We started in Algood and rode to the depot and back. Made a quick bathroom stop at Cinderella Park on the way back. My odometer measured the distance as 9.22 miles round trip. So nice to finally have a bike trail in this area.

I am visiting this area. Staying at the KOA campsite in Sweetwater. It's only 16 miles from there. So far this is a very clean Trail well maintained. One way in one way out you cannot get lost. this is beginning of March. There is a river running along the trail. It is very peaceful and calming.

Cookeville is a great town with lots of good scenery....but this trail shows little of it. Once you cross Washington and head east, everything is industrial.

I walked the entire trail to New Englewood Road & back on a Monday afternoon. Did not encounter any other trail traffic, not even a stray dog. The trail surface was well maintained and easy to walk. It had been recently dragged with a box blade.

This trail is almost completely shaded so a great ride even on the hottest days. Gravel on the last third of the trail can get a bit large so don't take a road bike unless you like fixing flats. Has just enough grade to keep you pedalling most of the way. If you're on a bike be aware some people on horseback will be on skittish horses.

Took my 9 yr old riding last weekend. Parked at the Depot in Cookeville. The TN Central passenger excursion train was there....amazing to see it running with people going to Nasville. Rode all the way to Algood end. Flat, well marked, wide, 4mi ride out. Came back and ate ice cream at Ice Cream City downtown. Perfection! Bravo Cookeville. Cant wait until the Monterey and Baxter extwnsions open up.

Nine miles of easy riding! For folks coming from Fairfield Glade this is very welcome. There are three access points with parking and restrooms: the depot end, the Algood Community center at the other end and Cinderella park about halfway on the trail. The scenery is not the best. That and the need more signage is why I rated it only four stars. The depot end is worth extra time for a stop for history and food. Overall, I like it and will do it again with friends. Congrats to Cookville.

I noticed that about 10 weeks ago (05-10-2017) some type of grader was run along the surface. It dislodged all of the larger rocks that had been tamped down into the bed of the track. It is now very rough and unpleasant to ride. Leave it alone!!!

This review pertains to the 4.5 mile Cookeville to Algood section of the trail.

My wife and I have biked this trail several times since before it even opened, and I love that we now have this local option - and in many ways, this is really a pretty good trail. But, there are real usability issues with it - thus only 3 stars.

First the good...

Quite gentle grades make this trail accessible to riders of all levels.

The newly paved surfaces and upgraded wide sidewalks are a joy to ride on.

Access is great - ample, safe parking at the depot, cinderella park, and Algood community center plus several minor access points mean that many area residents can get on the trail with little or no driving or parking issues.

REAL bathrooms and water are available at the Depot and at Cinderella park. Some great trails are somewhat lacking in this department - Shelby park greenway in Nashville for example.

The Cookeville end of the trail passes through some of the more interesting parts of town and is my favorite section.

Cinderella Park is just about halfway between the two ends of the trail - so parking there gives you the option of doing one half at a time - a good option if you are not in great shape, or if the temps are not ideal.

The Cinderalla park trail head is a good place for a group picnic - with a nice basketball court, playground, grills, and a covered picnic shelter - to start or end a ride.

However - the not so good...

First and foremost the street crossing at North Washington is not at all kid-friendly. Not very adult-friendly either. If there is a lot of traffic it can be pretty intimidating for many riders. Something else really needs to be worked out.

There are several other street crossings - most of which - other than Fisk rd - are very low traffic side streets and really not a problem. But again kids need to be well supervised. None of the other crossings are nearly as troubling as N. Washington.

I really enjoy this trail and its convenient location - but the truth is, that much of the scenery isn't very scenic. The old downtown district with the depot, historical buildings, and farmer's market and the cruise along the edge of the TTU campus is very nice, but other parts of the trail are pretty much the back end of steel commercial buildings. It's not a great negative, not trashy or unsafe - just not attractive scenery.

Three out of five stars sounds worse than I want it to - I really like this trail being very close to my home. But if you have ever ridden on the Chattanooga river park trail or the Nashville Shelby park trail, or the Virginia Creeper trail you will understand why this isn't really a 4-5 star experience. Maybe someday it will be. Fingers crossed.