Asheville and the surrounding Western North Carolina region are renowned for exhilarating outdoor activities, with trail hiking and biking among the most popular. To make established trails more accessible, Asheville Unpaved – a community-supported initiative led by Asheville on Bikes along with other partners – has set out to create a network of multi-use natural surface trails. This in-town network, which is being formed in phases and with community input, will ultimately offer “front door” trail access via neighborhood streets for area residents and visitors alike, expanding mobility options and helping to reduce car dependency as it connects users to their natural environment, as well as to other neighborhoods, transportation hubs, and commercial districts.
Trail network’s many benefits
Asheville Unpaved’s vision is marked by a number of goals, benefiting residents, visitors and our environment. Front-door access will remove barriers for those without vehicles or the means to drive to popular trails, allowing users to hop on connected greenways, sidewalks, bike lanes and natural surface trails. Because the trails will be developed in Asheville’s natural lands and parks as well as urban areas, access will be spread equitably, with a focus on neighborhoods that may lack safe, basic walking and biking infrastructure. Bonus: Natural surface trails are cheaper to build than greenways, with minimal environmental impact.
Unique to Asheville Unpaved’s project is the creation of trail hubs and neighborhood connectors. Trails hubs use public space to create “stacked” loops for riding and can connect to many destinations – or be a destination themselves. Neighborhood connectors provide an alternate, often natural route through private properties for quicker, more enjoyable access. For more information on Asheville Unpaved, as well as maps of current and proposed trails, visit https://ashevilleonbikes.com/asheville-unpaved.
Bike Love 2023 celebration
Asheville on Bikes – of which Mosaic Realty is a proud supporter – has helped to fund phase I of the Asheville Unpaved network. In turn, the community has been able to support Asheville on Bikes through such events as the annual Bike Love, a celebration of Asheville’s cycling community. Bike Love 2023 will be held at Highland Brewing Company March 11, featuring live music, a silent auction and raffle, and other cycling-related activities. Visit https://ashevilleonbikes.com/events/asheville-bike-love for more information. And for more information on how Mosaic supports and advocates for the vitality of Asheville’s community organizations, visit https://mymosaicrealty.com/donations-volunteer-program/.
To learn about real estate in Asheville, connect with us at Info@MyMosaicRealty.com, or call anytime at 828-707-9556.
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