Disclaimer: This Little Sugar Creek Greenway Tour recap contains affiliate links…
Exploring by Bike
When traveling, one of the best ways to explore is by bike, and my husband and I did just that while visiting our son and daughter-in-law who recently moved to Charlotte, NC. For this particular tour, our trail of choice was the Little Sugar Creek Greenway which runs from the North Carolina/South Carolina border to Uptown Charlotte. We drove our bikes to Canine Commons, a large dog park next to Tutel Lake. With plenty of parking, indoor restrooms, and easy access to the greenway, it was the perfect place to start our ride.
From the parking lot we rode south about 1.5 miles to where the trail currently ends at the South Carolina border before turning around to make our way to Uptown, about 15 miles north. As the name implies, the greenway runs along Little Sugar Creek for most of its length. A long urban park, the paved trail meanders through undeveloped green spaces, communities, and shopping areas while connecting to other parks along the way. The greenway ends at the edge of Uptown, but a left turn onto Elizabeth Avenue will take you onto E Trade Street and right into the heart of the city.
A part of the Carolina Thread Trail, the scenic Little Sugar Creek Greenway is a relatively flat trail, making it easy to navigate for most trail users. With easy access from neighboring communities it can be enjoyed in shorter segments or in its entirety.
Ride Overview
- • Ride Name: Pineville Gravel/Paved Cycling
- • Location: Mecklenburg County, NC and Lancaster County, SC
- • Start/Finish: Canine Commons Dog Park, Charlotte, NC
- • Course Type: Out and back
- • Course Surface: Paved
- • Bike: Salsa Warbird
- • Distance: 33 miles
- • Time: 2:44:08
- • Average Speed: 12.1 MPH
- • Maximum Speed: 23.3 MPH
- • Elevation Gain: 745 feet
- • Elevation Range: 549 to 758 feet
- • Temperature Range: 86° (feels like 97°) to 93° (feels like 103°)
- • Ride with GPS: Link to turn-by-turn navigation cue sheet
- • Course Map:
Fun Pictures From Along the Way
Most of the following pictures were taken with my iPhone (affiliate link); however, a special shoutout goes to my husband Bill who captured pictures while riding with his Insta 360 camera (affiliate link).
After a quick lap around Tutel Lake to stop by the restrooms on the far side, we posed for a picture with Canine Commons Dog Park in the background…
Early view of Little Sugar Creek…
A parking lot in South Carolina welcomed us to the current southern most part of the greenway…
Heading north after turning at the border…
Beautiful green space along the creek…
Even though it was 87° (feels like 97°) at the start, we were in shade quite a bit which kept us cooler…
There were many cool art sculptures along the trail…
The greenway was well marked with signs…
Rolling under I-485…
We took an excursion to restrooms just off the greenway at a park on Sharon Road…
Little Sugar Creek…
A random cow in someone’s front yard…
Little Sugar Creek Greenway Urban Section…
We can never resist a #roadsidemirror picture so of course we took this at the mirrored sphere in the park…
Sculptures marking the original location of the Thompson Orphanage which was relocated farther from town as the city developed…
Fern-covered (I think) tunnels…
The Little Sugar Creek Greenway ended near the corner of N King Drive and Elizabeth Avenue. A left turn took us toward Charlotte City Center…
While taking this picture, an elderly lady carrying an umbrella for shade came up to us and warned us to be careful in the heat. She said she was on her way to check on the homeless and make sure they weren’t still asleep covered with heavy blankets…
More sculptures on our return home…
We took a side jaunt to Freedom Park which is just off the greenway on our way back…
Back on the greenway, I stopped to take pictures of this very interesting tree. Its leaves looked like redbuds, but I’d never seen them turn yellow, nor had I ever noticed seedpods on our local redbuds. A little research told me that it is, indeed, an Eastern Redbud; and once home I noticed that our redbuds all have clusters of seedpods which I’d never noticed before.
As the temperature climbed to the mid-90’s with a near 100° heat index, a headache I’d developed earlier worsened. I wasn’t sure if it was from the heat, dehydration, or under-fueling. We rode off the trail to a 7-Eleven where we purchased water and sodas (gatorade would have been a better choice, but I wanted a soda). While stopped we refueled and drank a lot of water before continuing on for the final 10 miles.
