Frequently Asked Questions
What is a greenway?
A greenway is a corridor of undeveloped land preserved for recreational use or environmental protection. The Thread Trail initiative is an effort to encourage 15 counties in the south-central piedmont of North Carolina and the north-central South Carolina to create a large, interconnected trail and greenway system.
What will The Thread link together?
2.3 Million People
Over 40 Destinations
7,300 Square Miles
15 Counties
2 States
How will the Carolina Thread Trail benefit our communities?
It will:
- Support economic prosperity by attracting and retaining new employers to the area
- Promote tourism
- Foster the joining of diverse communities
- Serve as an alternative means of transportation
- Encourage healthy lifestyles
- Aid in fresh air and clean water preservation
- Promote permanent conservation of nature and wildlife habitats
- Increase awareness and visitation of cultural and historical venues
- Create a sustainable Carolinas legacy for generations to come
- Educate our children through the use of outdoor classrooms
- Connect our children to nature
What counties are envisioned to be part of the initiative?
Anson, Cabarrus, Catawba, Cherokee, Chester, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Lancaster, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Stanly, Union and York
Who is leading the effort?
Two leading land conservation organizations are involved in advancing the project in the region in partnership with local land trusts and community partners. Catawba Lands Conservancy is the lead agency for the project, while The Trust for Public Land, is serving as a key consultant. Foundation For The Carolinas provides leadership as a philanthropic partner. As Corporate Champion, Duke Energy has committed leadership, cash, land and in-kind services. Ruth Shaw, retired CEO of Duke Power, is the chair of our Governing Board, which provides campaign and governance leadership. The Thread's Regional Advisory Council provides technical advice and community insight. The Carolina Thread Trail has two full-time staff members.
What is the role of the Carolina Thread Trail effort?
The leaders of the Carolina Thread Trail play three roles. They provide a vision for a system of connected trails and greenways throughout the 15-county region and they facilitate getting communities together to share this connected vision.
They provide funding by raising private capital that will be given out in grants to communities for planning and building legs of The Thread.
Finally, they provide assistance in sourcing state and federal funding and in accessing technical expertise required to build trails and greenways.
How long will the trail take to build?
The Thread will develop over time as individual trail and greenway projects, guided by a regional vision, grow together. Funding and expertise from the Carolina Thread Trail will accelerate individual efforts and facilitate linkages. Key linkages will occur in the next few years and the network will unfold over the next 10 to 20 years.
Which Trails will become the Carolina Thread Trail?
The Thread Trail will focus on corridors that provide the connecting legs of a regional trail system. It will link individual local greenway and blueway projects through a "green interstate" network. Not every splinter greenway in a community will be part of The Thread-only key legs.
How will The Thread be funded?
The Thread Trail will be financed with both private donations and public funding. The project's funding model was developed following two years of planning and study of regional greenway projects in the US. The funding model starts with a pool of private dollars that will be given as grants to local communities. These dollars provide the incentive for planning, design, land aquisition, and construction of greenways that will eventually link all 15 counties in the region to each other and to other greenway systems outside the region.
How safe will it be?
Safety along greenways and trails is of the highest importance. There is little evidence to support the fear that these natural spaces encourage criminal activity. In fact, evidence supports the notion that greenways, trails and converted rail beds may actually discourage crime and vandalism in many areas. These areas no longer serve as places for people to hang out, dump trash, vandalize or engage in criminal activity because there is too great a risk that they will be discovered.
As a private property owner, should I be concerned about eminent domain?
A guiding principle of the Carolina Thread Trail is “respect for the land and respect for the land owners”. As communities determine the location of their segments of The Thread, they will have alternative routes to consider that include lands in the public domain or owned by willing landholders, including developers who want to offer this amenity to their neighborhoods. Expert trail builders indicate that trails are built by assimilating parcels over time in this fashion and that eminent domain is very rarely used.
Are there other regions where this kind of trail has been successfully built?
There are very successful, large-scale trail systems in St. Louis, Indianapolis, Detroit and several other communities across the U.S. Nearby, the Palmetto Trail traverses South Carolina, from the mountains of Oconee State Park in the west to the Atlantic Ocean just north of Georgetown. Additionally, the Mountains to Sea Trail traverses several large sections of North Carolina between Clingman's Dome in the West all the way to Jockey's Ridge State Park near the Atlantic Ocean.