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Union, SC Hiking Trails and Maps

355 Reviews

Looking for the best Hiking trails around Union?

Find the top rated hiking trails in Union, whether you're looking for an easy short hiking trail or a long hiking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a hiking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.

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Name
Length
Most Popular

Avon and Catawba Creeks Greenway

1.9 mi

State: NC

Asphalt

Drayton Mills Trail

2 mi

State: SC

Asphalt, Concrete

Duncan Park Trail

1 mi

State: SC

Asphalt, Concrete

Glendale Shoals Trail

0.6 mi

State: SC

Dirt

Heritage Trail (SC)

2.5 mi

State: SC

Asphalt

Kings Mountain Gateway Trail

4.3 mi

State: NC

Asphalt, Gravel

Lindsay Pettus Greenway

2 mi

State: SC

Asphalt, Boardwalk, Concrete

Little Sugar Creek Greenway

19.5 mi

State: NC

Asphalt, Concrete

Lower McAlpine Creek, McMullen Creek & Four Mile Creek Greenways

5.8 mi

State: NC

Asphalt, Boardwalk, Gravel

Lyman Rail Trail

0.5 mi

State: SC

Asphalt

Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail (Palmetto Trail)

1.9 mi

State: SC

Asphalt

Peak to Prosperity Passage (Palmetto Trail)

10.8 mi

State: SC

Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass, Sand

Piedmont Medical Center Trail

3.35 mi

State: SC

Asphalt, Boardwalk

Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail

28 mi

State: SC

Asphalt, Boardwalk

Purple Martin Greenway

3.2 mi

State: NC

Asphalt

River Birch Trail

1.1 mi

State: SC

Asphalt, Gravel

Shelby Rail-Trail

1.5 mi

State: NC

Dirt

Thermal Belt Rail Trail

13.6 mi

State: NC

Asphalt

Baxter Village Trail

3.3 mi

State: SC

Dirt, Grass, Sand

Cleveland Park Trails

1.5 mi

State: SC

Asphalt, Concrete

Accordion

Twelve Mile Creek Trail

6 mi

State: SC

Asphalt, Boardwalk, Concrete, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel

Highland Rail Trail

1.6 mi

State: NC

Asphalt

Ninety Six Town Trail

1.4 mi

State: SC

Concrete, Crushed Stone, Dirt

Three Creeks Trail (SC)

1.2 mi

State: SC

Asphalt

USC Upstate Passage (Palmetto Trail)

1.3 mi

State: SC

Dirt

Wadsworth Trail

2.8 mi

State: SC

Asphalt

Waterford Trail

1.5 mi

State: SC

Asphalt, Boardwalk, Concrete, Dirt

Southport Road Path

3 mi

State: SC

Asphalt, Concrete

York Bicycle Trail

1 mi

State: SC

Asphalt

Butterfly Branch Greenway

0.5 mi

State: SC

Concrete

Cambridge Gateway Trail

1 mi

State: SC

Crushed Stone

Cleveland Park Spur

1.2 mi

State: SC

Concrete

Cottonwood Trail (SC)

1.25 mi

State: SC

Dirt

Croft Passage (Palmetto Trail)

12.6 mi

State: SC

Boardwalk, Concrete, Dirt

Grace Street Greenway

0.4 mi

State: SC

Crushed Stone

Liberty Trail (Palmetto Trail)

0.6 mi

State: SC

Concrete

Pacolet Nature Trail

0.9 mi

State: SC

Asphalt

Pavilion Recreation Complex Trail

0.5 mi

State: SC

Asphalt

SC School for the Deaf and Blind Braille Trail (Palmetto Trail)

