Preposed new re-route of the Mountains-To-Sea Trail

[Tennessee Viking]

If you have not heard, the Mountains-To-Sea Trail is growing and growing. As of 2012, the Falls Lake Trail was officially completed to add 60+ miles of continuous trail in Raleigh-Durham area. More land is being acquired for the trail along the Haw River in Alamance County, Eno River in Orange/Durham Counties, and Neuse River in Wake and Johnston Counties.

As of the last meeting, the FMST board has reconfigured their plan for the routing of the MST route in eastern North Carolina. The previous plan was for the trail to follow the Neuse River corridor to New Bern. Due to the lack of public lands and possible easements, plans have changed.

The Board is now proposing a new route from the city of Smithfield in Johnston County to the Bladen Lakes area in Bladen County (near Elizabethtown) then to Holly Shelter Gamelands, the city of Jacksonville, and Croatan Forest (Neusiok Trail). This route will follow a number of natural preserves and public land tracts.


This is a major re-route, if anyone has any experience of hiking or exploring any trails or natural areas on this corridor, please contact me. I am trying to gather information about possible hiking corridors, camping, resupply points and such.

[Grits]

Hi Tenn Viking: I have several questions I hope you can answer. Is this to try to move the trail away from a road walk?? Will the bike and boat routes still be where they are? From the maps it looks like a thru hiker would have more road walks or road crossings than the current route but I could be worng?? http://www.ncmst.org/the-trail/planned-route-of-the-mst/ What are they thinking? :confused:

[Rasty]

That looks like a road walk up highway 17 through jacksonville. From Holly shelter north its all military land along that road on one side and subdivisions every couple of miles on the other side of the road.

[Grits]

That would be interesting hiking with the Marines

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1G0VLTh-vs

General Chesty Puller USMC "We're surrounded. That simplifies our problem of getting to these people and killing them!"

A group of Marines did thru hike the Mountains to Sea Trail last year as a fund raiser for othe wounded Marines.
http://www.fortunatesons.org/about/

[Rasty]

That would be interesting hiking with the Marines

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1G0VLTh-vs

General Chesty Puller USMC "We're surrounded. That simplifies our problem of getting to these people and killing them!"

A group of Marines did thru hike the Mountains to Sea Trail last year as a fund raiser for othe wounded Marines.
http://www.fortunatesons.org/about/

Do not sleep on the Marines trails. A tank may not see you.

[Tennessee Viking]

Hi Tenn Viking: I have several questions I hope you can answer. Is this to try to move the trail away from a road walk?? Will the bike and boat routes still be where they are? From the maps it looks like a thru hiker would have more road walks or road crossings than the current route but I could be worng?? http://www.ncmst.org/the-trail/planned-route-of-the-mst/ What are they thinking? :confused:
I don't have all the specifics, as I was just provided this news just last week. The Bladen Lake route will definitely add some miles.

But the ultimate goal of the FMST is to have one continuous long trail. But due to all the private lands on the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, I doubt a single trail without roads will be possible. The Neuse River water route will probably still be advertised. The route may include the bay lakes and other rivers.

But from what I know there is no public lands at all on the current route from Raleigh to the Croatan. The Neuse River plan there would have been a handful of public land routes. Neuse River Greenway Raleigh/Clayton/Smithfield, Howell Woods outside of Smithfield, and Cliffs of the Neuse SP. These routes have long walks on roads through open farm lands.

The Bladen Lakes route supposedly will run in and out of nature preserves, land trusts, and state lands. Ex. Bentonville Battlegrounds, Bladen Lakes State Forest, Jones SP, Moore's Creek Battlefield, Savannah Preserves, Holly Shelter gameland, and travel through more of Croatan lands. I think the board plan is to get hikers is to be walking on the roads in between towns or public lands tracts which would be a day walk or less.

[gunner76]

Heard about this earlier last year. Been waiting to hear how all this new route will connect up with us down here on the coast.

[Tennessee Viking]

From what I been informed and studied the MST will probably trek through the Croatan somewhere from Maysville (along Catfish Lake Road) and run in/near Havelock and connect with the Neusiok at NC 101. Or the roads/new trail will be built along the southern boundaries of the Croatan going near Newport or Morehead City.

But any plan should lead to the Cedar Island Ferry. Thats the only public transporation to Orkacocke and the Outer Banks.

[gunner76]

There was talk about the trail running along some of the railroad rightaways down here which I understand the railways are not happy about. While we have lots of woods down here, much of it is very swampy and not suitable for a trail.

[Tennessee Viking]

There was talk about the trail running along some of the railroad rightaways down here which I understand the railways are not happy about. While we have lots of woods down here, much of it is very swampy and not suitable for a trail.

I found a few old abandoned railbeds in Pender and Duplin counties on my gazetters that .

It was rumored at one point a large greenway system was going to be built (similiar to the VA Creeper; crushed gravel) from Willard/Wallace down to Wilmington; which was also going to be part of the East Coast Greenway. But from what I have been told, those projects have not been very promising.

[Pedaling Fool]

Here's the website of the East Coast Greenway for the latest in their progress, FWIW, http://www.greenway.org/index.shtml