Built in the late 19th century, Park Avenue was originally the route of the Wilmington Sea-Coast Railroad passenger and freight line, that ran between Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach, a distance of ten miles. At the intersection of Park Avenue and Audubon is the Audubon trolley station, listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in New Hanover County, North Carolina.
I grew up in Wilmington and lived there for over thirty years. When I went home to visit family last year, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the city was building the Cross-City Trail Alignment. In 2008, the Wilmington City Council adopted the Cross-City Trail alignment. Tentative plans for the Cross-City Trail arose from the passage of the Parks and Greenspace Bond, of which $1 million was allocated for a bike-hike greenway system, and expanded through private and public partnerships and through connections to existing or funded off-road trails. In early 2009, the Cross-City Trail project was awarded $2.0 million in funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

I lived in Wilmington, Nc for over a year. This is not a "trail" this is called the loop. It loops around the island and consitst of streets and sidewalks with a small portion being paved. Wrightsville Beach has no smooth surfaces, some is paved, but needs to be redone & most of the path is a sidewalk, & lots of houses and businesses are crammed on this island so the path is made up more of the resident's driveway, litterly a driveway every 5ft. (and is not a consistent level) with many side streets. Impossible for anyone in a wheelchair. I went here 5x a week for the time I was here because this is one of the only areas they really have that is safe for a single runner. I usually would have prefered to inline skate or ride a bike, but due to trail conditions, high traffic to and from the beach with all the necessities needed for a day at the beach that was not an option. Also no bikes are allowed on the sidewalk, or loop. The need to look into developing practical trails that are convenient, long, smooth, and worth it. Your better off running on the side of the road, especially in off season because the street parking spaces are empty. They did extend the path off of the island, it's wider and newly paved but you always have to stop due to developments, driveways, streets, etc. Your better off finding a development and just running or walking within it. It's very sad. I look forward to moving back south at some point but would not move to Wilmington due to the lack of trails. I'm looking for a paved smooth asphalt wide trail that has many miles. I rollerblade or bike 10-20 miles a day, but here I could only run, (about 5 miles per day). I have not been able to find any trails like this by the coast. Any suggestions?

I don't think there is an inch of rail-trail on this route.

I moved to Wilmington over 30 years ago and the politicians have always stressed how important bikeways are. Although there have been one or two improvements, riding a bike here requires a lot of local knowledge of alternative routes and traffic patterns. The river to the sea route simply has too much traffice for many riders & voting hasn't helped much. If you intend to come to Wilmington or the surrounding area, your best bet is to get on the Cape Fear Cyclists web site and send a note on the list server asking about routes, or join one of the local weekly rides. I have ridden over 3-4,000 miles per year for the past 5 +/- years, most of it here in town, so you can survive and enjoy riding, but you can't do it randomly.

It's sad, really, especially because our weather offers year round riding, our size means many short commutes, and we have a nice variety of places to go, but Wilmington and New Hanover County government does much, much better at planning than execution.

"To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the American Institute of Architects, AIAWilmington is giving a study of the River to Sea Trail to the City of Wilmington. Our goal is to provide a document that analyzes each section of the trail and how it can be improved to make the trail a safer more enjoyable and viable means of transportation. AIAWilmington is studying how the trail relates to bus routes, neighborhoods, schools, UNCW, other bike routes, and shopping. This trail has tremendous potential because it bisects Wilmington, and being a converted trolley trestle path most of the easement is already in the city’s right of way so funds will be needed for improvements rather than purchasing land. AIAWilmington has conducted several public input venues using a 16 foot long aerial map of the trail to see how people use the trail, as well as having them fill out a questionnaire. But we can use your help too. Please send us your comments on how you think the trail can be improved. Thanks philip@johnsawyerarchitects.com "

"Wilmington had the chance many years ago for a real rail trail, and decided against it, sending the Federal funding back to the government. This 'trail' is in no way a rail trail. It routes you onto heavely traveled multi lane roads with no shoulders. Definitly not for the faint hearted or children. In no way a relaxing ride."

Not only do the roads have no shoulders but people here are not use to sharing the roads with cyclists.

"Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach are such beautiful areas. It's a shame there aren't more rail-trails or hiking areas in the area. Carolina Beach State Park has an okay hiking trail. As the description for the River to the Sea Bikeway notes, the ""majority of the route is on the road."""

"This is a bikeway in name only. Almost all of it is on city streets and highways, many of which are unattractive and dangerous for biking. At one intersection I was actually brushed by a cement mixer!"