Explore the best rated trails in Hickory, NC, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Railroad Grade Road and Yadkin River Greenway . With more than 42 trails covering 147 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.
There are some older reviews on here that are no longer accurate. The trail is paved from end to end. It is also well maintained as witnessed by me following guys pulling a leaf blower behind their parks Dept ATV.
We had a nice time on the Irwin Creek and Stewart Creek Greenways. There was interesting public art, the tracts of a defunct railroad, city skyline views, and wooded sections.
The section from Magnolia Dr to NC 73 is about 3 miles.
I am a jogger, I run this trail often in the South Charlotte area. The portion from Marsh Park to Tyvola is well paved, in good condition, and is maintained well. Water fountains are well placed. After a rain, it doesn't get muddy or very wet like Four Mile Creek. People very friendly on the trail. Can get crowded on Saturday mornings with all the running clubs, races, etc. Only issue is the speeding bikers, sometimes they call out, sometimes they don't.
My wife and I ( we are in our 60's) rode our ebikes and it was a great workout. I don't think we would have made it on our mountain bikes, but we saw a guy on a regular bike. Make your way to the gravel and it's about 5 miles out and 5 miles back. It is very similar to a rail trail, but it does have some hills. Well maintained and not crowded on the gravel trail. We'll be back.
The rail to ROAD conversion provides an excellent asphalt surface for road bikes. We train a lot out on the roads in SC and found this 20 mile course (10 miles out and back) so enjoyable. While we experienced local road traffic, drivers were very courteous. We never felt unsafe and saw several other riders. When we come back this way we will definitely does this again.
We started at Cornelia Park and went all the way to Polk Historical site and many miles beyond that. The trail keeps going! We did 36.4 miles. Going through town was a bit confusing, signage is small and lacking in many places. Awesome smooth path, a great mix of buildings, parks and nature!
Just got back, mid May ride. Purple and white Phlox blooming along creek. Clean community rec center to use bathroom. Mostly level.
This is the only flat road in the area. I ride here whenever I visit the Boone area. It is a great road for experienced cyclists who are comfortable sharing the road with traffic which is usually not very heavy. Like others have said it is not a good place for casual riders looking to get away from the road.
The pavement isn't perfect but it is just fine for racing bikes.
Pretty trail but you can hear traffic noise for most of the time. Part of the time it is not very loud. The suspension bridge is fun but it does bounce a lot so if you have balance issues, it could be a problem.
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