Black Mountain Greenway Challenge 5K 10K

The 2022 Black Mountain Greenway Challenge 5K 10K course has moved from our historic home at the Pisgah Brewing Company to route that features the Oak Trail greenway and Black Mountain Veterans Park. From above the course looks like a double-headed lollipop with one loop going around the ballfields and other taking a tour of the Dr. John Wilson Community Garden. The Start and Finish are at the Black Mountain Parks & Recreation offices [304 Black Mountain Ave, Black Mountain, NC 28711]. The course is very close to 5K. 10K participants will run/walk the route twice. Check out course on MapMyRun.com. Turn-by-turn directions will be provided via email.

Click the icon below to download the attached PDF.

Join us for a super fun 5K 10K in support of the efforts of the Black Mountain Greenways & Trails Committee and the Town of Black Mountain to create safe, beautiful paths and byways through our community. Greenways provide important outlets for fitness, recreation, education and preservation of our town’s land resources. Greenways are for everyone! They provide opportunities for families enjoying time together outdoors, persons using wheelchairs, students learning about nature, even top athletes preparing for an important race.

Check out the Black Mountain Greenways & Trails Committee page for more info and map of our community greenways.

The Oaks Trail connects Black Mountain Veterans Park to the sidewalk network and downtown Black Mountain. This paved trail is approximately .5 miles in length, crossing the Swannanoa River at the West end and bordering the South edge of "In the Oaks", now the Black Mountain Campus of Montreat College. The trail moves along through a shady pine forest and includes hill with a steep grade. Plans for this greenway's future include continuing on to eventually connect with the Riverwalk Trail. 

The Community Garden Trail is located in Black Mountain Veterans Park and loops around the Dr. John Wilson Community Garden and the back half of the disc golf course. This trail provides a save and easy connection between the communities North and South of Interstate 40. 

The trail is approximately .5 miles in length and incorporates an inner loop to meet ADA requirements. This paved trail uses a pedestrian bridge to connect to the River Loop Trail and The Oaks Trail in the south half of Black Mountain Veterans Park. The trail is shaded by a wide variety of trees, including over 100 fruit and nut trees and shrubs. It is also bordered by a Monarch meadow, and has interpretive and educational signage all along the trail. 

Lake Tomahawk Loop is the frequently used .55 mile loop around Lake Tomahawk. Easier on the joints than pavement, the crushed granite trail is not open for bicycle traffic, but strollers and wheelchairs can navigate with ease. This trail has been around the longest, and passes a playground, assorted gardens, a picnic pavilion, benches and picnic areas, tennis courts, and the Lakeview Community Center. The South end of the loop crosses the dam, built by the WPA during the New Deal in 1933-35, and boasts a great view of the Seven Sisters mountain range.

The Lake Tomahawk Loop Trail serves as the sweet end of the Greenway Challenge 10K lolipop course. The Valentine 5K Starts at the Park and Finishes with a loop around the trail [Saturday closest to Valentine's Day]. It's also the final half mile of the Mount Mitchell Challenge and Black Mountain Marathon held annually on the last Saturday in February. 

The Flat Creek Trail is approximately .5 miles long with the trailhead located behind the Primary School and traveling North until it connects to Cotton Avenue. The first section of the Flat Creek Trail is dedicated in honor of Emilee Russell. Emilee's Way honors a child from Black Mountain who died as a result of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and was a frequent user of the Flat Creek Trail. 

The Flat Creek Trail is paved, level, and includes interpretive signage about streambank restoration. Plans for the Flat Creek Trail include the hope that it will continue North and connect to the Montreat Gate, at the north boundary of Black Mountain.

The Riverwalk Trail is currently about .5 miles and unpaved, and includes a loop around a rain garden and runs next to a dog park behind Bi-Lo Shopping Center. The vision for this trail is that it will eventually be the middle connection between The Oaks Trail and The Flat Creek Trail, providing safe travel without needing to travel on the roads