You may be familiar with the Swamp Rabbit, Mary Black & Doodle Trails, maybe you’ve even taken a road trip up to ride the Virginia Creeper trail near Damascus, but if your family is looking for a brand-new trail to explore, I’ve got great news! The first 6 miles of the long-awaited Ecusta Trail are open to the public, with another dozen miles set to eventually connect Hendersonville to Brevard, NC!!
Hundreds of people gathered in Hendersonville earlier this summer to celebrate the ribbon-cutting for the Ecusta Trail, the newest rail trail added to the growing network of multi-purpose trails crisscrossing our region. The Ecusta rail line was built in 1894 to service a paper mill, but the last time a train used the rails was in 2002. It has taken 15 years of community efforts from nonprofits including Friends of Ecusta Trail and Conserving Carolina to transform it into the trail it is today!
The eastern terminus of the Ecusta Trail (and to the section of trail that is currently open) is Main Street in Hendersonville. The town recently reworked their traffic pattern to make a safe and convenient bike lane that allows trail users to explore downtown, including some of our favorites like the Mineral & Lapidary Museum, the E.C.C.O. Aquarium & Shark Lab, the Appalachian Pinball Museum, Mast General Store and Black Bear Coffee. Be sure to check out the Bearfootin’ Bears, a public art display featuring decorated, life-size bear sculptures! A good starting point to exploring downtown is the Welcome Center and Trailhead (with bathrooms and water fountains). As you work your way south, the Ecusta Trail splits off going west just before S. Church & S. Main merge - and the adventure continues!
A popular stop comes up in about ½ mile: Lennox Station. Trail users can grab a quick bite from Ecusta Market & Café, and just next door is Trailside Brewing Company. Then at around mile 1.5 is Southern Streams Coffeehouse and Laurel Green Park, with the Little Laurel Green playground. Next up at mile 2 are a slew of dining options, as well as a convenience and grocery store. And around mile 3 is Basecamp: the Elijah Mountain Gem Mine and Goat Farm, and Guidon Brewing Co.
While on the trail, users should follow the usual trail etiquette. Please respect private property and stay on the trail! Pedal-assist e-bikes are permitted on the Ecusta, but wheels yield to pedestrians, and you should keep right except to pass. We’ve found it’s great practice for our “on your left” warning when passing – even the 5yo who is just learning his left from right! Helmets are required for children 16 years of age and under (who are on wheels), and pets must be on a leash no longer than 6ft & under control. Please clean up after your pet as you would anywhere!
The trail currently ends at mile 6 in Horse Shoe, but plans
are already underway for the next two sections. 5 more miles in Henderson
County through Etowah and another 8 in Transylvania County will take the trail
to Pisgah Forest and the western terminus, Main Street in Brevard. For this
part, the trail roughly parallels the French Broad River and Hendersonville
Highway. Etowah has more than a couple of eateries and stops, as well as the
Horse Shoe River Bend Access point to the French Broad River. Upon reaching
Pisgah Forest and Brevard, the trail will intersect with the Brevard greenway
near Oskar Blues, just west of where the Davidson River flows into the French
Broad.
To view the interactive trail map visit the Ecusta Trail website. It’s also got all the newest on the status of the remaining portion of the trail, as well as info on volunteering and trail events. Ecusta Trail also has a Facebook and Instagram page.
If you’re looking for more family-friendly mountain biking trail info,
click here for my article Mountain biking with kids in Upstate SC.
No comments:
Post a Comment