Looking for the best trails around Jacksonville?

Explore the best rated trails in Jacksonville, NC, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Jacksonville-Camp LeJeune Rail-to-Trails and River to the Sea Bikeway . With more than 5 trails covering 46 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.

Recent Trail Reviews

River to the Sea Bikeway

Dangerous!!!

May, 2024 by marydegange

A third of the ride is designated bike trail, the other two thirds are streets, and a few are very busy streets! Many street crossings, and signage is fair. Had to check the map several times to make sure we were on the bikeway. Won’t ride this ever again.

Jacksonville-Camp LeJeune Rail-to-Trails

good running path!!

May, 2024 by anderskelley2

Perfect little path! Parking at the bus stop (1300 N marine blvd) is easiest to get on the trail (lil sketchy for the first mile or so). Theres a park you pass that has restrooms! And trash cans throughout the trail. Def more people biking than walking/running. The mile markers every 0.5 miles are great!!! Can easily get 8 miles going down and back and could probably make it ~10.

Gary Shell Cross-City Trail

urban to woods

May, 2024 by janskinj

A good portion of this trail presents as a sidewalk along a busy road. Still decent park views, old trolley lines and water side rides at this end. The real beauty is at the Halyburton Park end. Wooded, all natural, rolling hills, the smell of pine and lots of critters. Peaceful and rewarding.

Accordion

Emerald Path

Disappointing

March, 2024 by steve mcc

The bike path is really a sidewalk down the peninsula. As you ride there are rows of houses to the left obscuring any water view and 3 rows of houses to the right obscuring any ocean view. Every 50 to 100 feet there is a crossroad with a bike stop sign so don’t expect to get any long pedaling in. If you like stop and wait and go crossroads this is for you! The homes you see are typical beach houses, all new builds, nothing spectacular. The business sections look a little run down. It is hardly worth taking the bikes off the car let alone driving all the way there. If you don’t mind leaving your bike and walking thru a beach access, the ocean view is pretty. But this trail can be scratched from your list. Sorry. We wanted to like it.

Gary Shell Cross-City Trail

Terrible Trail

February, 2024 by turtlehaul

This cross-city trial is really just a sidewalk that runs alongside high traffic roadways and through constructions sites, and dangerous intersections. Beware! Drivers will run you down! There is no wildlife or nature to enjoy along the way. Just traffic buzzing by. If sniffing noxious fumes from passing vehicles is your thing you will love it!

Jacksonville-Camp LeJeune Rail-to-Trails

great trail - use the bus station lot

January, 2024 by wxn4rxwz9b

The actual trail head is just beside the Jacksonville Station (it’s a bus transit station) 1300 N Marine Blvd Great place to park in the long term area and get on. Wonderful benches along the public side of the military base fence all along the trail. We took our four year old the whole way on his bike and enjoyed it. It was work on the way back, but good. Def park at the bus station.

Jacksonville-Camp LeJeune Rail-to-Trails

Start at Jacksonville Station

January, 2024 by rabrn

Another place to park and start the trail is at the new (old) Jacksonville Station on Marine Blvd. It has plenty of free parking and the trail passes right in front of the station. From there it is 4.9 miles to another public parking area just outside of one of the Camp Lejeune gates. At about the halfway point, just after crossing on the elevated pedestrian walkway you can take the side trail which takes you app. 3 miles to the Memorial Gardens . This whole section of the trail is well paved and well maintained.

Gary Shell Cross-City Trail

The best (and safest) ride in Wilmington

June, 2023 by rsilbe20

Since moving to Wilmington several years ago, the Gary Shell Cross Trail is the best biking trail that I’ve discovered so far! Most of the trail is paved with signage leading the way, keep your eyes peeled. You’ll have to get creative when crossing several busy roads but, overall it’s a relative easy ride. You’ll pass the Contemporary Art Museum (CAM), bike through several parks and even get to explore some of UNCW’s main campus. You can stop for refreshments at Flying Machine Brewery, Soundside Seafood and Raw Bar, or Drift (either at Autumn Hall or R Wrightsville BeCh).

Gary Shell Cross-City Trail

This is a great first ride in Wilmington to learn some nieborhoods. Could use a little better signage.

April, 2023 by john.daus

This is a great first ride in Wilmington to learn some nieborhoods. Could use a little better signage.

Gary Shell Cross-City Trail

Not a fan. Poor to non-existant signage - extremely difficult to follow. Some stretches of sidewalk, some bike lanes, some dedicated bike paths - none of which connect smoothly. Rode four frustrating miles and turned around.

February, 2023 by jreckart

Not a fan. Poor to non-existant signage - extremely difficult to follow. Some stretches of sidewalk, some bike lanes, some dedicated bike paths - none of which connect smoothly. Rode four frustrating miles and turned around.

River to the Sea Bikeway

Not a bikeway in any sense of the word

December, 2022 by redfishnc

Just get out a road map and go for it if you are extremely comfortable road riding. Wilmington is a beautiful town that has had little interest in building bike paths. They think calling a heavily trafficked road a bike path if you add a sign.

River to the Sea Bikeway

Not Really a Trail

December, 2022 by kulickk

I rode this in December 2022 As most of it is on road I would call this a bike route and not really a trail Some of the on road sections are on busy roads without a specific bike lane Some of the route in the downtown area is on brick pavement so not fun to ride on I did see lots of signs for the trail where turns required Some other comments mentioned parts of it are in unsafe areas. I certainly did not feel that was true.

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