Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” draws the reader into the scene with the sojourner as he pauses to watch the snow fall gently in the woods, reflecting on nature and the bustling world beyond the trees. As commerce and neighborhoods build up around us, places such as Frost’s quiet getaway are rapidly disappearing. But, if you are longing for a place to close out the busy world, if only for a moment, Fuquay-Varina’s many walking trails and greenways may lead you to your own place of relaxation and reflection.
We are fortunate to have lots of choices when it comes to getting out and partaking of the natural beauty in our area. To learn more about how and why Fuquay-Varina residents use the trails, we went to the source – walkers, joggers, explorers, and those just seeking a little peace and quiet. Here’s what we found.
Michelle Cooke and her husband Larry had lived above 8,000 feet in Colorado and hiked in the majestic mountains there. Here in Fuquay-Varina, they continue to walk about four miles a day together, in the cool of the morning. Their routine is to walk the mile and a half from home to Old Honeycutt Park, do four laps on the quarter-mile oval track, and return to their house.
One day, they noticed a bridge near the oval track and decided to find out where it led. As they walked, they came to the edge of the housing development, crossed over Highway 55 at a “fancy new pedestrian light” and discovered the South Lakes Greenway Trail. Seeing the parking area, they later drove there and explored the trail all the way to the end at the high school, walking for about an hour. Now, it’s a favorite destination. Michelle and Larry have also enjoyed walking at Needmore Park, and at the Carroll Johnson Environmental Park.
Judy Taylor lives about a mile from the trailhead of the South Lakes Greenway and prefers the early morning, coming two to three times a week to walk and jog. Judy moved to
North Carolina from rural New York, so she loves the greenways in the area because they take her into nature, instead of just walking in housing developments. She finds the new trail quiet during the weekday hours. Her very favorite is the Hilltop Needmore trail, but that one is more challenging physically, Judy says. “I love the greenways in this area!”
Robert and Debbie Taylor (no relation to Judy Taylor) walk their dog, Watson, daily on the South Lakes Greenway trail. They live nearby so they can walk in on one of the many convenient access paths and then decide whether to head toward Honeycutt Park or past Big Lake to the school. The Taylors moved here from Topsail last October and though unaware during construction, have recently learned of the new facility (opened early 2021). The adjoining neighborhoods have sidewalks, making the facility available to neighbors and friends they meet as they walk. The beauty and design make it “a joy to use,” with multiple bridges crossing over the low-lying areas, and neatly mowed verges along the way.
The late May temperatures in the high 80s found Jeffrey Vannoy sweating heavily as he did his brisk walk for fitness in the early evening. Jeff exercises on South Lakes Greenway trail about four days a week. He moved to Fuquay-Varina eight and a half years ago from St. Louis, and learned about the new trail from a February article on the NextDoor app. His walking routine began right away, so he was able to keep fit and enjoy the beauty right through the winter. Jeff feels it is important as the town grows, “to provide services that are available in our neighborhoods and communities.” There were cyclists, a dog walker, and a young couple with their stroller passing by, as Jeff stopped for the brief interview.
Jonathan and Claire, brother and sister, ages 15 and 13 respectively, paused to talk with Valerie as they rode their bikes along the Old Honeycutt Park Depot Greenway Extension. Their father drives ten miles from their Willow Springs home and parks the car at the trailhead behind the fitness center there. Dad runs the trail while the kids ride their bikes. They all enjoy the trail this way three to four times a week for fun and exercise.
Richard Marsch is a resident of Fuquay-Varina who has been walking the Greenway Extension for the past two months. He likes to walk his dog on the trail, but also enjoys the quiet of walking by himself. Richard uses the trail four to five times a week and walks about a mile at a time. Richard thinks, “the trail is a good addition to Fuquay-Varina.”
Dre Richmond has more time to walk with his family (and alone) now that he has launched his own digital marketing business. He likes to run to stay in shape, so he uses the trail for fitness benefits. Dre runs twice a week, sometimes pushing three to four miles, and says he “feels safe running on the trail.”
McCall and Jordan Rawlings were strolling their baby, Ellie, along the Park Depot Extension on a sunny Sunday afternoon. They had started their walk at Honeycutt Park behind the fitness center. They’ve lived in Fuquay-Varina for two and a half years; this was their first time on the trail. They are always looking for new places to walk and are “glad this new trail is here.”
Three young-teen girls stopped along the Park Depot Greenway to admire a stand of raspberry bushes loaded with berries. They enjoy nature, birds, and tasting the berries along the way. About twice a week the friends walk over from the Inglenook neighborhood and enjoy the walk together.
Gene was using the Greenway Extension to teach his daughter, age ten, to ride her bike. The girl, apparently a fast learner, went whizzing by, leaving her dad little time to stop and chat!
At the Tim Cifers concert at Centennial Square, Valerie caught up with Mayor John Byrne, an avid bird watcher. Mayor Byrne touts the best place to spot birds is on the Old Honeycutt Park Depot Trail, at the trail’s entrance near the walkway bridge. If you stop there and watch, or sit on a nearby bench, you could see a great variety of birds or just enjoy listening to their songs. Mayor Byrne reports that cardinals, bluebirds, blue jays, robins, and thrashers all have been spotted, and he has also seen people photographing the birds in that location. Given the choice, he says, birds will choose natural plants found along the trail over bird feeders.
Ned Freese and his wife, Carrie Cononico, joined in the conversation with the mayor. Ned is an avid jogger and ex-military man who runs with a 40-pound rucksack on his back. He has run the entire length of Judd Parkway. Ned was excited to learn about the new Greenway Extension and looks forward to running there.
No matter your reason for getting out on the trails and greenways in Fuquay-Varina, you don’t have to wait to watch the snow fall, as Frost did. Most trails are accessible year-round and are waiting for you and your family to enjoy!
“Happy Trails to you!”
To find out more about the trails such as locations, length, estimated walking times, level of difficulty, starting point(s), whether the trails are dog-, wheelchair-, and kid-friendly, paved or unpaved, etc., and for an overview of what wildflowers and wildlife you might observe, check out one of the many Internet links including: www.fuquay-varina.org or www.alltrails.com/us/north-carolina/fuquay-varina