0.75 mi

State: SC

Crushed Stone

West Cambridge Trail

1.5 mi

State: SC

Crushed Stone, Grass, Gravel

Wetland Trail

0.5 mi

State: SC

Boardwalk

YMCA Connector

0.7 mi

State: SC

Asphalt, Gravel

Trail Image	Trail Name	States	Length	Surface	Rating
	Avon and Catawba Creeks Greenway The Avon and Catawba Creeks Greenway has several neighborhood entrances in Gastonia. The 1.9-mile trail winds alongside Catawba Creek and Avon Creek with a few small bridges crossings along the way....	NC	1.9 mi	Asphalt	9 reviews
	Drayton Mills Trail Meandering around and through the City of Spartanburg's eastside, the Drayton Mills Trail offers a surprise retreat into nature sheltered by greenery from the urban bustle. This wooded trail includes...	SC	2 mi	Asphalt, Concrete	1 reviews
	Duncan Park Trail The trail extends from the dam at Duncan Park Lake and courses through the park to near Union Street by the baseball stadium. The path is a gradual hill (up or down, depending on your direction of...	SC	1 mi	Asphalt, Concrete	1 reviews
	Glendale Shoals Trail Located in the quiet, rural outskirts of Spartanburg, SC, the Glendale Shoals Trail provides a lovely path for visitors to explore some of the natural beauty of the area. The natural-surface trail...	SC	0.6 mi	Dirt	2 reviews
	Heritage Trail (SC) There's no better place to take in Greenwood's industrial and railroading past than along the aptly named Heritage Trail, which extends more than 2 miles from the town center south to outlying...	SC	2.5 mi	Asphalt	7 reviews
	Kings Mountain Gateway Trail Kings Mountain Gateway Trail is situated in a beautiful natural park setting offering a picnic shelter, restrooms, drinking fountains, and parking. Much of the park is heavily wooded and the trail is...	NC	4.3 mi	Asphalt, Gravel	12 reviews
	Lindsay Pettus Greenway Running through the City of Lancaster, the Lindsay Pettus Greenway is a hard surface, ADA compliant multi-use trail that connects neighborhoods, schools, and local businesses, as well as providing...	SC	2 mi	Asphalt, Boardwalk, Concrete	1 reviews
	Little Sugar Creek Greenway The Little Sugar Creek Greenway runs through eastern Charlotte and stretches for more than 19 miles down to the Catawba River in neighboring South Carolina. The trail is a beautiful urban gem,...	NC	19.5 mi	Asphalt, Concrete	31 reviews
	Lower McAlpine Creek, McMullen Creek & Four Mile Creek Greenways On the southern outskirts of Charlotte, a series of connected greenways along creeks form a horseshoe-shaped path of nearly 6 miles. The pathway is primarily paved with wooden boardwalks over creeks...	NC	5.8 mi	Asphalt, Boardwalk, Gravel	20 reviews
	Lyman Rail Trail The first phase of this rail trail opened in April 2017 and provides safe and convenient pedestrian access to Lyman’s commercial center. While it is new, it is already fairly well-used. The trail...	SC	0.5 mi	Asphalt	3 reviews
	Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail (Palmetto Trail) The Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail is just a short segment of what will eventually become the 12-mile Hub City Connector, which itself will be part of the larger Palmetto Trail, a proposed 425-mile...	SC	1.9 mi	Asphalt	4 reviews
	Peak to Prosperity Passage (Palmetto Trail) About 30 miles northwest of Columbia, the Peak to Prosperity Passage offers a scenic, shaded route along the right-of-way of a former Norfolk Southern Railroad corridor. Popular with dog walkers,...	SC	10.8 mi	Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass, Sand	18 reviews
	Piedmont Medical Center Trail Following the Catawba River, the Piedmont Medical Center Trail (formerly the Riverwalk) stretches 3.35 miles through Rock Hill near the border between North and South Carolina. The route is part of...	SC	3.35 mi	Asphalt, Boardwalk	11 reviews
	Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail Closure notice: Greenville County Recreation has crews working to clear the SRT Network after damage from Hurricane Helene. Please obey trail closed signs as active crews are in that area. Please...	SC	28 mi	Asphalt, Boardwalk	100 reviews
	Purple Martin Greenway The Purple Martin Greenway provides a beautiful community amenity in Rutherfordton. The quaint western North Carolina town was established in 1787 and has many buildings on the National Register of...	NC	3.2 mi	Asphalt	1 reviews
	River Birch Trail Constructed in 1981 as the city of Spartanburg's first mixed-use trail, the River Birch Trail was in rough shape, with vegetation overgrowing the route and the surface cracked and failing, until the...	SC	1.1 mi	Asphalt, Gravel	4 reviews
	Shelby Rail-Trail Shelby's rail-trail winds through the western edge of the city between West Grover Street and Dixon Boulevard. Following the former right-of-way of Norfolk Southern Railroad, the unpaved pathway...	NC	1.5 mi	Dirt	8 reviews
	Thermal Belt Rail Trail The Thermal Belt Rail Trail lies at the heart of communities in Rutherford County. The name of the trail comes from the surrounding Isothermal Belt region which results in mild temperatures and longer...	NC	13.6 mi	Asphalt	93 reviews
	Baxter Village Trail The Baxter Village Trail is nestled in a neighborhood of Fort Mill, which lies on the northern border of South Carolina (Charlotte, North Carolina, is just over the state line). The trail has a...	SC	3.3 mi	Dirt, Grass, Sand	3 reviews
	Cleveland Park Trails Explore Cleveland Park via its paved trails that wind through the trees and fields, connecting the park's facilities and amenities. The park includes the John B. Cleveland Event Center, picnic...	SC	1.5 mi	Asphalt, Concrete	2 reviews

