Where do you walk when the trail behind downtown Fort Mill is fenced off until February?
Starting Nov. 2, the Town of Fort Mill closed the walking trail that connects Walter Y. Elisha Park and Harris Street Park for the Dye Branch Stream Restoration project. The Town expects the closure to last three months. Closure signs are posted at each end, one in Walter Y. Elisha Park and one on the Jackson Street side of Harris Street. That puts the reopening around early February.
The closure began 16 days after York County opened its largest park, across the river. For a household with a York County driver's license, the free trail mileage near Fort Mill this winter is mostly at Catawba Bend Preserve. The Anne Springs Close Greenway, much closer to home, is still the paid option, and it costs least when you buy a short membership instead of paying by the visit.
What the stream work is for
The Town's notice says crews will reduce erosion risk to the sewer infrastructure along Dye Branch, improve how the stream functions, preserve aquatic habitat and remove invasive and non-native plants. When the trail reopens, the stream beside it will look different from the one people walked past this summer. The project protects buried utilities as well as the view.
Until then, the short, free loop downtown is gone. The two closest replacements differ in price, distance and what they offer on a winter afternoon.
The Greenway costs least as a three-month membership
The Anne Springs Close Greenway charges nonmembers $17 per adult and $8 per youth ages 3 to 12 for daily admission. Children 2 and under get in free, and members enter at no charge. The entrances are open from 7 a.m. to sunset, and the Greenway closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Its membership page lists two options:
- Monthly: $8 for an individual or $16 for a family, with a three-month minimum
- Annual: $90 for an individual or $180 for a family
Run the numbers for a winter. The three-month minimum on an individual monthly membership comes to $24, which is less than two adult day passes at $17 each. A family monthly membership over the same three months is $48. That is less than one visit for two adults and one child at $42, plus a second adult visit.
An annual individual membership costs less than six day passes, so it only makes sense for someone who will keep visiting after the Dye Branch trail reopens. For a stopgap through February, the monthly plan is the cheapest way to use the Greenway.
The Greenway's winter calendar also gives members a reason to go beyond the trails:
- Nov. 21: Lake Haigler 12-Hour Race
- Dec. 3: Fresh Air Hour, with live music and Canteen specials
- Dec. 5: The Winter Holiday Market, noon to 5 p.m. at the Gateway, with more than 50 vendors, live music, a photo station, firepits, and food and drinks from the Canteen
- Dec. 11: Night Owl Trail Race
- Dec. 12: Holiday Family Farm Day, with animal interactions and holiday photos
Catawba Bend Preserve is free with a York County license
York County officially opened Catawba Bend Preserve on Saturday, Oct. 17. The Fort Mill-Tega Cay Times described it as a 1,900-acre destination for residents of Fort Mill, Tega Cay and Lake Wylie. The preserve is at 4134 Catawba Bend Parkway, off Neely Store Road on the Rock Hill side of the river.
Entry is free for county residents. York County's opening notice reminded residents to stop at the gate before entering. According to The Herald's March guide to the park, residents show a driver's license. Everyone else pays $8 for a day pass or $6 for seniors and children 6 and older, and children 5 and under get in free.
At those prices, a family of four from Fort Mill pays nothing at Catawba Bend. A family of two adults and two children ages 3 to 12 would pay $50 for one Greenway visit on day passes.
The county bought the former timber site in 2018 for $21 million and spent $6.3 million on the first phase of trails and facilities. At the dedication, County Council Chair Christi Cox explained why the land was kept as a park, as quoted by the Fort Mill-Tega Cay Times:
"This beautiful acreage could have been developed. Instead, it's a vast, protected greenspace that is preserved for everyone to enjoy for years to come."
What opened on Oct. 17 and what was already there
The grand opening added two features to the preserve.
| Feature | Built by | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain bike trails | Nature Trails, LLC | 10 miles of singletrack, a skills area, beginner through expert routes |
| Disc golf | Ace Place | An 18-hole championship course and a 9-hole beginner course |
| Hiking and picnic areas | Open since the spring soft launch | Hiking trails, the Loblolly Pine Grove, picnic areas by Big Pond |
The opening also introduced the Catawba Bend Cross Country Arch, a new art installation that served as the finish line for the Bob Jenkins York County Cross Country Championships that morning.
The disc golf course ties into a long local history. As The Herald reported, Winthrop University in Rock Hill has hosted the sport's national championship for more than two decades.
The Herald's March guide covers the practical details for a first visit. Leashed pets are allowed. A clean restroom sits beside the main parking area and trailhead. The trails are natural surface with roots in places, and many of the best river views take a long walk to reach.
Bring water. The same guide describes the hike as a miles-long loop with the sound of the river alongside.
The new courses are still breaking in
A first-weekend review on Disc Golf Course Review described a course that is new in every sense. The fairways were covered in the mulch left over from tree clearing, which made for tiring walking, though without stumps or holes to trip on. At one spot, the mountain bike trail crosses the path between holes. The reviewer counted holes 1, 2, 8, 9, 10 and 11 as the ones closest to the parking lot.
The reviewer still put the championship course among the best they had played and listed holes 5, 11, 13 and 17 as favorites.
For anyone riding or throwing this winter, the bike crossing is the detail that matters most. Riders should watch for the disc golf fairways, and players should look up the trail before walking across it.
The pond and river pieces come later
As of The Herald's March visit, fishing was not allowed at Catawba Bend while Big Pond, Beaver Pond and Turtle Pond refilled after county improvements. The plan is to stock them with bream, bass and catfish.
Park Superintendent Marvin Bouknight said the county plans to keep expanding the preserve, according to the Fort Mill-Tega Cay Times. The county's website lists several projects in progress:
- Rebuilding three earthen dams
- Rehabilitating the ponds
- Stocking fish
- The first mile of a paved greenway trail along the Catawba River
That paved river mile is the piece most likely to change the preserve for winter walkers. Today, the main draw is natural-surface hiking. A paved stretch would bring Catawba Bend closer to what the Dye Branch trail offers downtown, an easy loop for a stroller or an after-work walk, in a much larger setting.
Planning a winter week around both
The hours are what to check before the drive. When the preserve soft-launched in March, The Herald listed it as open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday through Monday. The county's Catawba Bend Preserve page carries the current schedule. The Greenway opens every day at 7 a.m. and closes at sunset, which arrives early in December.
Here is how the two places fit together through February:
- Weekend mornings with a few hours free: Catawba Bend, where a York County license covers the whole family and the 1,900 acres include ten miles of bike trail and two disc golf courses.
- Shorter outings close to home: The Greenway. A three-month monthly membership costs $24 for an individual or $48 for a family, so repeat visits don't cost extra.
- December evenings and events: The Greenway again, for the Dec. 5 Winter Holiday Market at the Gateway and the Dec. 12 Holiday Family Farm Day.
- February: Check the Town's notices for the Dye Branch trail reopening between Walter Y. Elisha Park and Harris Street Park.
Bald eagles over the river, white-tailed deer in the meadows and red-tailed hawks are among the wildlife the Fort Mill Sun listed as regular sightings at Catawba Bend.
A large new county park changes how York County residents can use their weekends. Over time, it also tends to come up when people compare one part of the county with another. If you'd like to talk through how amenities like Catawba Bend fit into your own plans in Fort Mill, Josh Tuschak is glad to help. Get a free valuation and strategy consult whenever the timing is right for you.
