Explore the best rated trails in Boone, NC. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Mendota Trail and Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail. With more than 18 trails covering 105 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The Catawba River Greenway meanders, along with its river namesake, through the historic town of Morganton, North Carolina. The trail encompasses wooded areas, open meadows and the quaint commercial...
Nestled into the recreational playground of northeastern Tennessee, a homespun pathway connects two charming towns in the Appalachian foothills. The Tweetsie Trail links Johnson City, home to East...
The Elkin & Alleghany Rail-Trail is part of an effort to connect the rural town of Elkin with the nearby Stone Mountain State Park, utilizing the long-abandoned route of the historic Elkin & Alleghany...
The South Fork New River Greenway offers a winding, paved pathway through the town of Boone, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Brookshire Park is at the northern end of the trail...
The Heritage Trail Greenway is a multiuse path in Newton, North Carolina. The first two phases of the trail are complete, stretching 1.5 miles from West 7th Street, winding through the wooded...
The Erwin Linear Trail (a.k.a. the Erwin Greenway) parallels I-26 along North Indian Creek and Nolichucky waterways for 4 miles. The trail is paved and mostly flat, coursing through the Cherokee...
The Yadkin River Greenway is a work in progress, currently in three segments that have yet to be joined. Construction will take place during summer 2011. The first segment of the greenway begins at...
The multi-use Yadkin River Trail accommodates pedestrians, bicyclists and joggers in the beautiful Happy Valley area of Caldwell County. The 2-mile trail is paved and includes a walking loop near the...
The Railroad Grade Road is a 10-mile road built on an old railroad grade that was once part of the Virginia-Carolina Railroad (Virginia Creeper). This part of the Virginia Creeper line was abandoned...
The Laurel Creek Trail takes travelers into the Cherokee National Forest in Johnson County. There is no shortage of scenery in this wildlife rich-haven, where rushing waters slice through serene...
The Mendota Trail will one day stretch the entire length of the former Southern Railroad corridor between Mendota and Bristol, a total of 12.5 miles. At present there are two segments. The northern...
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The Wes Davis Greenway follows a portion of abandoned rail line that once ran from Bluff City, TN, to Mendota, VA. The greenway crosses Beaver Creek at two points. This linear park features the...
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The Peavine Trail runs for 1.5 miles from State Street in downtown Marion, North Carolina to just south of the First Christian Church on Rutherford Road. Construction of the crushed gravel and grass...
Boone Greenway is a hidden gem in the town of Boone, and each step traveled takes to across different settings, with nature, history and culture all on display. The trail traverses the town, winding,...
The Beaver Creek Dam Trail gets its name from the circa-1905 Beaver Dam Railroad, which it follows through the southwestern Virginia town of Damascus. A highlight of the route is the trail's...
The City of Lenoir Greenway is a system of several loops and endpoints meandering through an urban landscape of parks and open areas, recreation centers, the library and wooded tracts. For more...
The South Fork New River Greenway offers a winding, paved pathway through the town of Boone, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Brookshire Park is at the northern end of the trail...
The Beaver Creek Dam Trail gets its name from the circa-1905 Beaver Dam Railroad, which it follows through the southwestern Virginia town of Damascus. A highlight of the route is the trail's...
The Heritage Trail Greenway is a multiuse path in Newton, North Carolina. The first two phases of the trail are complete, stretching 1.5 miles from West 7th Street, winding through the wooded...
Virginia's Salt Trail runs for more than 8 miles between the small community of Saltville and the larger borough of Glade Spring. The trail is popular with equestrians and can get muddy and eroded in...
The Mendota Trail will one day stretch the entire length of the former Southern Railroad corridor between Mendota and Bristol, a total of 12.5 miles. At present there are two segments. The northern...
The Erwin Linear Trail (a.k.a. the Erwin Greenway) parallels I-26 along North Indian Creek and Nolichucky waterways for 4 miles. The trail is paved and mostly flat, coursing through the Cherokee...
The Catawba River Greenway meanders, along with its river namesake, through the historic town of Morganton, North Carolina. The trail encompasses wooded areas, open meadows and the quaint commercial...
The Railroad Grade Road is a 10-mile road built on an old railroad grade that was once part of the Virginia-Carolina Railroad (Virginia Creeper). This part of the Virginia Creeper line was abandoned...
