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Print Friendly MapThere's no better place to take in Greenwood's industrial and railroading past than along the aptly named Heritage Trail, which extends more than 2 miles from the town center south to outlying countryside. Throughout the mid-20th century five railroads ran through town, crisscrossing and paralleling one another. (This route runs along the Georgia & Florida Railroad corridor.) The busy junction was dubbed Hobo Jungle because the rails attracted a population of transients who would captivate local children with tales of wayward adventure.
A commemorative brick plaza marks the trailhead. It centers on a turntable once used by railroad workers, two at a time, to manually turn steam locomotives for their return trips. The plaza also has interpretive signs, a pair of passenger cars from the early 1900s and the Railroad Historical Center.
A half-mile along the tree-lined trail look for the old Coca-Cola building, which bottled soda through the 1950s. In the early 20th century a circus set up tents in the adjacent field, and the rail line was used to transport animals and equipment for a downtown parade. Farther down the trail stand the century-old Panola and Mathews mills, part of the nationwide Abney Mills and Greenwood Mills textile companies. On the west side of the trail, the Grede Foundry used to cast automobile parts and other products. The paved trail ends amid open fields and scattered homes.
Take I-26 to Exit 54 and head southwest on SC 72 about 30 miles to Cambridge Avenue in Greenwood. Veer right on US Highway 25 Business to Main Street/SC 34. The trailhead is at the intersection of Main and Circular Avenue. Palmetto Bank allows trail users to park in its lot.
This trail is great place for the serious runner to do time trials, which is probably why it is used for a few local races. It's mostly flat with only one incline. Some people are scared of running here because of a quarter mile stretch through a rough-looking neighborhood but after running here weekly for 18 years I've never had a problem. The surface is blacktop and has only a few small patches where freezing has caused the surface to heave up. I like to park near the fountain in uptown Greenwood and run the sidewalk south for a half mile until I hit the trail at the railroad museum. Alternatively, I like to park at the end at Florida Avenue. You can tack on extra mileage by running through Mathews Mill Village or around uptown Greenwood. There is a water fountain near Howard's on Main, just a few hundred yards of the fountain. I wish the city and county cared more about this trail and maintained it regularly - they only seem to pay attention to it before the Festival of Flowers in June.
I wish there were more access points to this trail. There is one at the end of Bond Avenue in Mathews Mill Village and one behind Greenwood OB/GYN near West Alexander Avenue. If anyone knows of other places to access the trail, besides the beginning at the train museum and the end at Florida Avenue, I would like to know of them.
The trail is lovely and shady. It has a bucolic feel to it and winds past the old Park Seed location. Not much change in elevation, so it's good if you have small children or need to push a stroller or wheelchair. Good for gentle walking to get back in shape after surgery, too! :)
I rode my adult trike there and its very nice. Flat and peaceful. Loved it and will go back. I read these crazy reviews about it being "eerie" one user got scared off. What a bunch of babies. Its not scary and I loved riding without anybody else on the trail. Wish more trails were this quiet. Go ride and enjoy.
I parked at the Palmetto bank to start the trail. Walked about 100 yards on it, heard some violent commotion and had to turn right around and leave. I don't think I'll be going back. Run at Lander's track instead for safety.
I've lived in Greenwood most of my life, and although I enjoy this trail, it starts out in a rough area of town. It's scenic and kept up well, but it does have a troubled past. Used to be a lot of issues with violence and street crime that was associated with it. More recently it seems like that has been taken care of, but it is rarely used. I ride it 2 or 3 times a week due to lack of bicycle friendly roads, and lack of any other paved bike trails, but in the last month I can count on one hand how many other people I've seen on it, not counting the occasional 5k's that use it.
"I have run on this trail about 4 times and have seen only about 3 other people. The abandoned adjacent railroad tracks and idle textile mills gives me an eerie feeling. Surface is smooth and well maintained. Lots of green. 1/4 miles are marked but not real accurate. Palmetto Bank on South Main Street allows you to use their parking lot. A good extension is to start at Palmetto, take the path 2.7 miles to the end and turn right. Take that road across Bypass 522 until you come to the elementary school. It adds about 1.5 miles of low traffic running. Caution that some people don't tie up their dogs."
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