Little Sugar Creek Greenway: A Photo Essay from Pineville to NoDa
The Little Sugar Creek Greenway is a streamside path that can take you from NoDa to Pineville and back again—and only on occasion remind you of the booming city on either side
The greenway passes under the Lancaster Highway bridge (above) near the President James K. Polk State Historic Site, the trail’s southern terminus. Friends take a break in the shade of the N.C. Highway 51 overpass (below) near Marsh Park, a natural wetland with scenic overlooks.
The Marsh Park observation deck near Interstate 485 is a favorite spot for walkers and cyclists to take in the natural wetland’s native flora.
Rudbeckia and other native wildflowers spring to life on the creek’s banks near I-485.
A bit farther north, near Tyvola Road, a rusting reminder (above) of Little Sugar Creek’s polluted past. These remnants live in tandem with wildlife like this great blue heron (below), which wades across the creek near Pineville.
As the greenway reaches the city center, vegetation threatens to conquer the concrete below the East Fourth Street overpass near Central Piedmont Community College (above) and at Parkwood Avenue (below) near Cordelia Park.
Near Alexander Street Park, which adjoins the Brookshire Freeway, the trail passes under an elevated railroad bridge (above). When it’s dry, the low creek reveals piles of deposited sediment (below) beneath the Parkwood Avenue overpass.
Cyclists (above) emerge from under Parkwood Avenue and enter Cordelia Park. The bike trip gets a bit more perilous as the greenway nears uptown (below, at right) and the buildings of CPCC (at left).
