Since May 4, 2026, Black Creek Greenway has ended at Weston Parkway. The 7.1-mile trail usually runs from the Old Reedy Creek Trailhead at Lake Crabtree all the way to the greenway hub at Bond Park. Right now the northern tip is closed for the third and final phase of a renovation that has been moving down the corridor since June 2024.
The closed piece is short, and it's the link between Cary's longest greenway and the regional trails to the north. The schedule has been moving earlier, too. In May, the Town said the section would be back in winter. By September, the forecast had become this fall.
Less than a mile, measured from the lake
The Town's Black Creek Greenway page describes the northern end in walking distances. Put those distances next to the Phase 3 limits and the closure turns out to be tiny compared with the whole trail.
- Start at Old Reedy Creek Road, the northern end of the trail.
- Go 0.5 miles to a shelter that overlooks Lake Crabtree.
- Go 0.3 miles more to the pedestrian underpass at Weston Parkway.
- Go 0.7 miles beyond that to the North Cary Park entrance, with access points along the way at Weston Parkway, Tynemouth Drive, Linton Banks Place and Midenhall Way.
Phase 3 covers Weston Parkway to the Old Reedy Creek Trailhead, so by the Town's own distances the closed section is roughly the first 0.8 miles of a 7.1-mile trail. Everything from Weston Parkway south to Bond Park is open now. That stretch passes North Cary Park, the Reedy Creek Greenway junction, the Black Creek Trailhead lot on NW Maynard Road, and Robert V. Godbold Park, where the trail runs between the Cary Dog Park and Cary Action Sports.
The lost piece is less than an eighth of the trail. It also includes the lake overlook shelter and the trailhead with the most amenities on the corridor.
Why 0.8 miles cuts off so much
Wake County says the multi-use trail network at Lake Crabtree County Park can be reached from Cary's Black Creek Greenway or from William B. Umstead State Park, by way of Old Reedy Creek Road near I-40.
The Town's project background page goes further. It describes the Black Creek and White Oak system as the link from Cary to Durham through the American Tobacco Trail, and to Raleigh and Clayton through Umstead State Park, the Capital Area Greenway System and the Neuse River Greenway. Inside Cary, the Black Creek and White Oak trails are also part of the East Coast Greenway, which is planned to run from Maine to Florida.
So while Phase 3 is closed, the trail works as a long north-south route within Cary, from Weston Parkway down to Bond Park. When it reopens, the north end connects again to Lake Crabtree's trails and the road into Umstead. A ride or run from Godbold Park can keep going past town limits instead of turning around at an underpass.
The northern trailhead is also the best-equipped stop on the trail. The Town lists the Reedy Creek Trailhead with parking for 82 cars, a restroom, water and a bike repair station. The same page also describes on-street parking at Old Reedy Creek Road and a future trailhead parking project in design, so check the Town's current notes before counting on a space.
The timeline kept getting shorter
The Town's monthly updates show the Phase 3 forecast moving earlier over the summer.
| When the Town said it | What it said about Phase 3 |
|---|---|
| March 2026 | Phase 3 would close as Phase 2 reopened, and was "anticipated to be reopened this winter" |
| May 4, 2026 | Phase 3 closed that day, with reopening still expected in winter |
| August 2026 | Heavy rain in July delayed work, but the team still expected a winter reopening |
| September 2026 | Most grading done, paving set to begin mid-September, reopening "this fall (weather dependent)" |
Even after a rainy July, the forecast moved from winter to fall. The project was set up to make that possible. Each of the three phases includes contractor incentives for early completion, and Crowder Construction Company is the contractor.
In September, Mayor Harold Weinbrecht's blog reported that paving was underway from Weston Parkway to the Old Reedy Creek Road trailhead. He wrote that the project was ahead of schedule, that paving should finish later that month, weather permitting, and that the greenway was expected to reopen this fall. As of this week, the Town has given no exact reopening day. The Cary Greenway Detour page is where the monthly updates appear, and it's the page to check before you head north.
What the reopened sections are a preview of
You don't have to guess what the finished northern piece will feel like. The section that reopened in spring shows the standard the renovation is building to.
Phase 2, from Livingstone Drive to Weston Parkway, reopened May 1 along with a new pedestrian bridge at Cary Parkway. According to the Town's May release, the bridge spans 285 feet across a crossing that never had one. It stands about 50 feet above Black Creek and is made of more than 400,000 pounds of weathered steel, which makes it the tallest pedestrian bridge in Cary. Its large leaf-patterned panels were inspired by the surrounding tree canopy. Built-in lighting keeps it visible into the evening, and a new signal with pedestrian push buttons at Cary Parkway and Norwell Boulevard makes the road crossing safer. CBS 17 also covered the opening that week.
The mayor's September update put the whole project at $17.2 million, with $12.1 million of that coming from grants. It lists wider trails plus drainage and accessibility upgrades among the improvements. The Town's release says funding came partly from the 2019 Shaping Cary's Tomorrow Bond Referendum, with support from the Locally Administered Projects Program. The work also arrives in the same year Cary is marking 100 miles of greenways.
Taken together, the renovation is rebuilding the full corridor from West Dynasty Drive to Old Reedy Creek Road. It also closes a sidewalk gap along Cary Parkway over Black Creek. The Lake Crabtree stretch is the last piece to come back up to that standard.
Start at the other end this weekend
While the north end waits on its reopening date, the south end has a full few days ahead. Fred G. Bond Metro Park, where Black Creek meets the White Oak Greenway, is hosting several of the Town's Halloween events.
- Pumpkin Flotilla: Friday, Oct. 23, 5 to 7 p.m., at Bond Park.
- Haunted Walk: Friday, Oct. 23, and Saturday, Oct. 24, at Bond Park. Night 1 runs 7 to 10:30 p.m.
- Trunk or Treat: Friday, Oct. 23, 6 to 8 p.m., in the Koka Booth Amphitheatre parking lot. The Volunteers at WakeMed Cary Hospital sponsor it.
The Town's Halloween events page lists the full schedule, including a morning Bats, Bugs and Beasts Nature Tour on Oct. 23, 8 to 9 a.m. If you're walking in from the greenway, the Bond Park trailhead kiosk sits in the Bond Park Spillway, a short walk from either the Boathouse parking lot or the Community Center lot.
Where to park and stop while the north end is closed
These open trailheads cover the length of the trail from Weston Parkway south:
- North Cary Park Trailhead: park in the lot and take the 0.4-mile trail through the park to the greenway. Restrooms are in the park.
- Black Creek Trailhead: a lot on the north side of NW Maynard Road, across from Godbold Park. A pedestrian crossing with flashing lights takes you over Maynard.
- Godbold Park Trailhead: use the park lot and join the greenway between Cary Action Sports and the dog park. Restrooms are available.
- Fred G. Bond Metro Park Trailhead: park at the Boathouse or Community Center lots. Restrooms are available.
The Town says the greenway is open dawn to dusk and works for walking, running, biking, leashed dogs, strollers and wheelchairs. It also notes that some parts may be too steep for wheelchair use. For questions about the closure or detours, Cary's 311 line is reachable by dialing 311 anywhere in Cary, or (919) 469-4000 from outside town limits.
Do you live near a Black Creek trailhead, or are you thinking about a home close to Cary's greenway network? I'm always happy to talk through which access points, parks and connections are close to a specific street. Reach out to Triangle Home Sales and let's connect.
