Explore the best rated trails in Kings Mountain, NC. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Highland Rail Trail and Pacolet Nature Trail. With more than 46 trails covering 108 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.
_194549_st.jpg)
_56382_st.jpg)
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...
Antiquity Greenway is a half-mile segment of Cornelius, NC's growing collection of multiuse paths. The paved trail begins on Zion Drive in downtown Cornelius and winds its way northeast towards the...
The Pacolet Nature Trail is a paved trail in the quiet rural community of Pacolet, located along the banks of the Pacolet River. The trail matches the sleepy nature of the town, providing trail users...
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...
If you enjoy rail-trails that flaunt their railroading past, you're sure to love the Thermal Belt Rail-Trail. The trail begins in Gilkey, and a recent extension takes it over 13 miles southeast to...
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 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....
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...
_0_sc.jpg)
Notice: As at September 2020, River Park has been closed temporarily for capital improvements. There is no entry or exit from the trail from this access point. Please use the Celriver Access point...
_140830_sc.jpg)
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...
Located in the quiet, rural outskirts of Spartanburg, SC, the Glendale Shoals Trail provides a lovely path for visitors to explore some of the natural beauty of the area. The natural-surface trail...
_56381_sc.jpg)
This unique trail runs through the campus of the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind and features interpretive signs in Braille that teach trail-goers about the types of trees along the route. The...
_56382_sc.jpg)
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 first phase of this rail trail opened in April 2017 and provides safe and convenient pedestrian access to Lyman’s commercial center. While it is new, it is already fairly well-used. The trail...
Caldwell Station Creek Greenway is 2.6 miles of walking and biking trails through the woods and wetlands of Cornelius. The trail is a local treasure, popular with locals for a workout in nature, as...
As its name suggests, this multiuse path travels along the South Prong of the Rocky River in Davidson, Mecklenburg County. There are two complete off-street segments, totaling 1.7 miles, that are...
The Wadsworth Trail parallels Willis Road from Harmon Drive to Hawk Creek Drive, with a spur heading south along SR 42-4382/Caldwell Drive. The Willis Road portion is 1.85 miles (one way), while 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 Mary Black Foundation 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...
_0_sc.jpg)
The Three Creeks Trail adds about a mile to Spartanburg's growing network of trails, christened the Daniel Morgan Trail System or "The Dan" for short. The 10-ft wide paved trail stretches between...
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...
This unique trail runs through the campus of the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind and features interpretive signs in Braille that teach trail-goers about the types of trees along the route. The...
Antiquity Greenway is a half-mile segment of Cornelius, NC's growing collection of multiuse paths. The paved trail begins on Zion Drive in downtown Cornelius and winds its way northeast towards the...
Notice: As at September 2020, River Park has been closed temporarily for capital improvements. There is no entry or exit from the trail from this access point. Please use the Celriver Access point...
As you might expect, the South Fork Rail-Trail closely follows the South Fork of the Catawba River on the south end of Lincolnton. The trail rests atop a former rail corridor within land preserved by...
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...
The first phase of this rail trail opened in April 2017 and provides safe and convenient pedestrian access to Lyman’s commercial center. While it is new, it is already fairly well-used. The trail...
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...
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 Mary Black Foundation 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...
Constructed in 1981 as the city of Spartanburg's first mixed-use trail, the River Birch Trail was in rough shape, with vegetation overgrowing the route and the surface cracked and failing, until the...
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....
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...
This trail follows alongside the West Branch of the Rocky River in Davidson, NC and is a part of the Carolina Thread trails complex. The greenway offers a refreshing walk or ride into nature, passing...
The Three Creeks Trail adds about a mile to Spartanburg's growing network of trails, christened the Daniel Morgan Trail System or "The Dan" for short. The 10-ft wide paved trail stretches between...
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...
The Wadsworth Trail parallels Willis Road from Harmon Drive to Hawk Creek Drive, with a spur heading south along SR 42-4382/Caldwell Drive. The Willis Road portion is 1.85 miles (one way), while the...
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 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...
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 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....
As its name suggests, this multiuse path travels along the South Prong of the Rocky River in Davidson, Mecklenburg County. There are two complete off-street segments, totaling 1.7 miles, that are...
Part of an expansive revitalization effort that the city of Spartanburg has undertaken to improve the economic and ecological well-being of the Northside neighborhood, the Butterfly Branch Greenway...
The first phase of this rail trail opened in April 2017 and provides safe and convenient pedestrian access to Lyman’s commercial center. While it is new, it is already fairly well-used. The trail...
The Pacolet Nature Trail is a paved trail in the quiet rural community of Pacolet, located along the banks of the Pacolet River. The trail matches the sleepy nature of the town, providing trail users...
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 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...
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...
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...
Located in the quiet, rural outskirts of Spartanburg, SC, the Glendale Shoals Trail provides a lovely path for visitors to explore some of the natural beauty of the area. The natural-surface trail...
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 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 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 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...
This trail follows alongside the West Branch of the Rocky River in Davidson, NC and is a part of the Carolina Thread trails complex. The greenway offers a refreshing walk or ride into nature, passing...
If you enjoy rail-trails that flaunt their railroading past, you're sure to love the Thermal Belt Rail-Trail. The trail begins in Gilkey, and a recent extension takes it over 13 miles southeast to...
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...
Their is a wide concrete side walk to and down Bailey Road to the high school. At that point there is a cross walk that connects to the Greenway to Davidson and Antiquity.
This is a nice ride through the woods. I rode it mid day on a week day lots of walkers .
This was our first ride on a rail trail and we loved it. Not crowded at all, smooth surface and beautiful scenery.
This wonderful trail now begins at the Andrew Polk State Historic Site.
We rode end to end and back yesterday on our tandem. It’s a very nicely done trail and the pavement is smooth as silk. It’s probably not a destination trail, but if you’re in the area, you don’t want to miss it. There are plenty of places to grab a drink or a bit to eat. There is a bike shop in Spindale. The at-grade crossings are plentiful in a few of the towns, but we still managed a decent pace and the crossings were well marked and safe.
The Thermal Belt is a lovely trail, now with a smooth, 12' asphalt surface. It's the 2nd longest rail-trail in NC, after the American Tobacco Trail. The one caution: Be careful not to let your front wheel wander off the pavement. There's a 3" drop-off to loose gravel shoulders. Those shoulders slope away from the pavement. So your next destination is a ditch. If Rutherford County will build up the shoulders, then the Thermal Belt will become much safer.
Trail is marked open from dawn to dusk
Smooth as heck. Excellent scenery. Decent mix of trees and open space. Some slight hills, good mix of winding roads and straight away. Everyone will enjoy. Easy to navigate as posts state which turns are exits! NC best!
We attempted to go along the trail to enjoy the bridge shown in the pictures but it was very apparent once arriving that it no longer exists. Not sure at which point it was dismantled but be prepared not to be able to go from one end of the trail to the other.
Smooth pavement with some wooded planked areas. Somewhat winding roads. Not much open stretch areas to push yourself. Nicely wooded. Good for exploring. Not good for road bikes. Most areas good for skates or skateboards. All and all nice trail.
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Map Search
_140830_st.jpg)
_0_st.jpg)
_56381_st.jpg)
_0_st.jpg)
