By Aaron Gannon in March, 2001
"Nice area trail. This paved trail starts in the parking lot of the Marketplace mall, winding its way through Washington Park for about 3/4 mile. Then there is a 1/4 mile section where the trail is poorly marked as it crosses Broad and Main Streets. Follow the pea gravel sidewalk to Central Park. From here the trail runs without interruption or street crossing for 3.5 miles, all the way to Salem Lake. The beginning is a bit run down, but the scenery improves dramatically as you approach the lake. The lake has a seven mile dirt trail around it, which is beautiful. You can also rent canoes and picnic. Salem Creek Trail is perfect for biking, rollerblading, walking, and running. Salem Lake Trail is excellent for mountain biking, walking, running, and even horseback riding (before 10:00am only). "
By Ken Lumsden in October, 2000
"This trail connects the historic restored Moravian village of Old Salem with downtown Winston-Salem (about 1 mile one-way). The leafy trail, roughly parallel to and one to two blocks west of, S. Main St., is wide and constructed of an excellent solidly-packed stone surface (small river stone, not gravel!). It is suitable for bicycles, strollers and foot travel. Ample parking is available (and recommended) across S. Main St. at the Old Salem Visitors Center. (While in Old Salem, be sure to visit the many historic exhibits, God's Acre cemetery, and the Museum of Southern Decorative Arts. The campus of Salem College is located in Old Salem.) Other parking is available at access points on the way north to downtown. In downtown, there is limited on-street parking at the trailhead, or in the parking deck on Cherry St. betwen 4th and 5th St. From the Old Salem Visitors Center, you can cycle (or walk) one block east to the center of Old Salem and turn right (south) on S. Main Street. Go to the end of the road and cross Salem Avenue, angling to the left, where you will see public tennis courts. Here, the Winston-Salem (Salem Creek) Greenway continues east about 2-1/2 miles on a paved path to Salem Lake (and connecting to a 6.7 mile unpaved path around the shoreline of the lake and suitable for jogging, walking or wide-tired bicycles) or west on a paved path 2 miles to Marketplace Mall. Many cyclists like to start at Salem Lake and cycle to Old Salem and back. "