A new 1.25-mile nature trail opened Tuesday at Greenville County's 60-acre MESA Soccer Complex off Anderson Ridge Road, giving nearby Five Forks residents a direct walking and biking route into the sports campus for the first time. The Upstate Greenways and Trails Alliance hosted a grand opening celebration starting at 6 p.m., and organizers say the natural-surface path is just the first piece of a much larger plan.
The trail exists because homebuilder Stanley Martin Homes donated a trail easement through its 171-home Parkers Summit subdivision, according to the Post and Courier. That donation created a direct link between the new subdivision and the sports complex without requiring the alliance to acquire additional public land. The MESA campus is home to the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy, and as FOX Carolina reports, the new trail connects local neighborhoods directly to the youth soccer complex.
Building the 1.25-mile path was supported by a $20,000 grant from Greenville County, according to the Post and Courier's reporting. That modest price tag reflects the lower cost of natural-surface greenway links compared to paved multi-use paths.
A Bigger Vision Along the Enoree River
Trail organizers hope the current trail is only the beginning, and the alliance plans to expand the network to five miles, ultimately providing direct pedestrian access to the nearby Enoree River, according to FOX Carolina. The push gained momentum after discussions between trail advocates and Greenville County Councilmember Curt McGahhey, who represents District 21 in central eastern Greenville County and has pushed for expanded pedestrian infrastructure, the Post and Courier's report states. To reach the river, planners intend to use publicly owned land that includes a nearby former Greenville County landfill site east of the complex.
“The trail is really going to make it easier for folks in the neighborhoods around here to just walk over, walk their dogs, ride their bikes to the complex,” said Matt Hudson-Flege, per FOX Carolina's report. Ahead of the opening, the alliance organized a community Trail Care Day on August 22, where volunteers installed signage, cleared wood debris, and built a trail kiosk, according to a post from the Upstate Greenways and Trails Alliance.
Filling a Gap in a Car-Dependent Corridor
Before the nature trail's addition, walking options at the 19 full-sized lighted-field MESA Soccer Complex were limited to a paved 0.75-mile perimeter loop that mainly served spectators circling the active soccer fields, according to SCTrails. While the athletic fields themselves remain restricted to organized play run by the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy, both the paved loop and the new nature trail are open to the public, giving nearby residents additional places to walk.
Some subdivisions in the area have limited pedestrian access, leaving residents with few places to walk.
A Sports Tourism Hub With Deep Roots
The MESA Soccer Complex is home to the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy, according to SCTrails. The complex also has a public-private partnership with Greenville County Parks, Recreation & Tourism.
The complex has also become a genuine economic driver for the area. Built in part with local hospitality tax funds, MESA has served as a sports tourism destination, drawing more than 10,000 athletes and spectators during the 2012 US Youth Soccer Southern Regional Tournament, per SCTrails. The new trail adds a pedestrian-friendly amenity to the facility.
According to Greenville County's biennium budget, the Capital Improvement Program included $2.10 million for FY2018 and $3.75 million for FY2019 for parks, recreation, and tourism projects. Greenville County's biennium budget included $675,000 for FY2022 and $500,000 for FY2023 in its Capital Improvement Program for parks, recreation, and tourism projects.
The Mesa Trail's debut adds to a busier season for greenway planning across the region. Just a day earlier, Hoodline reported that a proposal to widen a chokepoint on the Swamp Rabbit Trail advanced toward county council, part of a broader pattern of investment in Greenville County's multi-use path network. For now, Five Forks residents have a new option of their own, and if the alliance's five-mile vision comes together, it could eventually stretch their walk all the way to the Enoree River.
