Explore the best rated trails in Gastonia, NC. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Highland Rail Trail and Shelby Rail-Trail. With more than 35 trails covering 89 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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Kings Mountain Gateway Trail is situated in a beautiful natural park setting offering a picnic shelter, restrooms, drinking fountains, and parking. Much of the park is heavily wooded and the trail is...
The paved, scenic Bakers Creek Greenway follows its eponymous creek, connecting two parks in central North Carolina's Kannapolis. The trail is part of the Carolina Thread Trail, a network of pathways...
The Purple Martin Greenway provides a beautiful community amenity in Rutherfordton. The quaint western North Carolina town was established in 1787 and has many buildings on the National Register of...
The half-mile 8th Street Greenway begins at North Loop Road and follows a tree-lined northwesterly route to Bakers Creek Park, where it connects to a trail of the same name which is part of a regional...
The Marcia H. Cloninger Rail-Trail, known locally as the Lincolnton Rail-Trail, offers a chance to explore the heart of this small Southern town, highlighted by a stately courthouse, model Main...
The Irwin Creek and Stewart Creek Greenways cover 2 miles of trail alongside their namesake creeks in Charlotte's city center. The Irwin Creek Greenway begins at Ray's Splash Planet and travels...
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 Avon and Catawba Creeks Greenway has several neighborhood entrances in Gastonia. The 1.9-mile trail winds alongside Catawba Creek and Avon Creek with a few small bridges crossings along the way....
The Piedmont Medical Center Trail (formerly the Riverwalk Trail) stretches just over 2 miles through Rock Hill near the border between North and South Carolina. The route is part of the Carolina...
The Little Sugar Creek Greenway, part of the Carolina Thread Trail, runs along eastern Charlotte and will one day stretch more than 15 miles down to the Catawba River in neighboring South Carolina....
Briar Creek Greenway will one day stretch 6 miles through Charlotte and connect to the Little Sugar Creek Greenway. Currently, the trail is open in two disconnected segments totaling 1.4 miles. The...
Take a trip down memory lane by strolling or cycling the Charlotte Rail Trail, which follows the Charlotte Trolley as it tootles its way from E. 9th Street in Uptown to Clanton Road in the historic...
In northern South Carolina, only about 30 miles southwest of Charlotte, lies the quaint city of York. A paved bicycle trail runs through the heart of the community from its city park to its recreation...
Torrence Creek Greenway offers a pleasant route through meadows, woodlands, and wetlands south of Huntersville. Along the paved, 1.4-mile route, the trail offers many points to access the surrounding...
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 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 Forrest Hunt Greenway connects Forrest Hunt Elementary School with the Alexander Mills section of Forest City, North Carolina. For more information, contact: Town of Forest City, Recreation...
Statesville’s greenway system is still a collection of unlinked segments, but there are plans in place to build a truly connected non-motorized path network. Today, the discrete sections offer a...
The 1-mile Troutman Rail-Trail runs from Troutman's business district to a newer north end shopping area, following the former rail bed of the Statesville to Charlotte Norfolk Southern Line. The...
Highland Rail Trail is named for the neighborhood that it runs adjacent to as it travels through Gastonia along the former Carolina and Northwestern (C&NW) Railway. Although short, it offers an...
Shelby's rail-trail winds through the western edge of the city between West Grover Street and Dixon Boulevard. Following the former right-of-way of Norfolk Southern Railroad, the unpaved pathway...
The Buffalo Creek Preserve Trail provides a 2-mile moderately challenging hike or mountain bike ride in the rural community of Mount Pleasant, about 30 miles northeast of Charlotte. The unpaved trail...
About 12 miles north of Charlotte, the McDowell Creek Greenway links the communities of Huntersville and Cornelius. The paved, mile-and-a-half route is part of the larger Carolina Thread Trail, a...
A trip along the Gold Hill Rail-Trail through this historic village will transport you back to a time when North Carolina was the country's only gold-producing state. Signs posted every few hundred...
The Marcia H. Cloninger Rail-Trail, known locally as the Lincolnton Rail-Trail, offers a chance to explore the heart of this small Southern town, highlighted by a stately courthouse, model Main...