Accordion

Twelve Mile Creek Trail The Twelve Mile Creek Trail, which runs northeast from Walnut Creek Park over the South Carolina/North Carolina state line to Waxhaw, is part of the Carolina Thread Trail—a growing trail network of...	SC	6 mi	Asphalt, Boardwalk, Concrete, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel	8 reviews
Highland Rail Trail Highland Rail Trail is named for the neighborhood that it runs adjacent to as it travels through Gastonia along the former Carolina and Northwestern (C&NW) Railway. Although short, it offers an...	NC	1.6 mi	Asphalt	2 reviews
Ninety Six Town Trail The Ninety Six Town Trail parallels State Route 34 east to west across the length of the town. The trail sits on a disused Norfolk Southern railway corridor. The trail surface is stone dust except for...	SC	1.4 mi	Concrete, Crushed Stone, Dirt	1 reviews
Three Creeks Trail (SC) The Three Creeks Trail adds about a mile to Spartanburg's growing network of trails, christened the Daniel Morgan Trail System or "The Dan" for short. The 10-ft wide paved trail stretches between...	SC	1.2 mi	Asphalt	1 reviews
USC Upstate Passage (Palmetto Trail) Closure notice: Due to Hurricane Helene’s significant damage across the state, the Palmetto Trail will be closed until further notice. Please visit the Palmetto Conservation website for more...	SC	1.3 mi	Dirt	3 reviews
Wadsworth Trail The Wadsworth Trail parallels Willis Road from Harmon Drive to Hawk Creek Drive, with a spur heading south along SR 42-4382/Caldwell Drive. The Willis Road portion is 1.85 miles, while the Caldwell...	SC	2.8 mi	Asphalt	6 reviews
Waterford Trail The Waterford Trail is a 1.5-mile segment of the Carolina Thread Trail, a system of trails and greenways in the Carolinas. Beginning by the River Park kayak/canoe launch, the wooded trail meanders...	SC	1.5 mi	Asphalt, Boardwalk, Concrete, Dirt	1 reviews
Southport Road Path Southport Road Path follows the south side of Southport Road from Cedar Springs Road to South Avenue. Heading west from Cedar Springs Road, the multi-use path passes the 295 Sports Complex, a DMV...	SC	3 mi	Asphalt, Concrete	1 reviews
York Bicycle Trail In northern South Carolina, only about 30 miles southwest of Charlotte, lies the quaint city of York. A paved bicycle trail runs through the heart of the community from its city park to its recreation...	SC	1 mi	Asphalt	1 reviews
Butterfly Branch Greenway Part of an expansive revitalization effort that the city of Spartanburg has undertaken to improve the economic and ecological well-being of the Northside neighborhood, the Butterfly Branch Greenway...	SC	0.5 mi	Concrete	0 reviews
Cambridge Gateway Trail The Cambridge Gateway Trail stretches east-west along West Cambridge Avenue up to Calhoun Road/ State Route 225. The eight-foot wide stone-dust trail is lined with mature trees providing shade and is...	SC	1 mi	Crushed Stone	0 reviews
Cleveland Park Spur This 1.2 mile paved path meanders through Greenville's Cleveland Park, following Richland Creek and providing access to the downtown recreation area's various features. The trail surface is smooth...	SC	1.2 mi	Concrete	0 reviews
