Find the top rated mountain biking trails in North Carolina, whether you're looking for an easy short mountain biking trail or a long mountain biking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a mountain biking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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I biked this trail this morning Aug 9. I was pleasantly surprised to find most of the trail was shaded and paved. Bikers, joggers, and hikers all seemed friendly and cordial toward each other. North to south is slightly more downhill than traveling north. One hill coming back is a bit of a booger, but a great enjoyable ride nonetheless.
Based on the previous reviews, I thought the traffic would be minimal. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I wanted to cut our run short due to the volume of traffic and little to no shoulder. There were tons of vehicles heading in and out of the drop points for the tubing on the river. People were whizzing by us despite the 35mph (which is still too fast for this road). The road is fairly exposed with no shade and there isn’t anything along the way like a store or gas station to replenish fluids. We started and Todd and hoped there was a convenience store or something in Fleetwood, but to our dismay there wasn’t. I would NOT recommend this route for running or biking.
I rode 30 miles on Neuse River Trail today. It’s a beautiful, scenic ride. I ride it frequently and it’s never crowded, but it’s always nice to pass walkers, other cyclists, runners and strollers.
My neighbor and I have ridden the entire WCT from Lake Johnson to the Neuse River Trail and back a dozen or more times. It’s fully paved and twists and turns along Walnut Creek. Much of it is shaded. We’ve found it to be less congested than the Neuse River and American Tobacco Trails. The trail is generally well maintained. The signage leaves a bit to be desired - but with almost everyone carrying a smartphone it’s easy to find your way if you take a wrong turn. One word of caution - stay away after a rainstorm! The trail has dozens of boardwalk sections that literally become slick as ice when damp. My neighbor and I (both seasoned cyclists) have each fallen on the wet boardwalks. It’s easy to see lots of scarring on the boardwalks, particularly on the curves - from pedals and chainrings making contact with the wood when someone crashed. I wish the city could apply anti-skid coatings of some kind - particularly where the decking is scarred. Also, after a major rain storm, the longer tunnels and several sections of the trail become covered in silt, in some places, 6 inches deep. It’s a bit nasty riding through a dark tunnel through 1 or more inches of slick, sucking mud. The city does a pretty good job clearing things up, but it may be several days or even weeks before they get to the whole trail. All things considered, it’s a pretty good trail. I will continue to ride it unless I seriously injure myself on the boardwalks.
Great ride! The part through the park is under construction. Will definitely be back!
A nice ride through the city connecting several parks. Fairly flat with several turns and some great scenery. Only complaint is the northern part of the trail has a lot of street crossings and can be a little confusing to navigate back on the trail. Will definitely ride again though.
Enjoyable 5 mile mostly flat trail along the creek that connects to the 7 mile Salem Lake unpaved (packed dirt/crushed gravel) trail around the lake. There are a couple of fairly steep, but short hills. Greenway trail is probably 60% shaded. Two spots not far from the Salem Lake end the trail goes through the creek, which isn’t a problem for bikers at normal water levels other than possible wet feet. A bridge would be nice. My biggest criticism, however, is the South Main street area. I guess the road bridge was too low to permit the trail to go under, so you wind up, around, over and around again to get back on the trail on other side of S Main. Biggest issue is inadequate signage in the area as there are other paved trails and sidewalks In the area that can cause confusion.
As others have commented , this paved Greenaway is not smooth due to many humps and bumps from tree roots. Lots of cracks and difficult to tell when a crack is a bulge or just a crack. Nice Scenery, not too difficult, but if you go, Be Careful and go slow!
We ride this trail on our bikes weekly. It’s true the eastern portion is closed to bikes, but there is about 2.5 miles open for very nice biking. It’s best to start at Gold Park in West Hillsborough. This trail can be busy at times, but it is shaded most of the way with great views of the Eno River.
Last week fiance broke his wheel hitting a bump. The day i hit a bump broke my pedal near gibson park.
Great trail for my first ride in two years. Mostly flat, a few slight inclines. Shade available. Only trouble was with one family group with an unleashed dog and another woman on the wrong side of the trail with a dog who wouldn’t move to the right. Please people, follow the rules and keep everyone safe. I look forward to riding there again.
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