The Laurel Creek Trail takes travelers into the Cherokee National Forest in Johnson County. There is no shortage of scenery in this wildlife rich-haven, where rushing waters slice through serene...
The multi-use Yadkin River Trail accommodates pedestrians, bicyclists and joggers in the beautiful Happy Valley area of Caldwell County. The 2-mile trail is paved and includes a walking loop near the...
The Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail offers scenic wonders from dense forests, open fields and lush waterways to railroad relics and delightful small towns. Cyclists and equestrians love the...
The Wes Davis Greenway follows a portion of abandoned rail line that once ran from Bluff City, TN, to Mendota, VA. The greenway crosses Beaver Creek at two points. This linear park features the...
The City of Lenoir Greenway is a system of several loops and endpoints meandering through an urban landscape of parks and open areas, recreation centers, the library and wooded tracts. For more...
The Elkin & Alleghany Rail-Trail is part of an effort to connect the rural town of Elkin with the nearby Stone Mountain State Park, utilizing the long-abandoned route of the historic Elkin & Alleghany...
The Peavine Trail runs for 1.5 miles from State Street in downtown Marion, North Carolina to just south of the First Christian Church on Rutherford Road. Construction of the crushed gravel and grass...
Nestled into the recreational playground of northeastern Tennessee, a homespun pathway connects two charming towns in the Appalachian foothills. The Tweetsie Trail links Johnson City, home to East...
The Yadkin River Greenway is a work in progress, currently in three segments that have yet to be joined. Construction will take place during summer 2011. The first segment of the greenway begins at...
Boone Greenway is a hidden gem in the town of Boone, and each step traveled takes to across different settings, with nature, history and culture all on display. The trail traverses the town, winding,...
The Railroad Grade Road is a 10-mile road built on an old railroad grade that was once part of the Virginia-Carolina Railroad (Virginia Creeper). This part of the Virginia Creeper line was abandoned...
The Wes Davis Greenway follows a portion of abandoned rail line that once ran from Bluff City, TN, to Mendota, VA. The greenway crosses Beaver Creek at two points. This linear park features the...
The Erwin Linear Trail (a.k.a. the Erwin Greenway) parallels I-26 along North Indian Creek and Nolichucky waterways for 4 miles. The trail is paved and mostly flat, coursing through the Cherokee...
Boone Greenway is a hidden gem in the town of Boone, and each step traveled takes to across different settings, with nature, history and culture all on display. The trail traverses the town, winding,...
The Elkin & Alleghany Rail-Trail is part of an effort to connect the rural town of Elkin with the nearby Stone Mountain State Park, utilizing the long-abandoned route of the historic Elkin & Alleghany...
The South Fork New River Greenway offers a winding, paved pathway through the town of Boone, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Brookshire Park is at the northern end of the trail...
The Beaver Creek Dam Trail gets its name from the circa-1905 Beaver Dam Railroad, which it follows through the southwestern Virginia town of Damascus. A highlight of the route is the trail's...
The Laurel Creek Trail takes travelers into the Cherokee National Forest in Johnson County. There is no shortage of scenery in this wildlife rich-haven, where rushing waters slice through serene...
The City of Lenoir Greenway is a system of several loops and endpoints meandering through an urban landscape of parks and open areas, recreation centers, the library and wooded tracts. For more...
Nestled into the recreational playground of northeastern Tennessee, a homespun pathway connects two charming towns in the Appalachian foothills. The Tweetsie Trail links Johnson City, home to East...
The Peavine Trail runs for 1.5 miles from State Street in downtown Marion, North Carolina to just south of the First Christian Church on Rutherford Road. Construction of the crushed gravel and grass...
Virginia's Salt Trail runs for more than 8 miles between the small community of Saltville and the larger borough of Glade Spring. The trail is popular with equestrians and can get muddy and eroded in...
The Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail offers scenic wonders from dense forests, open fields and lush waterways to railroad relics and delightful small towns. Cyclists and equestrians love the...
The Yadkin River Greenway is a work in progress, currently in three segments that have yet to be joined. Construction will take place during summer 2011. The first segment of the greenway begins at...
The multi-use Yadkin River Trail accommodates pedestrians, bicyclists and joggers in the beautiful Happy Valley area of Caldwell County. The 2-mile trail is paved and includes a walking loop near the...
