Find the top rated running trails in Piney Green, whether you're looking for an easy short running trail or a long running trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a running trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Started out with high hopes of a great ride, but trail was very poorly marked. Lots of cracked and holed pavement made for a bumpy ride. Lots of busy intersections...glad I rode, but won’t go back.
We rented 5 bikes from Beach Wheels and started riding from the first beach access off of Ocean Dr. We didn’t feel comfortable riding on the road, so Bryan at Beach Wheels was kind enough to drop the bikes off there so we could ride on the bike path. We took the path all the way down to Plaza Mexican in Emerald Isle and had lunch. Then we biked down to Emerald Isle Woods where we took the bikes down to the water and enjoyed the view. Around 3:00 we turned around and biked our way back to Sweet Spot for ice cream. We were pretty tired at that point so we biked our way back to car.
Overall it was a very enjoyable bike ride. One thing I wish we had know is that the path is mostly downhill as you bike your way towards Emerald Isle which means it’s uphill as you’re coming back towards the car. We biked around 20 miles in total so the last 5-6 miles we’re pretty rough as we were very tired! Also, there’s a good bit of crosswalk traffic so be very cautious of cars as your cross.
While I agree with one of the other reviews, the trail is a little hard to follow but if you map your ride before you start, you should be ok. Most of the Trail now has a separate pathway which makes it safer especially if you are riding alone which I often do. There are beautiful stretches along side bodies of water, even a small waterfall. Parts of the trail are on a wooded and well shaded path. If you start at Mayfaire and go through a couple of neighborhoods and the UNCW campus you can get as much as 44 miles or more if you want. To me this is the best Wilmington has to offer and I very highly recommend it.
This trail has many twists and turns as it crosses the city. If you are unfamiliar with the area, it’s easy to make a wrong turn, because the trail is so poorly marked. The trail crosses many busy intersections, and part of the time you have to ride on a busy road to complete the 15-mile trail.
I love the idea of a downtown to beach bike ride. Like others, I was disappointed from the start when I realized it would be mostly on roads, not bike trails. However, the first approx. 2/3 of the ride is pleasant for the most part.
I was SHOCKED by the last portion of the ride. I can't believe someone hasn't died yet...perhaps they have. It strikes me as extremely irresponsible to have this ride even exist and be marked with signs because it gives the impression that it is at least relatively safe (which it is not). It's reckless to have bikers crossing without a crosswalk or light and, more notably, to be riding in tiny shoulders with cars zooming by at 45+. A slight drift of a vehicle into the shoulder would result in biker death. Even the most experienced bikers are putting themselves at risk.
It's poorly marked and you mostly ride on roads. Some of the roads are quiet but many have heavy traffic with a shoulder to ride on. In a few cases you are expected to cross busy streets at a site with no traffic light and no crosswalk. This is a dangerous trails and IMO shouldn't even be on this site. Don't ride it!
I had difficulty finding parking at the end of the trail but was able to find a public beach access parking in Indian Beach just past the end of the off-the-road portion. The cross road stops could get a little monotonous in the busier months but were not a big issue in November. It was cold and windy but still was an enjoyable ride. There are several public restrooms along the route.
The description only includes the portion of the trail that parallels, but is off, the main road (about 11 miles). There is an on-road trail that continues into Indian Beach and Atlantic Beach (probably close to 25 miles total). This road is fairly busy but the bike path is wide enough so it isn't uncomfortable.
All paved, gets a little busy with cross car traffic around downtown Emerald Isle on the path. Nice path for the most part. I would suggest early morning or later afternoon to heat. Has water stop, rest rooms at the beach access and tourist center. We like to ride along Ocean Drive along the ocean and end at the beach (end of Coast Guard Road). You can park at Boat Ramp or several beach access locations.
We were visiting Wilmington, NC and were told by hoteliers about the River to Sea Bikeway. Others have said it all and I'm just updating since this it is 2 1/2 years since the last review. As others have said, this is not really a trail. Some sections are very well marked but many are not and we got lost several times, landing us in heavy traffic areas. My husband and I are avid cyclists and have no problem riding in heavy traffic when there is a shoulder. There are some nice sections of this route that are paved "trail" but it is intermittent. The route is mostly roadway, some of which has shoulder but some of the heavy, high speed traffic areas that are supposed to be part of the "bikeway" do not, especially as you get closer to Wrightsville Beach. Our basic conclusion was that it takes a lot of nerve to call this a "Bikeway".
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