The portions of the Catawba River Greenway that are still currently closed for repair are:
#1 - Boardwalk behind the River Village Shopping Complex. You can walk through the parking lot of River Village to the other side of the greenway. The boardwalk is still currently being renovated.
#2 - The Rockyford Access all the way to the wooden overlook near the Joara village.
Please see this press release to view maps of open and closed sections.
The soccer fields, bathrooms and parking lot at the Soccer Complex will not be open. The bathrooms and parking lot at Freedom Park are open. The parking lot at the Greenlee Ford Road entrance to the Greenway is open. The dog park near the Soccer Complex is open as well.
The Morganton Greenway System is currently comprised of the Catawba River Greenway and the Freedom Trail Greenway.
Catawba River Greenway
The Catawba River Greenway offers at total of 3.8 miles of paved, fully accessible walking trail. The Catawba River Greenway runs along the Catawba River from the Rocky Ford Access area off Lenoir Road/NC 18 N. to the Greenlee Ford Access adjacent to the Catawba River Soccer Complex Loop located off Greenlee Ford Road.
The National Park Service formally certified the Greenway as part of the Overmountain Victory Trail. The Park Service placed historical markers along the Greenway walking trail commemorating the historic King's Mountain March.
Freedom Trail Greenway
The Freedom Trail Greenway connects Freedom Park and Freedom High School to the Catawba River Greenway. Freedom Trail extends .6 miles from the Freedom Trail Access Point adjacent to Freedom Park and is highlighted by a 226-foot, 90-ton pedestrian bridge that crosses the Catawba River.
The 10-foot wide pedestrian bridge links the northern and southern sides of the city providing access to what has become a very extensive pedestrian and bikeway system along the southern side of the Catawba River. Approximately 17,000 people use the Catawba River Greenway trail each month.
In the early 1990's, the City of Morganton acquired large amounts of property along one of western North Carolina's most cherished natural resources, the Catawba River, which meanders nearly 8 miles through the corporate limits of the city. Through aggressive grant writing campaigns the City was able to acquire nearly 6 miles of riverfront in the early 1990s.
Morganton was able to develop an extensive regional bikeway and pedestrian greenway system along its riverfront to provide recreation to its local citizens. The greenway soon attracted thousands of users per month from areas well outside the City of Morganton. It has become one of Morganton's calling cards and been highlighted numerous times in regional and national conferences.