Parks/trails in South Asheville (Brevard, Fletcher: apartment, home, organic)

[Craiggles]

I've been living in Asheville for a couple of months now and I've been starting to run again in the last couple of weeks. I would like to know if there are some good parks or trails in South Asheville. I have been using the Mountains to Sea trail, pulling off the Parkway on the way home from work, but I don't like parking on the side of the road for safety reasons, and my car has limited ground clearance, so I'm always afraid of scrapes.

Where I'm from in East Tennessee, we had a greenway system that interlinked parks throughout the city with paved trails, and amounted to being a 20 mile loop around the city. Does Asheville have something like this? I've looked on the city website for parks, but it seems like there are few parks in S. Asheville, and those are mostly ball fields.

I guess what I'm really looking for is faily easy-access area with paved parking. I live off of Sweeten Creek Road, close to Skyland. I work near where Long Shoals intersects Brevard Road, so parks in that area are good too.

Sorry for the long-winded first post!

[The Mule]

If you are looking to run, check out Fletcher Park. There is a pathway that loops around the outside of the side with the ball fields, and you can cross over the bridge to another path around the cornfield. We walk our dogs on that side, which is about a mile loop.

It isn't the most scenic path, but it is all pedestrians.

[Craiggles]

Ah, cool! Only five miles from my apartment, too. I do enjoy the scenery running on the MTS trail, but access is a bit of a pain since the only way I know to get to it is from the Parkway.

Just a note if you ever check it out: be careful where you pull off. At some of the pull-offs, there is a good four inch or more drop-off from the road. I learned this the hard way, so I have a nice dent and scrape on my car's unibody.

Thanks a lot for the tip!

[vandemusser]

This is just how my brain works, but when I (quickly) looked at the title of the thread originally, I actually thought it said "Trailer Parks in South Asheville". Now that would be an interesting thread!

Maybe I am going crazy...

[Jimrob1]

Originally Posted by Craiggles

I've been living in Asheville for a couple of months now and I've been starting to run again in the last couple of weeks. I would like to know if there are some good parks or trails in South Asheville. I have been using the Mountains to Sea trail, pulling off the Parkway on the way home from work, but I don't like parking on the side of the road for safety reasons, and my car has limited ground clearance, so I'm always afraid of scrapes.

Where I'm from in East Tennessee, we had a greenway system that interlinked parks throughout the city with paved trails, and amounted to being a 20 mile loop around the city. Does Asheville have something like this? I've looked on the city website for parks, but it seems like there are few parks in S. Asheville, and those are mostly ball fields.

I guess what I'm really looking for is faily easy-access area with paved parking. I live off of Sweeten Creek Road, close to Skyland. I work near where Long Shoals intersects Brevard Road, so parks in that area are good too.

Sorry for the long-winded first post!

I don't have any info on the Asheville parks, but if you wouldn't mind. What is the city in Tennessee that has such a developed greenway park system?

[Craiggles]

I'm from Maryville. It's about twenty minutes south of Knoxville. The greenway is shared with Alcoa, since the two cities butt up to each other. I may be overstating the length, but it is a very nice and well-developed park and trail system. It's very safe, has lighting at night, and the trail will get you into downtown. There's one part where there are stairs that go straight up into the parking lot for a Mexican restaurant.

[Jimrob1]

Originally Posted by Craiggles

I'm from Maryville. It's about twenty minutes south of Knoxville. The greenway is shared with Alcoa, since the two cities butt up to each other. I may be overstating the length, but it is a very nice and well-developed park and trail system. It's very safe, has lighting at night, and the trail will get you into downtown. There's one part where there are stairs that go straight up into the parking lot for a Mexican restaurant.

Sounds very nice. everyplace should have that type greenway system. Does this trail run into Knoxville also? You mentioned downtown but I imagine you mean Maryville. Hope you find your needs in Asheville. I have a friend that recently moved there, but I have heard very little as to how she actually likes it there.

[Craiggles]

Right now, it doesn't, but there may be plans to link it up, or it may just happen on its own, since Knoxville is growing pretty fast, I think. It's a good place to live; in Maryville, there's not much of a nightlife, and the mindset is very conservative, but being so close to Knoxville, with UT and some of the wealthier areas like Farragut and Oak Ridge, you can get just about anything you want, like clubs, ethnic food and markets, organic food, etc.

[Jimrob1]

Originally Posted by Craiggles

Right now, it doesn't, but there may be plans to link it up, or it may just happen on its own, since Knoxville is growing pretty fast, I think. It's a good place to live; in Maryville, there's not much of a nightlife, and the mindset is very conservative, but being so close to Knoxville, with UT and some of the wealthier areas like Farragut and Oak Ridge, you can get just about anything you want, like clubs, ethnic food and markets, organic food, etc.

Thanks for the information. I no sooner wrote this and my friend from Asheville called. She said she really likes it there, although she has only been there since May. I honestly did not think she would like Asheville, but I am very glad she does like the area. She said there were paved trails along the Blue Ridge Parkway and other paved trails all over Asheville. She has been going biking and jogging on them. Good Luck, I hope you will like it there.

[Jimrob1]

Originally Posted by vandemusser

This is just how my brain works, but when I (quickly) looked at the title of the thread originally, I actually thought it said "Trailer Parks in South Asheville". Now that would be an interesting thread!

Maybe I am going crazy...

that is funny.