Explore the best rated trails in Jacksonville, NC. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the River to the Sea Bikeway and Emerald Path. With more than 5 trails covering 44 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.
The Emerald Path is an 11-mile multiuse pathway stretching from the Indian Beach town limits all the way to The Point at Bogue Inlet at the western end of Emerald Isle. The path follows County Road...
The Gary Shell Cross-City Trail connects the Wilmington campus of the University of North Carolina with the city's many recreational attractions, including Halyburton Park, Empie Park, McCrary Park,...
The Jacksonville-Camp LeJeune Rail-to-Trails path extends along abandoned rail beds from the Marine Corps base at Camp LeJeune (Midway Park area) 5.2 miles northwest to Marine Boulevard in...
The Military Cutoff Trail is a paved, north-south route paralleling its namesake roadway on the east end of Wilmington. A wide grassy median separates the trail from the busy roadway. The south end of...
The River to the Sea Bikeway (WMPO Bicycle Route 1) is an 11-mile, on- and off-road bicycle route that follows the Historic Beach Car Line, which carried vacationers from downtown Wilmington to...
The Military Cutoff Trail is a paved, north-south route paralleling its namesake roadway on the east end of Wilmington. A wide grassy median separates the trail from the busy roadway. The south end of...
The Emerald Path is an 11-mile multiuse pathway stretching from the Indian Beach town limits all the way to The Point at Bogue Inlet at the western end of Emerald Isle. The path follows County Road...
The Jacksonville-Camp LeJeune Rail-to-Trails path extends along abandoned rail beds from the Marine Corps base at Camp LeJeune (Midway Park area) 5.2 miles northwest to Marine Boulevard in...
The Gary Shell Cross-City Trail connects the Wilmington campus of the University of North Carolina with the city's many recreational attractions, including Halyburton Park, Empie Park, McCrary Park,...
The Military Cutoff Trail is a paved, north-south route paralleling its namesake roadway on the east end of Wilmington. A wide grassy median separates the trail from the busy roadway. The south end of...
The River to the Sea Bikeway (WMPO Bicycle Route 1) is an 11-mile, on- and off-road bicycle route that follows the Historic Beach Car Line, which carried vacationers from downtown Wilmington to...
The Emerald Path is an 11-mile multiuse pathway stretching from the Indian Beach town limits all the way to The Point at Bogue Inlet at the western end of Emerald Isle. The path follows County Road...
The Jacksonville-Camp LeJeune Rail-to-Trails path extends along abandoned rail beds from the Marine Corps base at Camp LeJeune (Midway Park area) 5.2 miles northwest to Marine Boulevard in...
The Gary Shell Cross-City Trail connects the Wilmington campus of the University of North Carolina with the city's many recreational attractions, including Halyburton Park, Empie Park, McCrary Park,...
I’ve lived here in ILM for almost 10 years now and have been keeping an eye on the progress of this trail since I moved here. I bike from downtown to work near Mayfaire on this trail very regularly and, while it certainly has gotten better from where it started this trail still needs significant work. The sections of the trail between South College (which you will have to cross at a light through traffic) and up to the bridge at Wrightsville are fine. You’re on a separate trail and have cross-walks as needed. However, when you’re riding around downtown and after you cross the bridge at Wrightsville, you’re on roads. This is mostly okay because they can be smaller roads, but you will be on some main roads with cars going by you pretty quickly. If you’re okay with that, go for it! It really is a fun ride. But if you’re newer to road cycling or are uncomfortable with cars going quickly by you, maybe skip this one for now. Like I said, the city is working to improve this trail. It’s just not quite there yet.
Don’t let the negative reviews discourage you, as they almost did me. He had an amazing time! Spoke and Wheel dropped off our bike rentals at our hotel, no extra charge. I highly recommend them! We set off from the Ballast Hotel. The brick streets were so so quaint. The ride was very flat. We stopped at the Alcove along the way for a beer. Then headed on to Flying Machine Brewery (such a cool place—great beer and even better music). Then circled back to End of Days distillery. So, as you can see we did not do the entire trail, but plan to next time! It is a beautiful, flat ride
We rented 5 bikes from Beach Wheels and started riding from the first beach access off of Ocean Dr. We didn’t feel comfortable riding on the road, so Bryan at Beach Wheels was kind enough to drop the bikes off there so we could ride on the bike path. We took the path all the way down to Plaza Mexican in Emerald Isle and had lunch. Then we biked down to Emerald Isle Woods where we took the bikes down to the water and enjoyed the view. Around 3:00 we turned around and biked our way back to Sweet Spot for ice cream. We were pretty tired at that point so we biked our way back to car.
Overall it was a very enjoyable bike ride. One thing I wish we had know is that the path is mostly downhill as you bike your way towards Emerald Isle which means it’s uphill as you’re coming back towards the car. We biked around 20 miles in total so the last 5-6 miles we’re pretty rough as we were very tired! Also, there’s a good bit of crosswalk traffic so be very cautious of cars as your cross.
While I agree with one of the other reviews, the trail is a little hard to follow but if you map your ride before you start, you should be ok. Most of the Trail now has a separate pathway which makes it safer especially if you are riding alone which I often do. There are beautiful stretches along side bodies of water, even a small waterfall. Parts of the trail are on a wooded and well shaded path. If you start at Mayfaire and go through a couple of neighborhoods and the UNCW campus you can get as much as 44 miles or more if you want. To me this is the best Wilmington has to offer and I very highly recommend it.
This trail has many twists and turns as it crosses the city. If you are unfamiliar with the area, it’s easy to make a wrong turn, because the trail is so poorly marked. The trail crosses many busy intersections, and part of the time you have to ride on a busy road to complete the 15-mile trail.
I love the idea of a downtown to beach bike ride. Like others, I was disappointed from the start when I realized it would be mostly on roads, not bike trails. However, the first approx. 2/3 of the ride is pleasant for the most part.
I was SHOCKED by the last portion of the ride. I can't believe someone hasn't died yet...perhaps they have. It strikes me as extremely irresponsible to have this ride even exist and be marked with signs because it gives the impression that it is at least relatively safe (which it is not). It's reckless to have bikers crossing without a crosswalk or light and, more notably, to be riding in tiny shoulders with cars zooming by at 45+. A slight drift of a vehicle into the shoulder would result in biker death. Even the most experienced bikers are putting themselves at risk.
It's poorly marked and you mostly ride on roads. Some of the roads are quiet but many have heavy traffic with a shoulder to ride on. In a few cases you are expected to cross busy streets at a site with no traffic light and no crosswalk. This is a dangerous trails and IMO shouldn't even be on this site. Don't ride it!
I had difficulty finding parking at the end of the trail but was able to find a public beach access parking in Indian Beach just past the end of the off-the-road portion. The cross road stops could get a little monotonous in the busier months but were not a big issue in November. It was cold and windy but still was an enjoyable ride. There are several public restrooms along the route.
The description only includes the portion of the trail that parallels, but is off, the main road (about 11 miles). There is an on-road trail that continues into Indian Beach and Atlantic Beach (probably close to 25 miles total). This road is fairly busy but the bike path is wide enough so it isn't uncomfortable.
All paved, gets a little busy with cross car traffic around downtown Emerald Isle on the path. Nice path for the most part. I would suggest early morning or later afternoon to heat. Has water stop, rest rooms at the beach access and tourist center. We like to ride along Ocean Drive along the ocean and end at the beach (end of Coast Guard Road). You can park at Boat Ramp or several beach access locations.
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