This trail was a big disappointment. The first section near Charleston runs through neighborhoods, and you have to keep crossing streets. About 5 miles into the trail you get to a neighborhood section that is run down and sketchy - the homeowners have used the greenway as their personal garabage dump throwing trash over their fences into the greenway area. Then you ride through the agricultural research area where you have 6' high razor wire fences on both sides of you. About 1/3 mile into the razor wire we turned around and gave up on this trail.

A very enjoyable ride. It was more fun than some paved trails and we liked the variety of scenery. Parking was easy. I think we'll use again next year as we travel South..

"I just went biking on this trail last weekend, August 25th, and what a great trailin Charleston this is! It's behind the S. Windemere shopping center, and the trail head is right behind the coffee shop on the corner of Rt. 17.

Don't let the 10 miles scare you - this is a very flat, well-maintained trail that I could have done on a beach-cruiser bike. And for the time it takes to get out to the estuary, it's worth it (The estuary is 4 or 5 miles from the trailhead). It was my girlfriend (who rode the trail with me), myself, and about 50 different animals of all different types - but unfortunately no alligators. It was picturesque views for minimal effort on this trail. If you're looking for something different to do that would be fun for everyone, this is the perfect opportunity. "

"The West Ashley Greenway starts on the hill next to the South Windemere shopping center in West Ashley and runs all the way to Main Road, which goes onto John's Island. The trail is unpaved for the most part, but is clearly marked; however, the east 1/3 of the trail is an inconvenience to riders because it is constantly crossing neighborhood sidestreets and you must stop for traffic. This 1/3 is not very scenic, anyways.

The latter 2/3 goes past the Clemson Agriculture Lab and along the Stono River where you will frequently see fisherman and shrimpers, as well as an assortment of wildlife and marshlands.

A safe loop for a rider looking for a ride of 20 miles is to start at South Windemere and take it all the way to Main Road, turn right on Main Road, take it across Hwy 17, and turn right on Bee's Ferry Road, which has a two-foot shoulder. Bee's Ferry Road will intersect with Glenn McConnell Frwy, which has a 15-foot shoulder. Glenn McConnell merges with Ashley River Road (Rte 61), which has sidewalks and parking lanes and shoulders. Hwy 61 intersects Folly Road, which returns you to South Windemere Center. "

"The West Ashway Greenway provided us with a great getaway after a half day in Charleston traffic. We pedaled from downtown to the trailhead behind the pink shopping center. It's a little hairy crossing the bridge but manageable.

The trail runs parallel to a very busy Rt. 17 but is quiet and pretty. You see some houses and backyards but also pass through a large agricultural station of some sort. Roughly the last third of the trail crosses through an estuary and we saw an alligator and lots of birds including snowy egret, whit ibis, osprey, tri-colored heron, kingfisher, comorants and others we could not indentify.

It is easy at the eastern end of the trail to find food as their are lots of restaurants on Rt. 17. The trail is flat and smooth with very good dirt riding conditions. There are a few street crossings but most are quiet and not a problem. They provide easy access to the services on Rt. 17. "

"On Sunday September 23rd I made a trip to the greenway, I had never been on it in the 23 years I have lived in the area. I had read some reviews of the trail and had a picture of a nice trail thru an urban area. Boy was I disappointed! First I had to find the starting point, there is not one clearly defined, or is there any signage. I parked behind some retail stores and got on the path, it started out fairly good and went downhill from there. The further south I rode the worse it got, very rough, I also had to dodge cars that have access to the southern portion. There has been no maintainence on 2/3 of the southern portion in years. The end is in a dumping ground and trash is a major obstacle. I will not be returning to ride here. "