackers to the birds. In some cases the food is being thrown at the birds. I can hear squeals of glee as seagulls try to catch the food before it drops to the geese below. The geese form a column of twos in the water, like an ancient armada sailing the high seas.

There is an overlook at the end of the bridge as I enter into the wooded portion of the trail. It is an attractive structure which gives you, maybe an extra ten feet of elevation. Most of the view from here is now obstructed by young pines. It may have been built before the trees grew here and obstructed the view. I have seen families use it as a place for a picnic.

As I enter the woods, I think of how cool these woods can be in even the most hot and humid weather. In the winter the woods shelter this trail from the wind and in the summer from the sun. It quite calm within the trees pretty much of the year. The one time not to be on the trails is during serious downpours as the lake is designed to have all the run off in the neighborhoods north of it flow into it. Some spots in the trail are overcome by water and can be difficult to cross, even though they are paved.

The trees at this point in the trail are maybe sixty feet tall. They have been thinned out by the effects of Hurricane Fran in 96. As I proceed into the woods, I pass a number of people walking their dogs. This is one hike for those who like to see the variety of breeds of dogs in this area. They come in all forms; large shaggy dogs, small hotdog shaped dogs, long tall thin dogs (rescued from racing), big well groomed dogs and small dogs with ugly matted hair. All on leash, though I see at least one carrying its own leash. (I don’t know if that’s allowed, but the sign does say dogs must be on leash; guess this meets the letter of the law)

As I pass through the woods I see a trail to the left with a red phone beside it. Even in North Raleigh the trails occasionally attract the wrong kind of people. The phone was installed after some incidents with joggers running alone in the early morning. Though generally safe, those who pass along these trails either early in the morning or near dusk are advised to travel in pairs or groups if possible. Incidents are rare but the park police cannot be everywhere given they have 3,000 plus acres to patrol.

The woods are dim even at midday as I pass through the pine grove on the north side of the lake. The lake has disappeared only to be replaced by a swift moving stream. The fact the water is flowing into the lake is a good sign, even though we have not had a lot of rain this winter.

Some of the trees have vines winding up there sides reaching into the higher reaches of the branches. The vines here are somewhat less frequent than in other parts of Raleigh. There are a few impressive vines with a diameter of perhaps five inches. These vines have been growing for years, maybe even decades. Much of this section of the forest escaped the ravages of the hurricane.

As I continue moving north on the west side of the lake I come to a forest opening. This used to be one of the oldest parts of the forest. Here on the trail is grass on both sides of the trail. The hurricane cleaned out this area with something akin to a micro burst. Every tree was broken and twisted. In the center of this area is the remnant of a very large tree. It was some kind of deciduous tree and it was very large, dwarfing the pine trees. All that is left is a four or five foot stub of the original with its fabric torn. Ragged spurs of broken wood the diameter of two by fours stick out of the trunk. The twists in the wooden spurs show some aspect of the fury of the storm that stripped this half acre plus space of its trees.

Shortly I pass a tiny dog splashing in the stream trying to threaten two large Canadian Geese who watch the dog, like passive observers. Here the stream running beside the trail has a canopy of small lanky bushes that combined with smallish vines creates an arch over the stream. The arch is green now, but later in the year it will be decked out with small yellow flowers intermixed with green vegetation.

I have arrived at the north-west corner of Shelley Lake Trail. I could go straight onto yet another trail, but today I turn right going eastward across the top of the Lake Trail’s loop. I cross a small metal frame bridge with wooden planking and metal sides. From the middle of this bridge during the summer, it is sometimes possible to see small fish in the stream a few feet below. On bright sunny days you can see the fish by the movement of their shadow on the bottom of the stream. Unlike Peter Pan, the shadows of the fish are well attached.

I leave the stream behind as I journey eastward toward the other side of the park. The lake is hidden to my right (south) by a small forest of bushes and trees. The foliage is always thick in here. The trail here is actually moving a little south-east. It is a very pleasant in the cool forest hike. In a few weeks the small birds will fill this corner of the park with chirps and whistles searching for new mates. There are many birds here, even in the deep of winter, such as it is this year. It is an easy hike across to a split in the trail. Going left will bring you east to North Hills Dr. out of the park, going right (The direction I go in) continues along the trail and toward the starting point and the parking lot.

Taking the right trail, I am basically moving south. Here the trail is wide and the trees, though reasonably old, show signs of being thinned by the hurricane. As I move south I can see houses on the hill to the left. Once spring is fully here, these will be hidden by shrubs and bushes. As I go along southward, I see a path to the right. Being for ever curious about everything; I follow it for perhaps a hundred feet until it ends in the muck of a swampy area. Fifty feet away or so, I can see a boardwalk that was damaged several times over the years. Apparently, one of those times was one time too much for the parks folks. This used to be a nice little inroad into a micro environment, a little more swamp than the rest of the lake area.

I return to the trail through the pine forest. A little further south I come upon a structure that is a cross between a bridge and short boardwalk. This marks the end of the woods. Crossing this structure I come onto a broad, open, well mowed area to the left of the trail. This is an area suitable for playing Frisbee with the dog or tag football with the guys.

To the right of the trail is the shore line. In places small groves of trees go from the path to the shore line. In between these groves of trees are open areas where people picnic or let their dogs frolic in the murky water of the lake.

The ducks and geese avoid these small patches of green. The dogs go insane as they approach, straining on there leases. This might be a good reason to let your dog carry the leash. Some dogs show up with their own toys in mouth which they promptly drop for their owners to throw. Other dogs drag in large sticks for their owners to heave into the murky water.

Up on the trail, as I continue on my journey, I see a number of soccer nets. It’s a weekday so most of the players are in school. On weekends there are hordes of brightly clothed players on all these fields. There are times when there appear to be as many balls in play as players on the field. I guess that is indicates practice is going on. Or perhaps my sight is a little confused.

Today there is a young child (maybe five) and his father flying a colorful kite from the soccer field. They create a dust storm as they run to and fro keeping the kite aloft. It reminds me of the dust created by one of the characters in a Peanuts comic strip. Here the trail rises as I am thirty feet below the embankment that marks the trail start. As I go up this side I am still moving south, toward West Millbrook Road.

As I near the top of the embankment, I observe an older woman trying to get a kite in the air. She has a young man trying to help her; possibly her son. The kite does go up, up, up; and then it flips over and dives back to earth. They try again; the kite goes up, up and then returns to earth. And they just go for it again. They seem to be having a good time, so perhaps the important part of the adventure is there even if the kite won’t cooperate. Their enjoying the park together which is why these parks are so important.

Nearing the end of my trek, I start down the hill where I started my journey around Shelley Lake. I have completed the first trail in my effort to locate all the trails that make up the Greenway and a few others that are within the boundaries of the county surrounding the city.

Along the way I see a lot of things that may be of interest to other folks. I will talk about these as I report on other trails. I have taken about seventy five pictures of these around the lake that may be of interest. I need to do a little research on these so that I at least sound like I know what I am talking about.

In my opinion I would recommend this trail for bikers (wide and paved), hikers (three mile distance), 5K runners (distance & hills), strollers (from the Sertoma parking lot, all the way for strong an healthy), roller skaters (relatively smooth, only a couple large hills)

Activities in the park other than the trail include the boats (on open days), the art center (a brochure is available in the lobby), fishing (either from the fishing dock or the Eastern banking), Frisbee, Soccer, Picnic (your own blanket and no fires), Kite flying and feeding the birds.