Cottonwood Trail (SC) A natural-surface trail that runs through the gorgeous Edwin M. Griffin Preserve just outside the center of Spartanburg, the Cottonwood Trail offers a lovely path into the wooded landscape surrounding...	SC	1.25 mi	Dirt	0 reviews
Croft Passage (Palmetto Trail) As part of the Palmetto Conservation trails system, Croft Passage is a multi-use trail that passes through historic Croft State Park. Starting from the Glenn Springs Passage trailhead, the trail...	SC	12.6 mi	Boardwalk, Concrete, Dirt	0 reviews
Grace Street Greenway Built on a former railroad track, the Grace Street Greenway is short, but offers those on foot a convenient and pleasant alternative to busier streets. Starting by the intersection of Reynolds Street...	SC	0.4 mi	Crushed Stone	0 reviews
Liberty Trail (Palmetto Trail) In the heart of busy Spartanburg, the Liberty Trail provides a beautiful oasis through a garden, along a tree-lined brook that cascades over a series of granite steps into a pool. Although only 0.5...	SC	0.6 mi	Concrete	0 reviews
Pacolet Nature Trail The Pacolet Nature Trail is a paved trail in the quiet rural community of Pacolet, located along the banks of the Pacolet River. The trail matches the sleepy nature of the town, providing trail users...	SC	0.9 mi	Asphalt	0 reviews
Pavilion Recreation Complex Trail This .5-mile paved trail loops around the athletic fields at the Pavilion Recreation Complex. It replaced the unofficial gravel path left after the railroad tracks for a children's miniature ride were...	SC	0.5 mi	Asphalt	0 reviews
SC School for the Deaf and Blind Braille Trail (Palmetto Trail) This unique trail runs through the campus of the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind features interpretive signs in Braille that teach trail-goers about the types of trees along the route. The short,...	SC	0.75 mi	Crushed Stone	0 reviews
West Cambridge Trail West Cambridge Park and Trail are examples of a community turning its former railroad assets into treasured community recreation spaces. The 11 acre-park occupies the site of an old railroad switching...	SC	1.5 mi	Crushed Stone, Grass, Gravel	0 reviews
Wetland Trail The Wetland Trail is a .4-mile meander through River Park toward the Catawba River. Beginning by the segment of Quality Circle that starts as Keith Drive, the trail continues as an elevated boardwalk...	SC	0.5 mi	Boardwalk	0 reviews
YMCA Connector The YMCA Connector Trail, also known as the Caine Halter Family YMCA Connector Trail, is a paved multi-use .7-mile loop that encircles the local YMCA and its facilities. Perfect for a short run, walk...	SC	0.7 mi	Asphalt, Gravel	0 reviews

Recent Trail Reviews

Little Sugar Creek Greenway

Great Fall ride

November, 2025 by robertrollins28079

Wife, special needs adult son & I rode about 9-10 miles of the Briar Creek Trail on a gorgeous Fall Saturday. We accessed the trail on Park Drive in Pineville & rode north to the Park Road Shopping Center, where we exited & had a good lunch at The Flying Biscuit. Trail is in great condition & was moderately crowded on this Saturday, but not so much as too feel unrideable. Good combination of cyclists, joggers, & dog walkers. This trail is a jewel for the entire Charlotte area. Look forward to riding more.

