Dunn-Erwin Rail-Trail:
North Carolina
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Description:
A memorial at the Erwin trailhead of the Dunn-Erwin Rail-Trail reads, TO THE PIONEER MEN AND WOMEN WHO LABORED IN THE FIELDS AND COTTON MILLS AND ESTABLISHED THE TOWN OF DUKE, WHICH BECAME ERWIN ON JAN. 1, 1926. And as you ride or walk the 5.3 miles between these rural towns, you can almost picture workers hunched over in the cotton rows. The trail also crosses the beautiful Black River and traverses wetlands and woodlands.
Students at North Carolina State University created the trail master plan in 2001, seeking to connect neighborhoods, schools, commercial districts, and two downtowns, while also promoting the area's rural heritage and protecting the sensitive habitat that surrounds the corridor. The result is a wonderful, safe route for recreation, exercise, and exposure to rural America.
While the current surface is gravel, the Dunn-Erwin Trail Authority hopes to one day pave the trail. If you're comfortable using your wheelchair on gravel, the road-level route is otherwise accessible. Nearby attractions include parks, the Cape Fear River, the Erwin History Room, the General Lee Airborne Museum, the Averasboro Battlefield Museum, and the Centennial Trail in downtown Erwin.

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Parking & Trail Access:
Directions from the north: To reach the Dunn trailhead, take I-95 south to Exit 73, head west on Cumberland Street/US Highway 421/NC 55, then turn right on Orange Avenue. Drive three blocks to Harnett Street and park along the road or in the Harnett Primary School lot. The trailhead is behind the school.
To reach the Erwin trailhead, continue on US Highway 421/NC 55 past Dunn. In Erwin, turn left on Old Field Church Road, then right on East H Street. The trail ends in the median on this street.

Contact:
Dunn Area Tourism Authority
P.O. Box 310
Dunn, NC 28335
(910) 892-3282
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runner
By jshumway on June 09, 2010
How about directions from the South? thanks.
Enjoyable First Ride
By CyclingCasper on September 01, 2008
My family lives in a rural area of our county and - though our eight year old son enjoys riding - he can never venture off our property for a ride. This is particularly frustrating for him as I do all my riding on the country roads which are currently off limits to him. I was hoping to find a trail not too far from where we live where I could take our son - and in time our six year old daughter - out on rides that they would like and which I thought offered a safe and enjoyable atmosphere.

I found one such ride on the Dunn-Erwin Rail-Trail.

My son, who had previously done his rides around our house, rode like he was in the last stage of the Tour de France - except on a trail in Dunn & Erwin rather the Champs-Élysées in Paris. We started about 1.5 miles from the Dunn end of the trail and headed towards Erwin. We rode back to the end at Dunn before returning to our car and heading home. He was absolutely thrilled by the experience and we are planning to do it a few more times during the fall. Though in the future we will schedule the ride so that we end up in Erwin at lunch time so we can dine at either the Pizza or Chinese restaurant that are at the trails' end.

I do have to say that riding the trail on my road bike (Novara Strada) was a bit of a challenge; however, it was not an overly difficult task. I had my son lead the entire ride and he easily and safely negotiated the road crossings and the bollards (aka orange posts) without difficulty. I do wish the trail was better maintained and having a better 'in-town' experience at the Dunn end of the trail would be terrific; however, the trail met my expectations and I look forward to many more rides with my son and daughter over the years ahead.

For me and my son, it was an enjoyable and memorable first ride together.
Nice, flat trail with good mileage indicators - perfect for a long run
By stocktonbutler on June 18, 2008
I ran the Dunn-Erwin trail end-to-end (and back) a few weekends ago while visiting relatives in Dunn. I grew up near the starting point on the Dunn end and remember when the trail was a set of rusty, unused rails. As a runner, I appreciated the markers ever 0.1 mile indicating the distance to and from Dunn and Erwin. The trail itself was very flat, making for a pleasant run. It was a quiet run and I passed through lots of rural areas between the towns that I had never been through before. I agree somewhat with the previous posters that the beginning to the Dunn end of the trail was not well marked, but since I grew up nearby I knew where it was located. It would be great if the Dunn end could be extended further toward downtown.
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