The Spillway Road Multi-Use Trail is currently open in three separate paved trail segments, linked by on-road segments along the appropriately named Scenic Drive. The path offers a useful option for cyclists and pedestrians trying to navigate around the southern shore of the Pelahatchie Bay and Barnett Reservoir, forming a nearly complete loop around the bay with the North Shore Parkway Multi-Use Trail.
The eastern end of the trail begins at Mississippi State Route 471, just down the road via on-road bike lanes from the trail along North Shore Parkway. The path travels for about a mile and a half along a quiet wooded corridor next to Spillway Road, ending at Waterwood Drive for an on-road connection along the low-stress neighborhood road.
The next trail segment picks up at Whipporwill Road, continuing west on the side of Spillway Road. The trail offers a nice footbridge over a channel off the bay, just across from the local library and botanical gardens. The on-road portion resumes again for about another mile, until the trail resumes west from Turtle Creek Drive, heading into a commercial area with numerous shops and restaurants, before coming to an end right at the southwestern start of the North Shore Parkway Trail - nearly a complete circuit of the area.
While not the most seamless trail experience, the trail helps local residents connect to community destinations and provides a nice recreation pathway, while also allowing visitors a unique means of exploring the shore area.
Parking is available along the middle section of trail at the Reservoir Botanical Gardens and Rankin County Community Center, located at 2230 Spillway Road in Brandon. Additional parking is located just east of Turtle Creek Drive along Scenic Drive.
I regularly ride this section of trail as part of a 11.25 mile loop that travels along multi-use paths and bike lanes that will carry you along a complete loop of Pelahatchie Bay and over the Causeway. This is an enjoyable loop with several hundred feet of elevation changes to make it interesting.
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