I'm submitting this as a review because I can't find another place to send it. After the recent rains, someone used sand to repair the dirt path that connects the French Broad River Greenway to the French Broad River Park (it goes underneath the Amboy Road overpass). Please don't use sand! It makes it difficult and dangerous to ride a bike through the area. Please use dirt instead.

loved the trail only the Far East end hard to navigate

My family and I rode 2 days over the Thanksgiving holiday. The trail is paved like new with many convenient access points. Can’t wait to ride it again!

Great trail with diverse features from Mt biking in Pisgah Forest to urban trail in Brevard. Oskar Blues Brewery side trip a highlight!

I enjoyed a quiet ride on the Thermal Belt trail yesterday. When I parked at the parking area just off US74 (near mile marker 12.5) at 10:00am the lot was empty and so was the trail. By 2'ish when I returned the lot was half full with cyclist's vehicles.
A very pleasant semi-urban rail with lots of light industry and old textile plants. Not scenic like the Creeper but very interesting to ride. The trail is beautiful with a fresh macadam surface. Lots of street/road crossings but light traffic at most of them. The final mile south of US74 is not yet paved.
I rode the section from US74 to just past Spindale (and back) and wasn't disappointed. Will start for Rutherfordton and ride South next time just to see what I missed,
Thanks to those who added another rail trail accessible from Western NC.

My wife and I rode our tandem from the parking area off Lakehurst St up to Travelers Rest (TR) on a sunny Thursday morning. Being a weekday, there were no crowds to contend with. The trail is well kept and a pleasure to ride. Yes, the trail is a little hard to follow in the downtown area due to the many intersections with park paths - the signage still needs improvement. A map of the downtown section was helpful for us, since we were new to the trail. There is one place downtown where you will need to ride on Furman College Way (street) because the actual trail goes up steps. It's about 0.2 mile long.
As you head towards TR the trail takes a "jog" at Willard St. There are tight turns on either end of a small bridge over the Reedy River.
There are two other road crossings that require extra caution due to high traffic (and no traffic lights) - West Blue Ridge Dr ( Rt-235) and Watkins Bridge Rd.
There are many places to take a break or grab a bite in TR. The ride from Greenville to TR is a gentle uphill grade. The trail itself goes another 2.2 miles north of Center St. This section is a little hillier.
Overall, a good trail to ride on.

Newly paved with asphalt and you can smell the new wood on the
bridges. Easy ride with long sloping hills, small towns and friendly people. Could use a rest room and more benches. To find a nice motel we drove back to Asheville NC. one of my favorite towns. I will ride this trail again !
Lattie Dockery

As others have said, it isn't much of a "trail" but rather a paved path that runs along a pretty busy two lane road. You can walk two abreast but that is about all. There are multiple subdivisions along the path which contributes to the busyness of the road especially during morning and evening rush hour times. That being said, it is a nice place to get in a few good walking/running miles with some hills along the way without having to drive a long distance out of town.

Finished 9 miles, not bad for someone who hasn’t road a bike in 25 years.