Raleigh Greenway Report 3: Alleghany Trail

Background:

For those visiting Raleigh or are new residents of Raleigh not be aware of the wonderful park system 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, park and community area at a time.

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

After a good start with the master plan, the parks and trails were damaged badly in 1996 by Hurricane Fran. Although a lot of clearing and rebuilding had to occur the years immediately after the storm the city is well underway on its project to create links between the various greenways. Though many of the trails are not yet connected, those that are create wonderful off road access to many parts of the city, especially for bikers and runners.

Alleghany Trail – Report 3

The trail starts at the intersection of Alleghany and Alamance. This is not so much an intersection as it is a point where Alleghany Drive ends and Alamance begins looping back and paralleling Alleghany.

At the Greenway start point there is very little off street parking. Perhaps two or three vehicles can be parked here comfortably.

The actual start point is on Alleghany and is marked by a start/end post. The trail here is paved (tar) and reasonably wide. It starts by going down hill toward a stream for a bit. This stream is a section of the infamous Crabtree Creek. This is one of the few hills on this trail. Looking straight ahead down the hill you can see a highway bridge off to the left. This is part of the Interstate 440 loop.

As the trail goes down the hill there is a small clearing to the left with trees and bushes in the background. The stream is not very visible at this point. To the right is a grove of trees. As the trail reaches the bottom of the hill it turns off to the right. As the trail turns to the right, parallel to the stream, the first intersection is revealed by the presence of two bridges. One choice is to go left across the stream. Here an attractive metal bridge offers a short straight path to the other side of the Crabtree Creek.

Going straight is the other choice. Here the red rails of a short bridge provide a trail that parallels the stream. The official trail is across the red railed bridge, though there is no sign to indicate this on the trail itself.

Staying with the official trail brings us across this little bridge. There is no water running under this bridge today, as it is a dry day. During rainy days dozens of small dry stream beds come to life. In the case of rain, it would not be a good day for hiking along the banks of this creek, known for its ability to grow to the size of a small river given the right weather conditions.

There is a large tree just one side of the little red railed bridge that has a monstrous vine clinging to it. These vines originally formed when this was a thicket of trees. As such it is a dark brown vine, perhaps four or five inches across. It clings to the tree’s bark putting out millions of small runners (or suckers) to grasp the tree as it climbs to the very highest branches. In the summer these vines seem to act as a kind of highway for insects wandering into the stratosphere of these old majestic trees.

The trail itself wanders on in an undulating manner. Just as we might swing our hips, the trail moves in curves first right, then left; showing off its treasures of small animals, birds and vegetation.

Here there is greenery on both side of the path with small vines and shrubs hugging the sides and trees a bit further away. Quickly we are coming up on the second marker of this trail. We’ve traveled all of a quarter mile. There isn’t much color, other than green, along the trail. Up to this point we will have passed only one flowering shrub. In a few weeks it will be joined by many more.

Just ahead is a bridge where we pass under. This is Yadkin Drive, one of the few roads that pass under the beltline, allowing you to go from outside the beltline to inside the beltline within the same neighborhood.

Passing under the bridge we notice a makeshift path from the street above down to the path. Everywhere the Greenway passes, people try to find ways of accessing it. Unfortunately makeshift paths to the Greenway have a tendency to be prone to erosion.

Going forward on the path we have the creek on the left and woods on the right. That is, up until the half mile marker. Then the first house appears in front and to the right. The creek bank as few obstructions and we can see the back yards of large, very large, single family dwellings. Some have docks on the creak. Others have stairs that lead from high on the other bank down toward the shore line. The houses to the right for the next half mile are impressive. The yards come right up to the trail and in a couple of cases are on both sides.

One interesting thing about the houses is the way they each have what looks like a basement above ground. The first floors appear to be perhaps ten feet above. This may be as a precaution against the creek. (As I noted it has been known to misbehave) The resulting houses are incredibly beautiful. Late in the spring, surrounded by flowers of all kinds, they are truly magnificent. Most have the most extraordinary staircases that lead to there front doors. They remind one of miniature palaces.

The houses in this stretch across the creek have much larger lots and are much higher above the creek.

Along this part of the path there are an intermixing of trees, lawn and shrubs.

Now we come to the three quarter mile marker. The path now has some trees on both sides for a short bit. Shortly the trail turns from paved to unpaved. The trail becomes a little more of a dirt path with some roots.

Now we pass along a huge boulder on the right. The boulder has many weather worn holes in it, that but for the constant presence of people, would probably be home to a multitude of birds.

The trail now has a ramp that allows us to cross over the top of some boulders. There is only a little trail left and then as staircase to the street.

Now we get to repeat our steps. It is always interesting how different a trail can look going back. Standing on Hertford Street the first thing we notice is that we have turned a bend in the creek. It isn’t obvious as we traveled along the creek, but the path along the boulders was actually turning rather quickly.

So, looking back from the top of the hill, we can see the paved path and the houses, now across the creek from us. The creek is basically still today and the reflections are great.

We follow the trail back, looking for things we missed along the way. As we pass back along the boulders, we notice a huge oak tree. There in its bark are dozens of carvings of true love that must span decades.

Just where the path changes from dirt to paved, we can see two ducks gliding across the still waters. There is the male with his bright plumage and the female with her more modest colors. Two Canadian Geese appear not to be out done, dressed in matching colors.

As we now see the rear yards of the houses, we can see there are power lines that follow a short portion of the trail. In the beauty of the creek and surrounding area, they become almost invisible. It seems an excellent way to hide things in plain sight.

As we get near the half mile marker we notice the trail to Alleghany Street. Here the trees are shrouded in dark green Ivy Vines that cover the first twenty or thirty feet as well as the forest floor. There is parking for a few cars here, though not too many.

Here in the vines there are a plethora of small and medium birds. The most obvious birds are the cardinals dressed in bright red. Others dart in amongst the leaves and branches.

As I reach the quarter mile mark, I have an excellent view of the bridge that crosses Crabtree Creek. I notice a couple of Parks people working on the bridge. This part of the Greenway always looks nice and well maintained.

Finally we reach the initial hill that we came down. It is a relatively easy hike. This hill would be too much for an older person like my mother. However, there is that other entry point near Buncombe Street. There one has only a short gentle hill to get onto the path.

Finally we ended one more little trek. This is a particularly pleasant trail for a short walk. It is located in one of the prettiest parts of the city and often is filled with the sound of birds.

I would recommend this trail for those who want a short hike, walk or run. Most of the trail is highly suitable for strollers. Bikers can connect to other trails from this trail. Parking is limited here, though there is a park nearby where this trail can be accessed from with quite a lot of parking.

The activities in this part of the Greenway, other than the trail, include a picnic table and general activities such as viewing the birds. This park is most suitable for trail activities.