On the southern outskirts of Charlotte, a series of connected greeways along creeks form a horseshoe-shaped path of nearly 6 miles. The pathway is primarily paved with wooden boardwalks over creeks...
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In the heart of busy Spartanburg, the Liberty Trail provides a beautiful oasis through a garden, along a tree-lined brook that cascades over a series of granite steps into a pool. Although only 0.5...
The paved, scenic Bakers Creek Greenway follows its eponymous creek, connecting two parks in central North Carolina's Kannapolis. The trail is part of the Carolina Thread Trail, a network of pathways...
The Baxter Village Trail is nestled in a neighborhood of Fort Mill, which lies on the northern border of South Carolina (Charlotte, North Carolina, is just over the state line). The trail has a...
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...
Take a trip down memory lane by strolling or cycling the Charlotte Rail Trail, which follows the Charlotte Trolley as it tootles its way from E. 9th Street in Uptown to Clanton Road in the historic...
In northern South Carolina, only about 30 miles southwest of Charlotte, lies the quaint city of York. A paved bicycle trail runs through the heart of the community from its city park to its recreation...
The Mary Black Rail Trail is just a short segment of what will eventually become the 12-mile Hub City Connector, which itself will be part of the larger Palmetto Trail, a proposed 425-mile trail...
The Irwin Creek and Stewart Creek Greenways cover 2 miles of trail alongside their namesake creeks in Charlotte's city center. The Irwin Creek Greenway begins at Ray's Splash Planet and travels...
The trail extends from the dam at Duncan Park Lake and courses through the park to near Union Street by the baseball stadium. The path is a gradual hill (up or down, depending on your direction of...
Highland Rail Trail is named for the neighborhood that it runs adjacent to as it travels through Gastonia along the former Carolina and Northwestern (C&NW) Railway. Although short, it offers an...
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...
Statesville’s greenway system is still a collection of unlinked segments, but there are plans in place to build a truly connected non-motorized path network. Today, the discrete sections offer a...
The Forrest Hunt Greenway connects Forrest Hunt Elementary School with the Alexander Mills section of Forest City, North Carolina. For more information, contact: Town of Forest City, Recreation...
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...
Shelby's rail-trail winds through the western edge of the city between West Grover Street and Dixon Boulevard. Following the former right-of-way of Norfolk Southern Railroad, the unpaved pathway...
A trip along the Gold Hill Rail-Trail through this historic village will transport you back to a time when North Carolina was the country's only gold-producing state. Signs posted every few hundred...
The Forrest Hunt Greenway connects Forrest Hunt Elementary School with the Alexander Mills section of Forest City, North Carolina. For more information, contact: Town of Forest City, Recreation...
The trail extends from the dam at Duncan Park Lake and courses through the park to near Union Street by the baseball stadium. The path is a gradual hill (up or down, depending on your direction of...
The Twelve Mile Creek Trail, which runs through Walnut Creek Park and the Walnut Creek neighborhood in Lancaster, is part of the Carolina Thread Trail, a growing trail network of more than 200 miles...
In northern South Carolina, only about 30 miles southwest of Charlotte, lies the quaint city of York. A paved bicycle trail runs through the heart of the community from its city park to its recreation...
Kings Mountain Gateway Trail is situated in a beautiful natural park setting offering a picnic shelter, restrooms, drinking fountains, and parking. Much of the park is heavily wooded and the trail is...
Highland Rail Trail is named for the neighborhood that it runs adjacent to as it travels through Gastonia along the former Carolina and Northwestern (C&NW) Railway. Although short, it offers an...
The Little Sugar Creek Greenway, part of the Carolina Thread Trail, runs along eastern Charlotte and will one day stretch more than 15 miles down to the Catawba River in neighboring South Carolina....
The paved, scenic Bakers Creek Greenway follows its eponymous creek, connecting two parks in central North Carolina's Kannapolis. The trail is part of the Carolina Thread Trail, a network of pathways...