Little Sugar Creek and the greenway…
For my ParkRun fans…
Rail fence art…
Closing in on the end of the ride at 97° with a feels like of 103°…
Garmin Stats
Post-ride Garmin (affiliate link) picture…
Garmin map and graphs…
Final Thoughts on the Ride
We picked a very hot day for a ride on a trail that wasn’t as shaded as we expected, but it was our only open day during the visit. Despite the heat, we had a fun and enjoyed a relaxing morning together. I suspect we’ll ride the greenway again, and hopefully with the kids on a future visit.
On a personal note, once back at the house in the AC and with some real food in my stomach, my headache went away pretty quickly.
Questions:
- • Do you enjoy touring a new city or town on your own or with a guide? ~ Both
- • What are the highest temperatures you can tolerate for outdoor exercise? ~ I can tolerate much higher temps when riding than when running because of the breeze on the bike. I also tolerate heat better now that I’m older than I did when I was younger (it could be the new and improved tech fabrics available today as compared to cotton t-shirts I wore when I was younger).
- • Do you stop and relax occasionally to fuel or take pictures, or barrel on through when on a long run or ride? ~ Pictures, always pictures, unless I’m racing!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on the blue product link and then make a purchase, I will receive a small commission for referring you. You will pay no more or less for the product; however, Amazon will show their gratitude for my referral by paying me.
I enjoy riding my bike when it’s just too hot to run. You are right, the breeze that is created by the bike helps. But sometimes it’s just too hot to ride! This ride looks lovely and I’m glad you shared it with us!.
Agreed, but luckily for me it rarely gets too hot in Virginia to ride.
I love all your photos – especially the way you feature your pretty pink bike. What a wonderful bike ride!
It’s amazing how you always come across random cows, ha!
It’s interesting what you say about being able to deal better with the heat as you grow older. I feel the same, but most people say that they feel exactly the other way around.
Thanks, Catrina, it was a fun day despite the heat towards the end. I’m always on the lookout for cows, but seriously, finding a cow statue in someone’s front yard in an urban area? That was totally unexpected!
Yes, numerous stops for pics and refueling! Like you said, the bike is much more fitness-friendly when the temps are extreme. That said, I seem to have a pretty solid heat tolerance, so I feel very fortunate! This looks like a fun ride!
Yes, it’s good to be able to tolerate the heat and since you do, that’s probably one of the reasons you like it so much. It doesn’t bother me nearly as much as it used to when I was younger so I don’t complain about it as much now as in the past. LOL
Thanks for the tour. I’d love to run here.
I always stop and take pics… maybe that’s why I prefer to run or walk than bike.
i do agree that our clothing has helped us tolerate the heat better – still hard when it’s humid.
The greenway would be a great place to run!
I’m so thankful with the improvements in fabric used in athletic clothing in the past several years.
I love to follow along on all of your cycling adventures. It’s so fabulous that you and your hubs both share a passion for it
I’m so glad he pushed me toward cycling when his knee told him to stop running. My bike was sitting there waiting for me when my back started telling me the same thing.
That first art sculpture you took a photo of reminds me so much of a honeycomb! I wonder whether that was the inspiration behind it?
As for the lady going to check on whether the homeless were still covered in blankets in the heat – wow, what a kind soul!
Yes, I thought it was inspired by a honeycomb until I just looked it up and found this on Facebook… “Stem,” by John Grade, stands nearly 12’ tall and wide. It’s made in purpleheart wood and is inspired by the cross-section of wetland grasses. The artist’s goal is to “bring a new awareness to what is familiar,” and to “visually address the vital role water plays in this changing landscape.”
Beautiful places for a bike tour and the photos are always nice memories of our adventures.
I don’t ride anymore since 2008: too dangerous around here and I feel uncomfortable with the saddle when I use it for long distances.
Yes, I am a Parkrun fan but the nearest is one hour far.
We don’t have any ParkRuns near where I live, but I’ve read about them on other people’s blogs.
I don’t own a bike but if I did I would love to do an outdoor tour, especially if it’s in a new-to-me area.
Love all the photos from your bike tour!
Thanks Kim! I’m sure you’d enjoy an organized tour where you can rent a bike as part of the deal.
What a lovely ride! Great pictures too. I don’t have a bike so I always enjoy reading about your trips/adventures.
Thanks, Zenaida! I’m glad you enjoy my bike tour recaps.