Little Sugar Creek Greenway

Great Greenway trails with plenty opportunity to check out different city scape areas. Easy on/off for places to eat etc. Not too busy mid week riding. Would definitely ride it again.

October, 2025 by palaciosm025

Great Greenway trails with plenty opportunity to check out different city scape areas. Easy on/off for places to eat etc. Not too busy mid week riding. Would definitely ride it again.

Thermal Belt Rail Trail

Great late summer ride

September, 2025 by robertrollins28079

This September weekend provided the opportunity to experience the Thermal Belt Trail, after learning of it several months ago. Wife, youngest son, & I had been looking forward to our first trip on this rail trail. We found a small campground near the northern terminus of the trail & planned our trip. The Thermal Belt was a very nice ride, a good mix of nature & urban corridor. We set out mid morning on Saturday 9/13 & got to Forest City around lunchtime & discovered the Copper Penny on Main Street, just a few blocks from the trail, as a great meal break. Following lunch, wife explored Forest City, while son & I completed the Thermal Belt to the southern endpoint. The only complaint I have to offer is the placement of bollards at every street crossing. Most of the bollards are a series of 2 side by side, rather than a single bollard, which seem to be the norm on most other rail trails that we've ridden. I was worried that my son, an adult with special needs would have an issue with the bollards. My concerns were realized during our return segment, when he struck one of the bollards with his trike bike, which overturned. Fortunately, he was unhurt and our ride continued. Not sure if the dual bollards were any more effective than singles, as there still seemed to be room for a vehicle to make its way onto the trail. We also were pleased to meet a Sheriff's vehicle patrolling along the trail during our ride. Trail is well paved & smooth & does have long slight uphill & downhill stretches, but not taxing at all. A very good time, we'll likely return

Accordion

Glendale Shoals Trail

Such a peaceful walk and really cool spot

September, 2025 by neal2des

Such a peaceful walk and really cool spot

Thermal Belt Rail Trail

Paved Asphalt nice—BUT too many X-ings

September, 2025 by mshwelsh

Nice wide paved asphalt (5 stars)—-but way too many crossings that interrupt your ride (0 stars).

Thermal Belt Rail Trail

tree down around mile marker 1

July, 2025 by carololson

On 7/11 a storm came through and knocked a tree over.

Baxter Village Trail

Baxter village trail

June, 2025 by foggyfn70

It was so fun for me and my friends on our surrons

Drayton Mills Trail

Doesn't show everything

May, 2025 by carolinapremise

Doesn't show everything

Thermal Belt Rail Trail

A nice spin through Rutherford County

May, 2025 by tarheeltim76

My wife and I enjoyed a 24-mile out-and-back ride on the Thermal Belt Rail Trail. This well-maintained trail took us through several small towns on the way to Forest City, which has a beautiful downtown with shops and places to eat. I knocked off a star for two reasons: 1) There are some areas along the trail with razor wire fencing, nothing sketchy-feeling, but definitely not scenic; 2) There are a LOT of road crossings and some of them are busy. The area has worked hard to build this trail and it will get better over time as amenities like restrooms are added at the trailheads.

Glendale Shoals Trail

local hiker

May, 2025 by decent-doles-2c

Very Beautiful Historical Trail !

Thermal Belt Rail Trail

great trail to ride

May, 2025 by carololson

Looking for a good workout? This trail will fit the bill. Some inclines to push through and lots of straightaways.

Peak to Prosperity Passage (Palmetto Trail)

Could be 5 stars but....

April, 2025 by amsley4

The flat and scenic trail has all the makings of a beautiful escape - river crossings, swamp bridges, railroad crossings and bridges and small town charm. Started in peak and at about mile 7.5 there was a large impassable tree across trail prohibiting full biking to prosperity. The trail is not "crushed stone" (would be great if it was) rather it is more like fist size rocks making it a pretty bumpy and painful ride in the saddle.

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