The trial is located beside the movie theater in Birkdale/ Huntersville. Nice paved trail. You can continue on the sidewalks to the park and extend your ride. Enjoyable 1.5 mile ride each way!

The trail is paved and well maintained. My favorite is the northern part which is about 5 miles after that you have to deal with crossings and traffic lights. An elderly couple got an accident and the husband busted his head. Blood all over the road. We have to help the wife to go back to her car and lift her ebike. It needs a lot of concentration and need your attention coz there are few sections that are not smooth.

Note: this is a public road and not a 'rail trail' where cars are prohibited.
We started at the intersection of Hwy 21 and Railroad Grade Road on the Fleetwood side, mid-morning on a Tuesday. We parked off the side of the road as there was no designated parking area here. We should have driven on about 3/4 mile to a gravel lot across from the Fleetwood Post Office and parked there (assuming that is allowed). The first 3/4 mile from the intersection with Hwy 21 is very steep downhill, narrow, with blind curves... not the safest conditions for bicycles; also some traffic. It was quite an ascent at the end of our return trip. Next time we will avoid this section.
Railroad Grade Rd. branches off to the left about 1/4 mile past the Fleetwood Post Office. Here the road becomes 'unimproved', which means it is chip seal without any painted lines. I would call this the trail road. I saw at least one previous review that mentioned heavy traffic. We did not encounter heavy traffic on this section of the road during our ride... car or bicycle. The riverside scenery is beautiful. We were particularly impressed with a large Christmas tree farm. There is a gradual incline to Todd but hardly noticeable. We would definitely do this ride again.

The trail was very well maintained with tool kiosks along the way. We did Forest City- spindale and return. I give the trail a 10. The scenery a 2. Mostly views of gas stations, fast food and ugly buildings.

I live in the neighborhood so I go all the time. I especially love it when there are few people and most of what I hear are the birds. Most if it is shaded but there is also a walkway that leads to an open area where you can feel the warm sun as well. The only downside is that there are a number of people who don’t bother to clean up after there dog.

We rode on a Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed the entire R/T ride starting from Gilkey. Granny B’s in Spindale made a great stop for killer sub sandwiches and baked goodies. Lots of restrooms and water on the entire route. Highly recommend for families too.

My wife & I rode the from the south starting point at Forest Hunt Elementary School to Gilkey & back. Beautiful 27 mile round trip ride. Smooth, paved & wide enough for us to ride mostly side by side. Highly recommend.

We rode this trail in early October on our way to Savannah, and it did not disappoint us. It was a great ride all the way around. The scenery was beautiful and the trail was very well maintained. I wish we lived closer to it.

We thoroughly enjoyed our great walking experience on this trail. One request we might suggest is a better observance of verbal announcements by cyclists approaching hikers from behind on the trail. Pls announce your approach as trail protocol requires. Collision between a bike tracking at high speed and an inspecting walker can end tragically. All in all, a great experience.