Take a Trail Through The River District

Charlotte is growing, yet it still boasts bountiful natural resources and wild, undeveloped land. The River District, with amenities focused on outdoor recreation, community and lifelong learning, will incorporate the best of both worlds: a thriving master-planned community in the heart of nature. Tucked into this gem just minutes from Uptown Charlotte are some of the city’s newest trails. Not just for mountain biking or hiking, these greenways beckon runners, walkers and wanderers, too. Here’s what we love about them.

These trails are homegrown.

Built by Charlotte’s own Tarheel TrailBlazers, the mountain biking trails at The River District will span at least 25 miles around the property. The Tarheel TrailBlazers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with more than 400 members and three decades of trail building experience. The organization is completely run by volunteers who know the Charlotte area like the back of their helmets.

In fact, the club already cares for approximately 140 miles of trails they either built or raised funds to support. With deep roots in the mountain biking community and a close connection to Charlotte, the Tarheel TrailBlazers’ contribution to The River District brings an additional layer of pride to our city while maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship with the land.

Their ideal terrain promotes sustainability.

“It’s important to have proper elevation to build a sustainable trail, and The River District has the perfect amount of elevation gain,” said Tom Ambrozevitch, former president of the Tarheel TrailBlazers. “Sustainable trails are built to last. Much of this has to do with how the trail is laid out and how we manage water when it rains.”

Trail builders count keeping water off the trail as a primary concern, since water can interfere with mountain biking by making trails dangerous and nearly impossible to traverse. “The idea is to avoid trail alignments that travel straight down the side of a hill or mountain and instead cut angles into the side of the hill, so the water can shed off the side rather than running straight down,” Ambrozevitch said.

The River District naturally has ideal elevation gain and loss for trails. “Since it’s right on the Catawba River, you have a variety of steep climbs that are common on this type of terrain,” he said.

They offer a natural sense of seclusion.

For anyone who loves the outdoors, seclusion in the wilderness is a coveted experience. But in a bustling metropolis like Charlotte, the illusion of seclusion can be just as satisfying. “The River District is a pretty amazing piece of Charlotte,” Ambrozevitch said. “It’s so close to the airport, but you can spend an entire day out there on the trails and not hear any air traffic. It’s surprisingly quiet. The fact that there is still so much wilderness out there is the most exciting part.”

With such close proximity to vibrant Uptown Charlotte, The River District provides a unique location that fuses the natural amenities of the Catawba River with a full spectrum of commercial and residential offerings and a commitment to creating a sustainable community for generations to come. “The river itself is beautiful. I’m excited to see it when the trails are complete,” Ambrozevitch said. “Looking down at the water from a ridge high above will definitely influence the way you experience the outdoors in Charlotte.”

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