Mountains

Brevard Bike Path, 3.9 miles open as of Spring 2010. City of Brevard, Phase III. Pathway from Allison Road, along the former Norfolk & Southern line/Poplar Street to McLean Road, Transylvania County. An additional section will connect to the Art Loeb Trail. (See Little Toots - Summer 2007 and Winter 2008 and the description in Traillink.com and the map for more on Brevard.) Also see two pictures from a recent visit by a Board member:  PIC1   PIC2

 

Forrest Hunt Greenway, 0.8 mile, Bechtler Development Corp. Alexander Mills community in the Town of Forest City, Rutherford County. Please see our recent trail profile for more on this little gem. Also see some pictures from a June 2011 visit by a Board member:  PIC1   PIC2

Laurel River Trail, 3.6 miles in Madison County. Besides the new description from our intern's recent visit, please see our new map and pictures of walkers on the trail, a view of the river and some rhododendrons.

Nantahala Bikeway, 1.2 miles, (0.5 miles on abandoned RR bed), U.S Forest Service, Nantahala Gorge, Swain County.
(See Little Toot - Summer 2000
for background and accounts and pictures from a Spring 2011 visit to the trail by one of our interns. Also see pictures from a June 2011 visit by Board member Dilys Bowman:  PIC 1PIC 2PIC 3 . Also see our new map of the bikeway

Railroad Grade Road, 10 miles, Ashe County. Todd-to-Fleetwood. Paved road built on section of abandoned Virginia-Carolina Railroad. Please see our new map. A favorite place for a leisurely bicycle ride in north-western North Carolina. Runs between Fleetwood and Todd and is built on an old railroad grade and is practically flat—not one hill to climb! It is paved, but too narrow to have a center stripe; in fact, it is so narrow in places that when two cars meet one has to pull halfway off the road. Please bike with caution!  This road goes through a valley right by the South Fork of the New River, which has been declared the first of the nation's American Heritage Rivers. An old station now serves as a outdoor store. In the Summer and Fall, this Road is popular with cyclists for it's lack of climbs and fine views of the river. In early February 2012 Appalachian State University students and local organizations are working to get approval from landowners for a bike trail on the New River in Todd. The project would provide a 30-mile biking and walking trail, winding from Green Valley Elementary School to the old Fleetwood Elementary School. Currently, the project is still in the early stages of development. "We haven't been working on it that long," SDCO Assistant Director Tommy Walsh said. "We're just starting to get some things together. It can be a great project for both Watauga and Ashe county."

Lansing Trail, 0.5 miles on the former Virginia-Carolina rail bed. Blue Ridge Resource Conservation & Development Council, near Lansing in Ashe County. Please see our New MapLansing's web site has a history of the area and the rail corridor, links to local events and attractions, pictures of the Lansing Creeper Trail Park and Directions to Lansing. Click to see A view of the river paralleling the trail, a runner on the trail and an old barn nearby.

Thermalt Belt Rail-Trail, 8 miles, Spindale to Gilkey in Rutherford County. See Map and our new trail profile. If you enjoy rail-trails that flaunt their railroading past, you're sure to love the Thermal Belt Rail-Trail. This natural surface route runs eight miles from Spindale north to Gilkey, passing through the equally tiny towns of Rutherfordton and Ruth. Its crushed stone surface barely disguises the old tracks and ties, which peek through all along the trail. Old railroad signs also line the corridor. In 2012 Rutherford County is working to remove rails and put down a new surface on a portion of the trail. Some other images showing the rural character of the trail and trail's end at the lumber yard.

Little Tennessee River Greenway, 4.5 miles in Macon County. 

The Little Tennessee River Greenway in Franklin winds 4.5 quiet, asphalt-paved miles through Franklin near the river. The 13-foot wide path is used for bicycling and hiking and has a children’s park, picnic shelters, benches, an historic bridge and a new, covered bridge. Almost two miles of the trail lie on the old rail bed of the Tallulah Falls Railroad, which carried passengers until 1946. All services ended in 1961. Please see our Fall 2011 Newsletter and the LTRG web site for more information. As of November 2012 construction on nearby road and sewer projects has been completed and all sections of the Greenway are back in service.

Mt. Mitchell Railroad and Toll Road--Yancy County

Variously named walking trails are on the abandoned 21-mile rail corridor of the Mt. Mitchell Railroad, which runs from Montreat to the mountain summit. At least five miles travel through Mt. Mitchell State Park. The Mount Mitchell Railroad carried passengers and lumber for four years prior to June 1919. When the lumber supply was exhausted in August 1921, the railroad was converted into a toll road for vehicles. The toll road died in 1939 when the Blue Ridge Parkway opened, which offered free access for passenger vehicles. Information, photos and maps are on the park Web site. The two-mile Commissary Trail starts at the State Park office’s parking area and is an easy walk to Camp Alice - a historic logging and later tourist camp below the summit of Mt. Mitchell.