The Town of Boone Greenway Trail is a Boone-area in-town favorite for runners and casual hikers. But there’s a lot more trail and exploring to do there than meets the eye. Plus it’s super close if you’re short on time.
Why You Should Explore the Boone Greenway Trail
The Boone Greenway Trail is an in-town High Country escape that provides residents and visitors alike with an opportunity for trail fun and a little mountain adventure that’s a short drive from just about anywhere in the Boone city limits. Hiking, biking, running, picnicking, and even the occasional rugby match or ultimate frisbee tournament can all be experienced in this park.
The South Fork of the New River snakes its way through here on a meandering U-shaped path after traveling from its headwaters in Blowing Rock and the Eastern Continental Divide, and before connecting with the New Fork New River to form the famed New River that flows into Virginia and West Virginia. It’s possibly one of the oldest rivers in the world. At least that’s what they say–and not just on Wikipedia.
That’s something to think about isn’t it as you push your toddler on the swing at the Tot Lot, that playground nestled in the shadow of the shiny new Watauga Community Recreation Center and within a short stroll to the National Guard Armory. You’ve got (they say) one of the oldest rivers in the world flowing right nearby.
Just let it be a reminder that a lot of water flowed under the proverbial bridges and also under the real bridges that attempt to tame this place. There are at least four bridges actually that cross this famed tributary of that even more famous river.
All I’m saying is, don’t underestimate the potential for exploration here at the Greenway.
For example, park your car and take the paved path that bisects the gazebos on the right from the baseball fields on the left. Follow the path between the trees to where there’s a wooden fence surrounding the Appalachian State intramural fields.
The Path Less Traveled By
You could continue to follow that paved path (like everyone else) around and across the covered bridge that crosses the aforementioned South Fork New River. This paved path will take you across a covered bridge, then another bridge, then another until you find yourself a couple miles in on paved paths past the historic hydro-electric damn, past rock outcroppings that provide some fairly decent boulder problems with fairly bad landings, past the Watauga County Water Treatment facility and if you are adventurous enough and go far enough you might just wander way far down toward the Ted Mackeral and toward the likes of the fly fishing stream out thataway and Booneshine Brewery for some local beer made by good local people.
The Angel Stairway
OR you could find an opening in the wooden fence and meander your way across the intramural fields until you find the gravel trail leading into the woods. When you find this gravel path, take it. For a flat half mile or less you’ll wander past old growth, past segments of wetland full of croaking bullfrogs in the summer and spring, an interpretive sign I’ve never read, before beginning to climb gently toward a sign that reads Angel Stairway.
Don’t let yourself be fooled, though. Staying on the gravel path is certainly a worthy journey but it’s not the Angel Stairway. That sign marks the intersection for the, now, barely visible angelic trail that runs perpendicular to the gravel trail you’re on. You should be able to see to the right or left some faint signs of a path. Finding it is part of the fun; taking it puts you in an elite category.
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The Sewer Line Trail
If you don’t take the Angel Stairway but continue up the obvious way, you’ll wind around and eventually arrive at another well-worn path. This, I’ve been told by local hiker Tom Layton, is called the Sewer Line Trail. It brings you back to the more civilized areas of the Boone Greenway Trail with opportunities for meanderings along the way.
The Ridgeline Trail: The Best Trail in the Boone Greenway
HERE’S WHAT I RECOMMEND. If you’re only going to do one trail at the Greenway, do this. Pass right over that Sewer Line trail. Walk right across it to the fallen tree because that’s where you’ll find the trail that climbs up to the ridge line, meandering through rhododendron and offering plenty of opportunity to wander onto curvy side trails for a little escape into the old Boone Arboretem, an old growth forest on the other side of the mountain.
The cool thing here is that if you walk in the same direction for more than 10 minutes, you’ll find your way back so you can explore without fear and create a little wilderness experience for yourself in the middle of a busy day. Enjoy!
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