9 miles of new greenway now open in the Charlotte area
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Stewart Creek Greenway's 181-foot bridge is the longest in Mecklenburg County's greenway system. It's near the former Blue Blaze Brewing site and where Savona Mill currently is. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
About nine miles of greenway opened around the Charlotte area in 2025.
Why it matters: As Charlotte's population grows, so does its demand for outdoor space. Expanding the county's network of greenways is costly work that takes years when considering land acquisition and engineering — but it reflects the region's broader goal of improving access to the outdoors.
State of play: As of December 2025, 17.4 miles of greenway are under construction between Mecklenburg County greenways and the City of Charlotte's Cross Charlotte Trail (XCLT), Mecklenburg County, Park and Recreation senior planner Katie Lloyd tells Axios.
- There are 9.8 miles of greenway in design, plus nine more miles of greenway currently funded by the Capital Improvement Plan. The latter miles have not begun the design phase yet.
- You can weigh in on greenway projects on the Park and Recreation public input dashboard here.
By the numbers: As of Dec. 22, 2025, the county had acquired 140.1 acres in fiscal year 2026, 18.2 of which are for greenways.
- As a whole, the Charlotte region currently has 84 miles of greenway trail, 25 miles of access trail and 30 miles of urban trail.
Below are new greenway sections that opened in 2025.
Caldwell Station Tributary Greenway
The 0.8-mile section of trail from Caldwell Station to Northern Regional Recreation Center (18121 Old Statesville Road) in Cornelius opened in the spring.
Cost: $3.3 million
Long Creek Greenway Phase 3
The new 2.1-mile stretch extends Long Creek Greenway from 485 to Oakdale Road.
Cost: $15.7 million, which includes phases two and three.
The Liz Hair Trail on Little Sugar Creek Greenway
The 1-mile section between Freedom Park and Morehead Street that runs along Atrium Health's campus had been closed since spring 2022. The long-awaited stretch reopened in March.
Cost: Atrium Health funded the roughly $18 million project.
Go deeper: Little Sugar Creek Greenway reopens from Morehead Street to Freedom Park
McAlpine Creek Greenway
The new mile recently opened and includes one of the county's longest boardwalks — 2,610 linear feet. It stretches north toward Highway 51 (Pineville-Matthews Road) from the existing trailhead parking lot at 11823 Johnston Road.
Cost: $7.9 million
Go deeper: New greenway stretch opens near Pineville in south Charlotte
McDowell Creek Greenway Phase 1b
The 0.6-mile section of the Huntersville greenway picks up at Gilead Road and extends to Chilgrove Lane.
Cost: $1.3 million
Paw Creek Greenway
The 1.5-mile section from Little Rock Road to Beckinhall Drive connects Robert L. Smith Park at 1604 Little Rock Road to nearby neighborhoods.
Cost: $5.5 million
Reedy Creek Greenway
The 2.5-mile stretch in northeast Charlotte extends from Grier Road to the Plaza Road extension.
Cost: $8 million
Stewart Creek Greenway
The new 0.5-mile addition extends Martin Luther King, Jr. Park to Coronet Way and Yellowstone Drive in west Charlotte. It also includes the longest bridge in the county's greenway system at 181 feet, which sits near the former Blue Blaze Brewing site.
Cost: $3.2 million
Go deeper: Mecklenburg County's new section of trail has the longest bridge in its greenway system
What's next: Around eight miles of greenway are planned to open in 2026, per the county.
- Phase 1 of Briar Creek Greenway ($1.7 million) will have 0.45 miles of new trail through Chantilly Park. Phases 2 and 3 are in the design phase.
- Irwin Creek Greenway ($5.1 million) from Statesville Road to Allen Hills Park will open a 2.2-mile stretch.
- A parking lot will be added for Long Creek Greenway at 4120 Oakdale Road.
- Little Sugar Creek Greenway at Highway 51 will connect to McMullen Creek Greenway ($868,250) through a 0.5-mile sidewalk.
- A new McAlpine Creek Greenway parking lot at 6810 Pineville-Matthews Road will open soon.
- The 1.5-mile Walker Branch & Hoover Creek Greenway ($4.7 million) section will extend from Sledge Road to South Tryon Street and Steele Creek Road will stretch to Walker Branch Greenway.
- Two new sections will expand XCLT from North Tryon Street to Orr Road (1.4 miles; $9 million) and from Orr Road to Rocky River Road West (1.8 miles; $15 million). These sections will be completed by the City of Charlotte.
Go deeper: 5 miles of new greenway that opened in 2024
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include the costs of 2026 projects.