Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
37 <br /> the creek. Since Saxapahaw is a proposed MST "trail town," it was <br /> decided that making a direct road connection to Saxapahaw from NC 54 <br /> was a better approach. Following Cane Creek all the way to the Haw <br /> River would bring the MST well south of Saxapahaw, and while there is a <br /> Haw River Trail there which could be connected to, making such a <br /> connection seems overly difficult and complicated. <br /> There are also two alternate routes and one "multi-modal trail" shown on the <br /> proposed Segment 11 map. <br /> Alternate 1 takes a western course from the Seven Mile Creek (Upper Eno) <br /> Nature Preserve and would traverse County preserve land to reach Mount <br /> Willing Road. From there, this alternate would use Mount Willing Road and Camp <br /> Chestnut Ridge Road before rejoining the Proposed Trail. <br /> Alternate 2 (which is not mutually exclusive from Alternate 1), takes the MST <br /> west from the private properties north of Buckhorn Road and routes the trail <br /> through Camp Chestnut Ridge and into the OWASA Mitigation Tract west of <br /> Buckhorn Road, before heading south to rejoin the Proposed Trail where Cane <br /> Creek crosses Arthur Minnis Road. <br /> Finally, an idea was proposed in the community meetings for new and different <br /> approach called the "Multi-Modal Trail." This would involve a paved trail along a <br /> series of road rights-of-way that could serve hikers, bicycles and even in some <br /> areas, horseback riding. The multi-modal trail was sited along roads that were <br /> considered to have scenic attributes where possible, and would offer a roadway <br /> alternative that would connect from Lake Ben Johnson Road in Hillsborough to <br /> Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Road. This trail alternative is more expansive <br /> than the MST standards and would serve a broader variety of transportation. It <br /> would also require a significant change of approach for NCDOT and NC State <br /> Parks, and may result in complicated road right-of-way drainage and safety <br /> considerations. However, it is an innovative alternative to the MST and one that <br /> was mentioned sufficiently to warrant inclusion here. <br /> 3. Area of Focus / Sequence of Planned Events <br /> The 17-mile length of the MST Segment 11 route through Orange County in its <br /> final form is a long-term effort that may take many years to complete. Many <br /> different landowners will need to agree to the trail, and easements will need to be <br /> secured across these properties for the six-foot wide natural surface trail. <br /> From a trail planning and trail usage standpoint, there is great priority placed on <br /> extending existing trails as opposed to creating new freestanding trail segments <br /> that may or may not connect to other trails for some period of time. Staff has <br /> confirmed with the N.C. Division of State Parks that their highest priority for the <br /> Segment 11 section of the MST in Orange County would be to start with <br /> 5 <br />