The Falcon Trail

The Falcon Trail is part of the ever-expanding network of the Carolina Thread Trail. You can find a map of the Falcon Trail on their website here: https://www.carolinathreadtrailmap.org/trails/trail/the-falcon-trail

The Falcon Trail is mostly natural surface.  Currently, it is 2.75 miles in length one-way, stretching from Wesley Chapel Road in Misenheimer to Richfield Park in Richfield.

There is a gravel parking on the south side of US-52 at Wesley Chapel Road in Misenheimer.  After parking in the lot, cross US-52 and the trail entrance is just across the creek on your right.

There is also a parking lot at the easternmost end of the trail, in Richfield Park, on the west side of Hwy 49, about a quarter mile north of its intersection with US-52 in Richfield. Richfield Park has picnic tables, a restroom, and other amenities.

We are actively working to extend the trail an additional 6.75 miles, making the trail 9.5 miles long.  

The second section of our trail, expected to be completed in late spring 2024, will extend eastward from Richfield Park, adding 2.5 miles to the length. It will have spurs connecting Richfield Elementary School and Tyson Family Park. 

The third section of the trail, currently in the planning stages, will be a northwesterly extension from Wesley Chapel Road in Misenheimer to Glenmore Road in Gold Hill, and ultimately connecting to the Gold Hill Rail Trail.  

We are currently working to acquire rights-of-way to continue the trail in the southeasterly direction towards New London.

If you appreciate these efforts and would like to contribute to the completion of this project, please join as a Friend of North Stanly Trails and Parks!

Nearby attractions

There is a Coffee/Ice Cream shop on Hwy 49 just south of Richfield park from which you can get a snack or drink before or after your Falcon Trail adventure.  They have wonderful ice cream and fantastic chai.  There are also multiple restaurants near the intersection of US-52 and Hwy 49 if you work up a more substantial appetite.

The trail runs through the campus of Pfeiffer University, home to many historic buildings (there are restrooms in the gym, which you will pass), and behind the Gladstone Academy.  The Barringer Mine (the first shaft mine in the United States) is also nearby, but it is privately owned and unavailable to the public.  

SPECIAL EVENT

On the second Saturday of each month, a group of volunteers gathers to work on removing invasive plants from the area surrounding the trail.  We’re making a tremendous difference, enabling native plants to move back in where the non-natives had invaded.  The native plants provide food for wildlife, whereas most non-native plants contribute very little to the local food web. 

If you’d like to help us in these efforts, you can go to https://www.carolinathreadtrail.org/how-you-can-help/volunteer/volunteer-event-registration/ to register for an upcoming event.