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I'm fortunate to live within walking distance of the ATT. I walk or bike on it almost every day. Most of my mileage is on the southern half of the trail, south of Southpoint shopping mall. With that in mind here are my observations:
It doesn't have much dramatic scenery, but it does have and promote a sense of serenity along most of its length, which is all the more amazing when you consider that it cuts right through the busy RTP metropolitan area.
The trail is ALWAYS well maintained.
At the southern terminus of the trail, you can see that the rail bed continues, but is blocked by a barricade. Looking at the satellite photos of this area My fervent hope is that one day the rail-trail will be extended down this corridor.
As you would expect in an urban area, the trail can get overcrowded--especially on weekends.
I used to live right on the ATT and absolutely loved it. The trail is nicely kept and is shaded through many parts of it. The ATT made my runs so easy and it is easily one of my favorite trails that I have ever ran.
I had an extra day to spend in the Triangle before heading home, and was excited to squeeze in a ride on this trail. I parked at the White Oak trailhead, which has restrooms. The stone trail was among the best I’ve ever seen; extremely wide, smooth, well-packed. Lots of tree cover, gentle hills. They use the old-fashioned access control gates on this trail, which are a bit narrow to ride through even at a slow speed. But road crossings were not too frequent and didn’t slow me down.
Even though it was a Saturday and a lot of people were using the trail, I didn’t feel hampered to ride at a (relatively) fast pace. The mix of families with strollers, walkers, runners, and riders all got along quite well. I rode to the end of the stone section, then back past my car to the paved section and into Durham. There was a bigger hill and one very urban area where the trail narrows and becomes effectively a sidewalk, then opens up a bit and dives back into the trees. I continued to Mile 5 and turned around where it seemed to be getting more urban again.
And despite the trail’s name, not a single smoker in sight the whole way.
I have wobbly ankles so some of the trail was moderately challenging (as opposed to running on flat asphalt) but it is truly gorgeous scenery and a lovely run. The restrooms were clean, the views were gorgeous and I look forward to running here frequently and bringing my kids to kayak. I'd easily rate it 5 stars, however I tripped on a root and gouged my knee pretty badly. If I wasn't so clumsy this would definitely rate 5 out of 5 stars.
I have lived in Erwin for 11 years and have used this trail many times. It is a shame, because it is a nice trail, but in the last couple of years I have had more and more problems with off leash dogs. Earlier this year I was chased by a pack of 3 aggressive dogs on the Dunn side of the rail trail, and there is another off leash aggressive dog that will charge and bark at the intersection of the trail and Suggs Rd on the Erwin side. We have tried, unsuccessfully, to alert Harnett Co Animal Control about these dogs. My husband left them messages which they never returned. So we have had to stop walking our dogs on this trail. It was not just the fact that the off leash dogs were taking an interest in our dogs, I also spoke to a couple of people who use the trail for jogging without dogs, and they are also being bothered by the aggressive dogs. So use with caution, and if you can, call the Harnett Co Animal Control if you have the same problem. Perhaps if enough people complain they will do something to make this trail safer.
People complaining about sand, that gives you more exercise. I did not think the sand was bad at all. I did the walk from Reservoir park to NIcks creek. Nice little hike
The course for the parts I could find. Unfortunately after the first half mile there weren't markers so difficult to follow
We traveled there from NJ and stayed at a local hotel a few miles down the road. La Qunita was clean and accepted our dog at no extra charge. We parked at 3 different spots on our 3 days of riding there this past weekend. In the South Point Mall parking lot, at the New Hope Church Road Parking Lot and at the Kroger Parking Lot, with absolutely no problems. We rode the entire length and other than a couple of less respectful people not caring about anyone but themselves, we had a Great time. The trails are used by walkers, joggers, families, novice and very inexperienced riders. We did see a police officer on the trail on day 3. I contacted the local Police Department prior to taking to the trails, and was advised that other than a couple of incidents, that the trail is an excellent place to bike, and that there is no specific location presenting additional hazards. We cautiously rode north to Durham on our 1st day (Friday) and the trail was not very busy at all. As we neared Martin Luther Blvd, there was a growing number of younger folks using the trail for getting around, but none of them were in any disrespectful or threatening. There were also a few just hanging in the area along side of the trails, but were also not threatening to us in any way. Days 2 and 3 we covered from south of the South Point Mall which went from asphalt to finely packed sand and gravel. There were many many people on the trails on Saturday and Sunday, but there was plenty of room for getting around and not at all a "Too Crowded"place to be. We met a few people through out our days and just had an awesome time. We put in about 70 miles during or 3 day trek! and would love to return and bring more of our family with us next time.
As mentioned, parking areas are somewhat hard to find. You have a couple of options for parking - park in the very back of the Timberwood Apartment Complex located off Wicker Street. There is also a parking area close to the intersection of Carbonton Rd and Halifax located at approximately 700 Carbonton Road. You may also choose to connect from the Kiwanis Parking area located off of Wicker Street (this connection is tricky to find and is not rollerblade friendly). There are also random locations along the trail that offer an opportunity to connect. The trail runs along the back side of Applebees, First Bank and Frank Theatres Spring Lane.
In terms of rollerblading - I would probably only do the section from 700 Carbonton and head NW (along Carbonton Road and under the overpass). The section from the Timberwood Apts. to 700 Carbonton is a little rough. It is definitely doable, but not the smoothest riding.
Its a good trail. There are some road crossings to be aware of and it does run through the shopping center. All-in-all it works as a nice paved trail. If blading, please keep in mind there are some hills along the trail. Please be sure to have good brakes and know how to brake properly down hills.
Happy Trails!
Definitely what another reviewer mentioned--great for a Sunday afternoon walk.
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