Did you know Mecklenburg County has 74 miles of completed greenway and 20 miles under construction? With ~16 million people projected to visit park and recreation amenities across the county, organizers are prioritizing the demand for green space.
“Greenways are the most requested amenity,” Katie Lloyd, Senior Planner at Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, told CLTtoday.
So far in 2025, several greenway sections have opened in the Queen City, with more on the way.
Paw Creek Greenway
While wayfinding signage is expected to go up in summer 2025, Paw Creek is now open to the public. The ~1.5-mile Little Rock Road to Loy Court section of trail is the first-funded phase of Paw Creek Greenway, connecting the Robert L. Smith Park entrance to its surrounding neighborhoods.
Stewart Creek Greenway
A 0.5-mile path along Stewart Creek + a one-mile trail along Stewart Creek Tributary recently opened at Luther King, Jr. Park.
Little Sugar Creek Greenway
In March 2025, the highly-anticipated Liz Hair Trail section of the Little Sugar Creek Greenway reopened after a three-year, $18 million renovation.
The section boasts a widened greenway, enhanced access points, improved bridges and provides an uninterrupted 16 miles of trail from the South Carolina state line in Pineville to Cordelia Park in NoDa.
“When we talk about greenways, why they’re important, one of the measures that it helps with is mobility,” said Nick Walker, director of Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, during a ribbon-cutting celebration of the new section. “Not just mobility and getting a human being from one place to the other, but connecting neighborhoods and connecting people.”
Long Creek Greenway
Coming soon: A completed Long Creek Greenway.
About 1.5 miles of new paved greenway trail opened in April 2025, providing pedestrian access to Primm and Oakdale roads + two miles of stream improvements.
Work is underway to improve existing paths in Oak Hills Park and a new parking lot at Oakdale Road — expect this to open in the summertime.
Reedy Creek Greenway
This new greenway trail will be ~3.25 miles in length, connecting the community to the Reedy Creek Park and Nature Preserve.
“It’s one of our first paved greenway trail projects that we took through a nature preserve,” said Lloyd. “So we’ve had to take a lot of extra care to protect the natural environment within the nature preserve.”
Construction is expected to be complete this summer.
Public input
Sound off: What’s your favorite part about visiting Charlotte’s greenways? Let us know.
To follow along on all of the projects underway, bookmark this page from Mecklenburg County.
Pro tip: The county frequently hosts public input sessions so you can weigh in on future projects.
