Trip # 1. Steward Creek Greenway, Stream Rehabilitation and Storm Water Wetland

This collaborative project between Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte brought together 3 different objectives to form one cohesive project. County Storm Water Services completed stream restoration on Stewart Creek Tributary 2, with an adjacent greenway trail funded by Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation. The greenway terminates at a loop trail surrounding a beautiful, constructed stormwater wetland, funded by City of Charlotte Storm Water Services. 
The wetland was built on previously vacant, city-owned land; a neighborhood eye sore until this project brought new life to the area. The wetland captures runoff from a 60-acre drainage area in a highly developed part of the city in a 1.5-acre wetland, designed to hold over 100,000 cubic feet of water at permanent pool. Additional features include a short section of stream restoration bisecting 2 wetland cells, pedestrian bridges, and overlooks with educational signage.

Cost: $60.00

Trip # 2. Chantilly Ecological Sanctuary at Briar Creek 

The Doral and Cavalier apartment complexes were built in Charlotte’s worst flood hazard area. The complexes were built in the 1960s before restrictions on construction in floodplains. Four devastating floods (1995, 1997, 2003, 2008) caused millions of dollars in damage to both complexes and to the belongings of people living there. Engineering studies confirmed there was no feasible way to stop Briar Creek from flooding the apartments.

The highest-risk apartments were purchased by Mecklenburg County Storm Water Services and torn down, to reduce flood losses. The floodplain and stream channels were restored, and water quality enhancements (pond and wetland) were constructed improve water quality in Briar Creek and Edwards Branch. Now, the project area is home to a thriving ecosystem for aquatic life.  

Cost: $60.00

Trip # 3. Little Sugar Creek Greenway Walking Tour 

Join us as we stroll along the Little Sugar Creek Greenway and experience more than just a scenic walk through Charlotte’s restored urban stream corridor – you’ll also step into a living classroom of history and science. Once a heavily altered and flood-prone waterway, the creek has been transformed through many years of restoration work that re-established wetlands, improved habitat, and created one of the city’s most beloved green spaces.

Today, hidden in plain sight, a network of automated monitoring stations keeps constant watch over water quality and creek levels, measuring important parameters like gage height, oxygen, pH, turbidity, and conductivity to detect pollution events or storm impacts in real time. This blend of historical transformation and cutting-edge technology makes the Greenway not just a recreational escape, but also a frontline in protecting water resources for the community and ecosystems downstream.

Cost: $30

 Trip # 4. White Water Rafting at the Whitewater Center 

The Whitewater Center’s manmade recirculating river allows rafters to experience a highly concentrated series of Class II-IV whitewater rapids using a conveyor belt to continually circulate back to the start. All rafts are guided with Whitewater Center guides and guests are provided helmets, paddles and PFDs. Following a group trip talk, guests join their guide for an instructional brief in their raft before beginning their trip. The channels are almost one-half mile long, and most trips consist of approximately one hour of paddling.

Cost: $125.00