Find the top rated atv trails in North Carolina, whether you're looking for an easy short atv trail or a long atv trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a atv trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Parking was easy. The trail has a modest slope at points. Some sections are elevated above the natural environment, boardwalk fashion. Well marked and well paved. Not overly crowded for such a nice trail in the evening. Highly recommended for walkers, runners and bikers. I look forward to doing it again when I travel here next. :-)
Even so, we had a great time. We parked at McCrary park and went around uncw campus. We rode to wrightsville beach
The greenway now extends to the southwest and ends at the Apex Nature Park. Overall length from Jaycee Park to Apex Nature Park is about 5 miles. Great nature ride. Well designed
The *Emerald Necklace* is an effort to link greenways and local streets into a continuous loop through the northern part of Mecklenburg County, primarily around Cornelius and Davidson. The concept is excellent—creating a connected network for cyclists and walkers—but the current experience is a mix of enjoyable greenway riding and more challenging on-road navigation. Your enjoyment will largely depend on your comfort level riding on streets. At some point in the future, the western portion of the system is expected to connect with a greenway extending to Huntersville.
Riders should be prepared for sections that transition onto streets, some of which are busy or narrow. There are also several crossings at high-traffic intersections that require caution. Currently, connecting the eastern and western portions of the Necklace requires riding along very busy Catawba Avenue or Sam Furr Road, which may be uncomfortable for some cyclists.
To make the experience more enjoyable, we’ve found it best to ride the Necklace in sections rather than attempting the full loop at once, thereby avoiding some of the more difficult road segments. Signage and naming can also be confusing—for example, the trail beginning at Shearer Road is referred to by different names on various maps, making navigation less intuitive. And the signs on the street along this route and small and easy to miss.
On our most recent outing, we completed an out-and-back ride on the South Prong Rocky River Greenway, traveling from Shearer Road to the River Run Athletic Field. Much of this segment follows neighborhood streets rather than a dedicated greenway. While the River Run area is quite lovely, the bike lanes are in need of repainting, and signage directing riders from one street to another is minimal or nonexistent.
Parking is available at various points along the route, but locating access points can be challenging. It is helpful to download a trail map in advance:
[https://www.carolinathreadtrailmap.org/trails/trail/south-prong-rocky-river-greenway]
The terrain in this section is notably hilly, adding an extra level of challenge to the ride.
**Overall:**
A promising and scenic concept that still needs improved signage, clearer mapping, and safer, more consistent bike infrastructure to fully realize its potential.
The 5-star reviews likely refer to the paved section at the Kings Mountain trailhead, which is an easy to moderate ride with a couple of hills and excellent amenities (restrooms, water, picnic tables). The town of Kings Mountain has done a great job maintaining this portion of the trail
The Foote Trail, however, is very challenging and I would not recommend it for biking. The surface is large, loose gravel, and diagonal railroad ties on the slopped portions make maintaining momentum difficult. The steep, rocky section along I-85 was especially tough—we had to walk our e-bikes both downhill and uphill.
Once you reach the bridge over the interstate, the trail improves significantly, becoming level with finely crushed gravel and very enjoyable to ride. The trail ends at Gilead Church Road, where there are no amenities.
Recommendation: Stick to the paved trail and the section south of I-85; skip the Foote Trail for biking.
Only rode 15 miles from Auburn-Knightdale to Milburne Dam and back but this is one of the very best trails for casual bicyclists. Paved. Wide. Scenic. Mostly shaded. Daily level with occasional hills that are a bit challenging for old and out-of-shapers but not too bad. Did not see a single electric terror bike--very unusual these days. Very friendly users (95% respond to greetings). Not many terrorizing "serious" riders. Great ride. Lots of bridges. Perfectly maintained.
good for walking and ok to see some sites. not very good if you try to ride at a higher pace.
We rode only 10 miles or so mostly upcreek from the park in South Park. Perfectly paved trail crosses back and forth over creek. Pretty level with some small hills. Woods, mature developments, parks, occasionally through streets with very little traffic. Probably better scenery when not middle of winter. Real nice ride.
I am also a local. To the tourist that think this is meant to be a trail—it’s a ROAD. people live here and are driving to and from work. we are constantly made late by people riding bikes and leisurely walking while refusing to let cars by and being hateful because they are out of towners who believe this to be a biking trail. i’m sorry but it’s just not, this road is dangerous enough as a vehicle coming up on another vehicle. that becomes disaster when there’s people standing in blind curves taking pictures and gawking when people are trying to go make a living and not be made late by out of touch tourists.
Trail is on and off road. It sometimes is on sandy along trail. Good walking not so much biking. Hard to follow signs from road.
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.
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