Charlotte

CHARLOTTESTARTER

Mint Street to the Square

≈ 1,300 steps0.6 mi · about 1.5 hoursStarter · 3 stops · 500 credStart where you live.

Three stops on foot from the Panthers' stadium plaza to the corner where the city began. About a mile and a half of Uptown sidewalk, ninety minutes at a tailgate pace, no tickets anywhere.

CHARLOTTESTANDARD

Creek to the lake

≈ 7,500 steps3.6 mi · about 3.5 hoursStandard · 4 stops · 600 credOne trip earns it.

Follow the Little Sugar Creek Greenway south from Midtown to the lake at Freedom Park, then cut across Dilworth to its oldest park. About four miles of paved path and quiet streets; give it half a day and bring water.

CHARLOTTESTANDARD

Rail Trail, porch swings to painted carpet

≈ 2,500 steps1.1 mi · about 2.5 hoursStandard · 4 stops · 600 credOne trip earns it.

Four stops down the Charlotte Rail Trail through South End, from the swings at Carson station to a mural painted on the path itself. A flat mile and a half beside the Blue Line, with a train back at the end. Half a morning or a long afternoon.

CHARLOTTEADVANCED

Gold Line, west end to the oaks

≈ 15,000 steps + 3.2 mi by car7.0 mi on foot · a full dayAdvanced III · 11 stops · 800 credGetting there is not the hard part.

Eleven stops across the whole width of the city: Biddleville and the west-side parks, the Uptown plazas, Elizabeth and Plaza Midwood by streetcar, and the willow-oak tunnel of Myers Park to finish. The Gold Line streetcar carries the middle; the last leg needs a bus or a ride. Most people will want two days.

CHARLOTTEADVANCED

North arc: Fourth Ward, the camp, the mills, NoDa

≈ 12,000 steps5.7 mi · about 6 hoursAdvanced · 7 stops · 800 credGetting there is not the hard part.

Seven stops in a long arc north of the Square: Victorian Fourth Ward, the old Army depot at Camp North End, a gingham mill's smokestack, the top of the creek greenway and the murals of NoDa. About five miles on foot with the Blue Line home from 36th Street. A full day.