Little Sugar Creek Greenway: A Photo Essay from NoDa to Pineville
The Marsh Park observation deck near Interstate 485 is a favorite spot for walkers and cyclists to take in the natural wetland’s native flora.
Rudbeckia and other native wildflowers spring to life on the creek’s banks near I-485.
A bit farther north, near Tyvola Road, a rusting reminder (above) of Little Sugar Creek’s polluted past. These remnants live in tandem with wildlife like this great blue heron (below), which wades across the creek near Pineville.
As the greenway reaches the city center, vegetation threatens to conquer the concrete below the East Fourth Street overpass near Central Piedmont Community College (above) and at Parkwood Avenue (below) near Cordelia Park.
Near Alexander Street Park, which adjoins the Brookshire Freeway, the trail passes under an elevated railroad bridge (above). When it’s dry, the low creek reveals piles of deposited sediment (below) beneath the Parkwood Avenue overpass.
Cyclists (above) emerge from under Parkwood Avenue and enter Cordelia Park. The bike trip gets a bit more perilous as the greenway nears uptown (below, at right) and the buildings of CPCC (at left).