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Highland Rail Trail is named for the neighborhood that it runs adjacent to as it travels through Gastonia along the former Carolina and Northwestern (C&NW) Railway. Although short, it offers an important connection between downtown Gastonia at its southern end and the recreational amenities of Sims Legion Park at its northern end.
Future plans call for continuing the trail north to Rankin Lake Park. It’s also part of the much larger Carolina Thread Trail, which winds across 15 counties through North and South Carolina.
Parking is available at the trail's northern end in Sims Legion Park (1001 N. Marietta Street).
Nice area but very short. There is an area where you can walk down from the trail to the water but it's quite steep.
This has the potential to be better but right now, hardly worth it. Took longer to load and unload the bikes than it did to ride the trail and part of it is an overgrown, gravel path. Dead-ends at 321 (a very busy 4-6 lane highway) and no way to get across to Rankin Lake (a very nice park). Maybe, someday, the city will figure a way to cross 321 to get to the park.
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