Gaston County getting 20-mile trail from South Carolina to Spencer Mountain

A 20-plus mile linear trail will soon allow people to start walking, jogging or bicycling from the South Carolina state line, follow the South Fork River by Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, pass through parts of Belmont, Cramerton, McAdenville, Lowell and then end atop Spencer Mountain in Ranlo.

The trail, some of it paved, other parts natural, will be known as the Matthews-Belk South Fork River Corridor. The greenway will honor all of those who have worked for Belk over the years while also connecting eastern Gaston County by a pathway that attracts visitors who want to connect with this area's mountains, river, and towns, say officials with the Carolina Thread Trail, who will oversee the project.

About 8 miles of the trail has already been completed, and the remaining 12 miles will either be finished or be under construction within the next four years, said Bart Landess, executive director of the Carolina Thread Trail. The new greenway will also allow visitors to access about 8 miles of blueway trail along the South Fork River.

Some of that "connectivity" will occur soon, other parts will take a bit longer, Landess said.

'It's a big day'

"Along the South Fork, all of the small towns that have been there for a very long time, are essentially resuscitating after a few years of quiet time, and the trail is going to be a part of that renaissance because the trail is going to connect those towns like they have not been before," Landess told about 100 developers, government officials and others on Nov. 7 at the recently opened W. Duke Kimbrell Center for Philanthropy at the corner of Country Club and South New Hope Road.

Three local philanthropic families − the David Belk Cannon Foundation, the Warlick Family Foundation related to Parkdale Mills and the Carstarphen family related to Pharr Yarns −made "generous gifts" to help put the project over the finish line, Landess said. But developers, county and city governments, and individual landowners all combined to bring the project together.

While the entire corridor will be known as the Matthews-Belk South Fork River Corridor Trail, parts of the trail from Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden to the South Carolina state line will be called the Duke Kimbrell Trail, after the late leader of Parkdale Mills, and the Pharr Yarns Family Trail, which will be centered around McAdenville."

"Work on this trail has been happening for a while," said Ashton Lamb, who has worked on bringing these groups together over the last 18 months in his job with the Carolina Thread Trail. "Now we are all collaborating together and there is a lot of momentum. We all see a way to get this corridor done quickly together."

The trail will connect towns, along with county and city parks like the county's Poston Park near Lowell, and the Rocky Branch Park that connects Belmont and Cramerton. It will work with the Carstarphen family from Pharr Yarns and their ongoing projects in McAdenville, along with using artwork to create destinations along the pathway.

It will help connect people and towns and follow the motto of "saving land and connecting lives to nature" that the Catawba Land Conservancy envisioned when it helped create the Carolina Thread Trail 14 years ago.

"It's a big day," Landess said.

'Going to be fantastic'

At the start of the pandemic in the spring of 2020, Andy Warlick, who now leads Parkdale Mills, and his wife, Pam, the daughter of Duke Kimbrell, tried to maximize their time outside like a lot of other people were doing.

The two would load up their bicycles and go to Charlotte parks or the Swamp Rabbit Trail in Greenville, South Carolina, a 22-mile multi-use greenway that traverses along the Reedy River, an old railroad corridor and city parks to connect Travelers Rest with the city of Greenville.

That experience got Warlick thinking about Gaston County, its botanical garden, its rivers, mountain and land. He wanted to be a part, as well as the Matthews Belk family and Carstarphens, of bringing something unique to Gaston County.

"This may be one of the greatest things we have ever done in this community," Warlick said. "This is going to be fantastic."

Warlick joked about switching his pedaling bicycle for an electric bicycle as he grows older, but added his family's "part" of the trail will all be paved to be accessible to those with mobility issues.

The trail will help distinguish Gaston County as its neighbor to the east, Charlotte, continues to be one of the fastest growing cities in the county with the nation's fifth largest airport, said Bill Carstarphen. The trail will help ensure that the "children and grandchildren in Gaston County" will continue to have greenspace to enjoy.

"We have an amazing opportunity to build a 20-plus mile greenway from Spencer Mountain to the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, connecting five charming and very unique Gaston County towns," said Carstarphen, a board member of the Catawba Land Conservancy who also led Pharr Yarns. "The corridor will include multiple access points to the river, it will include artwork, and with all our topography multiple opportunities for overlooks."

Plans also include to take the greenway from the Warlick YMCA on Robinson Road to Lineberger Park on Garrison Boulevard. Other plans have a trail from Mount Holly to Mountain Island Lake.

"It's going to be a green oasis for people to enjoy the outdoors," Carstarphen said.

Gaston County Commissioner-elect Cathy Cloninger said the trail shows how people here can work together to make the county better.

"It's just wonderful for Gaston County to have such a strong community, and this trail will be an asset to our community," Cloninger said.

Lowell City Councilman Tom Gillespie called the project a "blessing for our citizens." He envisions the trail not only helping Gaston County residents to get outside and live healthier, but also attracting people to Lowell and the other nearby towns.

"This is a big deal, and I'm just glad Lowell is a part of it," Gillespie said.

You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-201-7016 or email him at Kellis@GastonGazette.com. Support local journalism by subscribing here.

.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gaston getting 20-mile pathway from South Carolina to Spencer Mountain