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Beautiful views, a couple of bridges and plenty of wildlife. Great first ride for my wife and I.
I set out today looking for a new trail to ride. After reading the reviews I wasn't expecting much, but still decided to give it a try as it was only 30 minutes from where I live and the trail distance sounded good. I parked in the lot in Shawmut and was immediately concerned by the graffiti on all the signage. Still, I unloaded my bike and decided to take the risk. The trail still comes to an abrupt end about 1 1/2 miles into the ride. Fortunately I had read the reviews and was able to locate the next portion on the other side of U.S. 29. Other people have posted some nice pictures of the area. All I can say is the pictures are much nicer than the actual scenery now. Everything seems to be getting worse. The trail itself is in desperate need of maintenance. There are areas where it has been dug up and never repaved. It seems the City of Valley has lost interest, funding or both for keeping this trail in good condition. By the time I made it to Riverview, I had lost all desire to look for the river itself. The ride back was quick and uneventful. Overall, the area along the trail is very sketchy. As a police officer, I would not recommend anyone riding it alone. There are several areas where, if someone was so inclined, a person could be robbed very easily. Hopefully in time the City of Valley will make an attempt to clean up the trail and help it reach it's full potential. Until then, once was more than enough.
My husband walked this trail with me twice before he realized that, at points, it is flanked on either side with houses. It’s that easy to forget you’re in the city. Parking is ample and easy to access if using the lot attached to the elementary school property. (Cannot speak for the other) Everyone I have met has been as nice as could be and with a pretty flat and well shaded path it’s a delight.
For the record, I live a couple of blocks from the trail on the northern end in Daphne. I have ridden the trail many times and twice all the way from Daphne to the end of County Road 1 south of Point Clear (around 25 miles one-way). It definitely has its share of positives and negatives. But if you come knowing what to expect, it can be a nice ride. The southern end has been lengthened it appears all the way from scenic 98 to Weeks Bay to the east, although I have not been on this section.
First of all, this is a very busy area for traffic. The trail runs right along scenic 98, along the shoulder of the road. In most places, it just replaced the sidewalk which was already there. The concrete was widened to 6 feet in these areas I suppose to qualify for the funds for a trail.
Most of the negative comments people have said is true. People will park on it, even though they are not supposed to. They leave their garbage cans on it. There are places where there may be short areas of sand or gravel across the trail to traverse. There are many street crossings, some very busy, depending on the time of day. Some places there are bad sections of concrete that need attention, but I have noticed most of these have been fixed. There are also a few significant hills, mostly near Alligator Alley, south of Montrose and north of Fairhope. South of Fairhope is fairly flat.
The trail is also very beautiful in many places, mostly around Montrose, Fairhope and Point Clear, with many large oak trees hanging over the road, nice views along the bay, rolling hills with nice bridges over the creeks. Also the trail runs right through the middle of Fairhope which has many interesting shops and restaurants. You might also want to check out the pier in Fairhope, which is one of the most photographed areas in the county. That is if you can make it back up the hill!
I think since this trail was first certified, the section from the USS Alabama Park to Alligator Alley in Daphne has been dropped since it was too dangerous riding across the bay on the shoulder of the causeway. It appears the official starting point is now at Alligator Alley since the mileage markers now begin at this point. If you do start your ride at this point, be forewarned. There is a steep 70 foot hill you will immediately have to deal with! Another option would be to start at Lott Park in Daphne and head south to avoid the hill and traffic.
This trail is used a lot by locals, so watch for walkers, runners and other bikers.
Also, just as a note, this trail is probably not best suited for a road bike, because of curbs and gutters, unless you ride from Fairhope south. There, it is mostly asphalt. I would recommend a hybrid bike instead.
Some interesting points along the trail include Alligator Alley, the United States Sports Academy, Bayfront Park, Village Point Park Preserve in Daphne, the tiny 1890 post office in Montrose, the floral clock, downtown Fairhope, the Fairhope Pier and Beach, the Grand Hotel in Point Clear and Weeks Bay Preserve.
I'm late with this review, but the previous two reviews prompted me to add mine now. I went for my third on this trail in late 2017. As my earlier reviews stated, I had really nice rides. But not this one. I started at the northern trailhead and only went maybe a couple of miles before turning back because the trail was in such horrible shape. As stated in the two previous reviews by markmoore and Old Terry, there were lots of very large rocks to contend with which made the ride very unpleasant. I kept waiting for signs that things were going to get better, but that didn't happen and finally I just gave it up and turned back and got on the road alongside the trail as soon as possible. I had driven over an hour to get there, so I was quite disappointed. The short stretch of trail on the north end between the trailhead and the woods has always been the roughest section, but it was tolerable. But this time it was really bad even far into the woods. Apparently no trail maintenance at all had been done for quite some time. As the Mad Tweeter might say - Sad!
I would like to try the trail again sometime this year, but will not unless I know it will be in better shape for biking. Hopefully someone can give an update here on the condition of the trail at the north end.
Oh, and there are indeed dogs again at the house by the trailhead. They were in a fenced-in yard and I don't recall having any problems with them - not even being barked at - but they are there again.
This trail has saved my life. literally, the chief means to controlling diabetes. The beauty of the land, the great places you pass through, the folks you meet, the welcome centers and facilities along the way are outstanding, with the one in Piedmont giving out free snacks to bikers and hikers. I can't say enough about the entire 95 miles of trails, from Anniston, AL to the Atlanta, GA area. Be conscious of the bumps caused by tree roots, they can throw you at speed above 15 MPH (trail designated maximum speed). Don't forget to sound off when passing others on the trail, it is just being a good neighbor.
Sumiton plus Horse Creek trail 4.2 miles. Nice ride, easy down and back on a beautiful day. Great warm up preparing for a longer trip. Scenery is very nice in March! Drove from Birmingham just to explore.
We had a wonderful time walking the trail, seeing the old train depot and antique trains...but, our greatest thrill was encountering an active freight train on the parallel train tracks while crossing the beautiful pedestrian bridge this morning. The very friendly Conductors gave us several nice whistle blows and we enjoyed waving back at them. The walk across the Tennessee River on the old train trestle was a truly beautiful experience. Many thanks to all in Bridgeport.
The pavement is broken, heaved and in serious need of repacking. Our trails in Illinois are in better shape. On the trail today was sand, soil, broken glass, pine needles, grasses, horse manure, (I saw six horses on the paved trail yesterday, trash cans and parked vehicles. I’ve complained to police to no avail since it isn’t a priority. One truck pulled onto the trail in my path climbing an incline to retrieve his mail. There are no markings at intersections or to alert motorists to keep off of the trail. It would appear that the trail was built to say they have a trail but, they choose to not maintain it or do anything about violators. It’s a real shame and embarrassment.
This was a fun little trail to ride our bikes on. We just wanted a casual ride and that’s what we got! It is paved, flat, and shaded in some areas. There are shaded benches along the path which was nice. There are a few locations where the trail does cross over a back country road, so just be aware when you come to those. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my ride and will be back as soon as I can!
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