Trail pavement is in excellent condition except for a few tree roots. The half of the trail close to downtown is densely shaded, and gets dark early in the evening. No water or toilets unless you detour into Shelby Park.
No guide is needed as the trail is an old rail line and you can't get lost.

In brief, the trail quality and quantity are absolutely fabulous! However, the lack of directional signs is totally disgusting. Therefore I would give the trail quality five stars and one star for the lack of directional signs. If a person could navigate, they would have the time of their lives-bicycling That is!

me and my husband walked this trail about 2 weeks ago and i can honestly say you will take a walk down history lane iv recently over the last couple years have really gottin into learning the history of our past im memorized with it and i love it and to walk down that what once was the union railroad where a battle fought and later burned is just speachless...
its beautifull duriing the fall trees turning, leaves fallin, sun shineing wind whistlein, ............... just peacefull
tamra culp

It's a shame more people do not use this trail. It is very well maintained and very shaded for most of the trip. My brother and I live 3 hours away and do this trail at least 3 times a year. For a Sunday family outing there is a picnic area with grills at the state park at mile mark 2, and then 4 generations from babies in strollers to great-great grandparents can walk or bike parts of the trail. Two negatives though. crushed stone and except at mile marker 2, there are no restrooms, no food, no water along the trail, only benches for breaks; hence the 4 rating.

Started at Tillman around 8 and did the entire trail out and back. Amazing scenery and wonderful smells. Flowers in full bloom and the birds singing. Flat and easy, don’t miss the trail if your in the area.

My wife and I bike this trail occasionally and love it. Great trailhead with a very nice visitors center on hwy 49. It starts off with a few miles of tree shaded trail that turns into wide open farm field viewing. It’s a small gravel trail that is very flat. Bring plenty of water! We highly recommend it. When it is completed, it will be one of the most beautiful trails in the country as it will go through the “last frontier” white river refuge. Can’t wait!
John and Kelly

We did an out and back on this trail south from the state park to about mile 15, where it emerges from the trees and continues through farm fields along a road.

The trail is well-maintained and there is some interesting historical info. along the way. The trail is tucked into a tree lined strip between fields, so there is really nothing like the hardwood forest that the literature suggests, although the ride is pleasant enough.

Watch out for dogs that were loose from a nearby house between mile markers 8 and 9.

It seems the remaining 64 miles, if ever completed, may be the best part of the trail, since some of it would pass through a national wildlife refuge.

The people at the state park were very friendly, even offering to come rescue us if we had a flat!

Very much worth the short stop! We parked & unloaded at the trailhead on Channel 3 Drive by WREG where there was plenty of secure/safe parking. We rode across the bridge while stopping at the lookouts for pics of the MS River, tow boats, Memphis and the 100-year-old bridge. You will end up at a nice landing area on the AR side. Upon returning and reloading the bikes, we headed to Harbor Town/Mud Island to go exploring. We parked at the Middle Lot (the North Lot was a bit sketchy) & picnicked on the lawn watching the river. We got back on our bikes and rode the Mississippi River Greenbelt (the path parallel to Island Dr.) south to the entrance of Mud Island and back north to the new Downtown Wolf River Greenway at the confluence of the Wolf & MS Rivers. The new greenway takes you to the top the levee on one side and through “bottom land” on the opposite in an approx. 1-mile loop. Getting off the greenways, we spent the next couple of hours leisurely biking through the micro-neighborhoods of Harbor Town enjoying the residential architecture, friendly folks and views of the Wolf River Harbor and Pyramid. We truly enjoyed this relaxing spring ride over & on the banks of the MS River in Memphis.

We drove three hours to ride this trail and explore Helena and it was worth every minute of travel! At the Welcome Center, we were greeted by the friendly, informative (glad I was listening) staff and clean restrooms; thanks, and what a pleasant start and you may primitive tent camp on the grounds by the center! Our plan was to head south towards the end of the line at Elaine and return to yoyo the Lexa section. This half of the trail is beautifully shaded, peaceful, quiet and a joy to ride. We rode past the shaded trailhead at the Lick Creek bridge, dog-legged across Hwy. 85, rode over a 5’ coiled blue racer and right passed the Lake View TH where we were going to lunch at Old Town Lake (a definite stop). The delta was beautiful at his time of year with the cotton covering the landscape in a white blanket. It was at this time that we were reminded of the trail’s name; long flats, stronger winds, no shade and deeper, less-traveled gravel but finally, we arrived at Elaine. FYI, the trail restrooms were locked and the towns “store” may only be open during harvest season. Unfortunately, on our return journey my spouse developed severe leg cramps. So………we had to call the center for assistance and within 15 minutes our hero, Ranger Rick, picked us up at Lake View. We overnighted at Helena’s B&B and had an unexpectedly great supper at the casino across the river.