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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.
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!
I was raised in Alabama, what a shame that the State, County or City does nothing to improve this trail. Lots of people would love to ride or walk this but it appears the State nor the Local Government could care less about it.
It is listed as 10.2 but my GPS came up with 11 miles (22 round trip). It is a good one for solitude for sure. The small town of Elmont is basically right in the middle and makes for a nice rest stop. Except for Elkmont, AL and a couple of covered bridges there isn't much diversity along the entire trail. It's a 1 1/2 hour drive for me so I probably wont be back unless more is added to it.
I started at the Tennessee line TH and went to Athens and back. Within the first 1/4 mile a big black dog ran at me from the front of a house. He didn't have the cardio to keep up but something to watch for when near the Tennessee TH.
The path is compacted gravel like a driveway that's seen lots of use. The Athens half is pretty smooth but I was glad to be on a mountain bike for the other half. Occasional rough spots to beware of with some random big chunky rocks.
There was one road crossing I wasn't sure where the trail went and had to break out the phone to view the trail. Turned out it was straight across the road but hard to be sure because it was more grass than gravel. A little trail blaze would be nice there.
Rode today (Sept. 8, 2017) from the start in Athens to the end at the Tennessee state line and return to Athens. Very enjoyable with plenty of solitude. This type of trail will keep you on your toes as you must look carefully for obstacles (limbs, ruts and one area that had numerous loose fist sized chunks of rock). Very enjoyable trail to ride but I would advise caution.
My wife and I cycled the Richard Martin Rails-to-Trails for a weekend in August of 2017. We prefer the gravel trails and find them to be more interesting with a slight bit of challenge tossed into the experience. We rode the trail on 2 Salsa Vayas ' Multi-Surface' bikes equipped with 38mm & 40mm tubeless CX tires and found them to be perfect for the entire route, which is primarily hardpacked dirt & gravel surface that rolls fast.
We loved the trail due to its slightly remote feeling, overall condition, tree canopy & minimal road crossings. It's quickly become our 'close to home' favorite! We rode it's entire length as out & backs for 2 days. GPS mileage was 22 miles for the total trail out & back.
We stayed up in Veto at the Mill Creek RV Park and found it to be pleasant, clean & quiet. We were the only 'weekend use' campers there, with some sites populated be contract workers working at automotive parts manufacturing locations near by. Most had gone home for the weekend, leaving a quiet & safe campground for us. Note: Please don't ring the bell for Margie prior to 10:00AM. Check in is Noon and Margie doesn't stir prior to check-in time.
All of of this made for a wonderful weekend get-a-way with my wife & bicycles!
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