Statesville’s greenway system is still a collection of unlinked segments, but there are plans in place to build a truly connected non-motorized path network. Today, the discrete sections offer a...
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...
Torrence Creek Greenway offers a pleasant route through meadows, woodlands, and wetlands south of Huntersville. Along the paved, 1.4-mile route, the trail offers many points to access the surrounding...
If you enjoy rail-trails that flaunt their railroading past, you're sure to love the Thermal Belt Rail-Trail. The pathway is paved from Gilkey to the US 74 bridge in Forest City; the remainder of the...
The half-mile 8th Street Greenway begins at North Loop Road and follows a tree-lined northwesterly route to Bakers Creek Park, where it connects to a trail of the same name which is part of a regional...
This multi-use path follows the south side of Southport Road, from Cedar Springs Road heading west to South Avenue. It passes the 295 Sports Complex, a DMV office and a water treatment plant before...
The Marcia H. Cloninger Rail-Trail, known locally as the Lincolnton Rail-Trail, offers a chance to explore the heart of this small Southern town, highlighted by a stately courthouse, model Main...
The Buffalo Creek Preserve Trail provides a 2-mile moderately challenging hike or mountain bike ride in the rural community of Mount Pleasant, about 30 miles northeast of Charlotte. The unpaved trail...
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...
On the southern outskirts of Charlotte, a series of connected greeways along creeks form a horseshoe-shaped path of nearly 6 miles. The pathway is primarily paved with wooden boardwalks over creeks...
It's a nice trail flat with good tree coverage. It's a bit more than the 1.9 if you do both sides of the T , My round trip was closer to 5 miles..
4.5 is a more fair rating.
Ran entire length , 8 miles.
Good, paved trail. Mostly flat, a couple small hills for some challenges.
Scenary is very nice, especially the bridges at beginning or end, depending on where you start.
A few sight seeing spots are a highlight as well.
So once again, if looking to get in a couple miles, this would be a good choice.
Rode the Thermal Belt Trail in December 2018. This is a great trail, newly-paved for 13+ miles. We have hybrids but you could ride road bikes with no problem. We parked at Bechtler Mint Site and rode to the bridge at Hwy. 74. Perfect surface. Crossed a few roads but they are not big or busy. In that space we traveled through a number of small towns: Ruth, Rutherfordton, Forest City, and Florence. The only drawback is that I prefer countryside scenery. But the trail itself is awesome, with additional improvements to come!
Rode the Thermal Belt Trail in December 2018. This is a great trail, newly-paved for 13+ miles. We have hybrids but you could ride road bikes with no problem. We parked at Bechtler Mint Site and rode to the bridge at Hwy. 74. Perfect surface. Crossed a few roads but they are not big or busy. In that space we traveled through a number of small towns: Ruth, Rutherfordton, Forest City, and Florence. The only drawback is that I prefer countryside scenery. But the trail itself is awesome, with additional improvements to come!
Paving is now complete from Forest City near the bridge over US 74 to Gilkey. Feel free to take your road bike!
I've been living in Lincolnton a little over five years and am a frequent user of the Marsha H. Cloninger Rail-Trail. This is an easy trail for just about anyone looking for some exercise. There's about a hundred yards of fairly steep incline at the north end trailhead, but the rest of the 1.6 mile hike (3.2 miles both ways) is mostly level. The trail can be accessed or exited at several street intersections allowing hikers to do as much or as little of the trail as they desire. Several murals have been painted near the Main Street Tunnel in 2018 and hopefully the Art Council of Lincoln County will add more art.
This is a very Senior Citizen friendly trail. I love it
Nice walk, friendly people, limited parking but spots were open Only went 3 miles
Park in Clanton road transit lot and enjoy an easy, smooth ride to Morehead. Good ride with access to many great restaurants
the last 4.8 miles are being prepared for paving! Active construction was seen and good progress being made. When it is complete, it will be over 12 miles of smooth, new pavement.
Lots of hills , nice paved path part is only about 1.5 miles. The long trail toward I 85 very hilly and big rock gravel .
I’ve rode and walked this trail several times. However using different programs the distance one way is 1.8 miles not 2.
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