Find the top rated cross country skiing trails in South Carolina, whether you're looking for an easy short cross country skiing trail or a long cross country skiing trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a cross country skiing trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Lots of root intrusion under the asphalt path makes for a pretty bumpy ride, especially on either side of Huntington Beach State Park, but this is a nice trail overall. The traffic on Highway 17 is ever present in terms of noise, but you are typically a good ways into the woods where you can forget it is there with only occasional instances of being exposed to it. There are a few stretches where you have to go through a neighborhood and a good stretch where you are right on the highway. I doubt I will ride it again, though, as I need a bit more padding in the seat to handle all of the bumps from the roots. Unfortunate, because I really had my hopes up! If you have time be sure to ride in the state park. Easy, flat, and smooth roads with great scenery, easy beach access, and lots of things to do. If possible ride before Memorial Day and after Labor Day to avoid the seasonal crowds.
rode northern section then around the lake at Furman University and back. about 14 miles round trip. plenty of places to stop and eat great bike and kayak shop in Travellers Rest
I was visiting the area and while I would not make a special trip just to ride this trail, It was definitely worth my time while I was here to ride it. Since this was closer to where I was staying than the longer Swamp Rabbit Trail, and didn't have much time left in the day to ride before dusk anyway I chose to ride this trail instead and wasn't disappointed. I rode from the new Easley Doodle Park out to the other end and back which was a little over 15 miles. If it weren't almost dark by the time I finished I would have happily ridden it again.
The trail surface is new and smooth. Storms had hit the area the night before so there was still some minor tree debris on the path but nothing that affected my ride. The path otherwise is well maintained and kept clean. Hills are long and very gradual and while they gave me a good workout, they shouldn't pose a problem for someone in good physical condition riding a multi-speed bike (if you don't have a multi-speed bike or are just an occasional cyclist they will pose a challenge). The trail joins two small towns so I encountered only a couple of crossings with any traffic to speak of. Since it adjoins some people's back yards the main things I had to watch out for were PETS! Maybe it was as much due to of the time of day as anything else, but I encountered two tiny kittens playing on the path, three full grown cats, and a small dog.
All and all, however, it was a nice ride and was a great way to finish off my visit to the area.
As of April 2018, much of the trail is still closed with no obvious signage explaining how to access the open sections. We could not find a printed trail map in Columbia, and those found online are deceiving and do not accurately reflect the closed sections. We walked the full 2.5 miles that was open north/upstream of Laurel Street to the top of the canal. Great parking, clean restrooms at each end, very interesting history, and great views of the river. The trail south/downstream from Laurel Street was gated, and also closed at the south end except for a few hundred feet. Too many walkers and too short to be a suitable bike ride, but recommended as a walk. The plan to expand the path and connect the various sections looks wonderful, but not suitable for a bike outing yet.
This trail is a great trail for biking but also a busy trail. We rode it on a Friday morning in March and I was surprised to see how many people out! There were moms with strollers, people walking and "serious" bikers (the ones that probably do bike races). But really enjoyed the trail as there is a lot to see (not boring). We started at the zoo and rode the trail north up to Travelers Rest and had lunch up there at the Whistle Stop (GREAT chickens salad) and back. We even stopped on the way coming back and rode around the lake at Furman. We stopped in at the Swamp Rabbit Grocery and had some of their homemade bread! Absolutely fabulous and bought a loaf to take with us! Their cookies are delicious too! A lot of people eating their sandwiches while we were there. I think we would do that next time!
Overall our trip was about 30 miles. When we started at the zoo we found a few spots that we weren't sure which way to go but we just asked people near us which way to Travelers Rest and they pointed us in the right direction. I think they need better signage on the beginning of the trail from the point starting at the zoo. The asphalt does need a little repair in a few places but overall a very enjoyable ride! GREAT day!
Just rode the Doodle Rail Trail and found it a quiet and smooth ride (nicely paved wide asphalt trail). However, it is hilly whether you go from Easley to Pickens or Pickens to Easley so bikes with gears would be needed. Most of the hills are long and gradual but you need the gears to comfortably ride them. Wooded in places and you pass cows, goats and old train cars.
The Doodle trail is very well paved and crosses forested areas with streams and bridges. It is very pleasant to walk, run or bike on it between Easley and Pickens. Bring the whole family for a beautiful walk.
Wife and I hiked this trail from the NC side, parked at Harvey Clay Nesbit park, and used Carolina Thread Trail "clues" to link to this trail. We did hike the full trail to Walnut Creek side - as others have mentioned there are some rough/rugged spots so a true MTB is recommended, but hiking in sturdy shoes gets the job done too.
Beautiful trail overall.
We stopped to check out this trail while traveling, and we loved it. It is wide, clean, and well appointed with benches, tool stations, and scenic stops. We will definitely come back!
I love the Swamp Rabbit Trail and give it a 5 star but it does need to be repaved because it makes for a very bumpy ride.
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