The Heritage Trail Greenway is a multiuse path in Newton, North Carolina. The first two phases of the trail are complete, stretching 1.5 miles from West 7th Street, winding through the wooded...
The Mendota Trail will one day stretch the entire length of the former Southern Railroad corridor between Mendota and Bristol, a total of 12.5 miles. At present there are two segments. The northern...
The Catawba River Greenway meanders, along with its river namesake, through the historic town of Morganton, North Carolina. The trail encompasses wooded areas, open meadows and the quaint commercial...
We rode from Damascus up to Whitetop snd back down again. The trip up is strenuous and well worth the effort. There are bike shops in town that will take you up so you can ride down as well which will be the beat best for some folks. The pristine natural forest, bridges and streams have a beauty that can’t be seen off trail. The ride is so pleasant and the day was amazing. The trail isn’t super wide and it is in great shape. There is some loose gravel here and there so you want to use caution and good sense.
My husband and I experienced this trail today for the first time and it was great! Beautiful scenery, plenty of space and a great surface. We did all 10 miles in and then came back to where we had parked our car. Wonderful!
My wife and I rode a good portion of the trail in early spring. Although we rode the more difficult direction from west to east, the views along the way were outstanding. We will definitely be back!
Stuck in town with a broken car in the shop all day, we tried almost every variation and branch of this trail and then continued on Casey Road and New River Hills Road to connect to the South Fork New River Trail (you cannot currently see the SFNRT on google maps, but it's mapped out on here) to give us quite a few miles (about 11). Scenic brooks and rivers, bridges, budding trees, a section through pine trees and a small covered bridge made this trail very enjoyable! It was busy enough that I (immuno-suppressed) needed to put on a mask for part of it and had to slow the bike down a few times. With all the twists and turns and side routes, it is a good idea to have the trail map up on your phone if you are trying to maximize your miles.
We had to put our car in the shop while on our Blue Ridge Parkway trip and there were no rental cars available in Boone, so we headed out on our bikes. We enjoyed the first part of this along a scenic brook, but the last section up a quite steep and muddy hill is better suited to mountain bikes.
The bridge abutments REALLY need smoothed out.
Note: this is a public road and not a 'rail trail' where cars are prohibited.
We started at the intersection of Hwy 21 and Railroad Grade Road on the Fleetwood side, mid-morning on a Tuesday. We parked off the side of the road as there was no designated parking area here. We should have driven on about 3/4 mile to a gravel lot across from the Fleetwood Post Office and parked there (assuming that is allowed). The first 3/4 mile from the intersection with Hwy 21 is very steep downhill, narrow, with blind curves... not the safest conditions for bicycles; also some traffic. It was quite an ascent at the end of our return trip. Next time we will avoid this section.
Railroad Grade Rd. branches off to the left about 1/4 mile past the Fleetwood Post Office. Here the road becomes 'unimproved', which means it is chip seal without any painted lines. I would call this the trail road. I saw at least one previous review that mentioned heavy traffic. We did not encounter heavy traffic on this section of the road during our ride... car or bicycle. The riverside scenery is beautiful. We were particularly impressed with a large Christmas tree farm. There is a gradual incline to Todd but hardly noticeable. We would definitely do this ride again.
The “Creeper” is a nationally recognized rail trail in southwest Virginia. People of all riding abilities can ride parts of this trail; it’s downhill from Whitetop to Damascus and you can get a shuttle to the top of the mountain! There are 46 bridges or trestles along this 34 mile pastoral ride between Whitetop and Abingdon, Virginia. Definitely worth a visit. We did a YouTube video of our ride that you can find on our channel, Bent on Bike Trails.
A nice 12 mile yoyo from Glade Springs. If you want to actually go to Saltville you would need to ride the last portion on a hilly road. The Glade Spring side has nice rock cuts, tresels, shade and interesting views. The surface
Whitetop down to Damascus was a downright scary ride for me. When I was 15, I fell off my bike and broke my jaw -- this ride brought back that memory almost the whole way down. The scenery, however, was gorgeous. Would MUCH prefer to have hiked this, even part of it vs what we did. We had ridden the Abingdon to Damascus leg a few months ago, and that was a really nice ride. Thia surprised us both!
Started at Johnson City entrance and rode to Sycamore Shoals near Elizabethton. Excellent surface and very wide. Next day, started in Elizabethton. Narrower trail with lots or barriers because trail crosses city streets.
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