Rail-Trails Southeast: The Definitive Guide to Multiuse Trails in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina

by Rails to Trails Conservancy

Overview

Explore 79 of the best rail-trails and other multiuse pathways in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

All across the country, unused railroad corridors have been converted into public multiuse trails. Level and accessible, these paths are ideal for a brisk fitness walk, bike ride, or stroll with the family. In Rail-Trails Southeast, the experts from Rails to Trails Conservancy present the best of these routes, as well as other multiuse pathways, in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Many rail-trails are paved and run within view of the most scenic parts of town. Others offer rugged scenery on ungroomed, mostly dirt, and somewhat wild paths.

Explore the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail in Alabama, voted “Best Recreational Trail” in the country in a USA Today poll. Take in a beautiful blend of nature and art along the famed Atlanta Beltline in Georgia. In the Carolinas, enjoy coastal beaches, hickory forests, abundant farmland, and more on segments of the East Coast Greenway; or travel from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks along North Carolina’s Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Whether you’re on feet or wheels, you’ll love the variety in this collection of multiuse trails that total hundreds of miles!

Inside you’ll find:

• Informative descriptions written by rail-trail experts
• Detailed maps for every featured trail
• GPS coordinates of parking waypoints
• Icons indicating the activities that each trail accommodates
• Information you can rely on from the official guide to rail-trails

“You can now throw away all your self-help books on fighting depression, losing weight, toning muscles, finding something to do with your kids, and learning American history. Just use this guide, find a great trail—and enjoy!”
—Peter Harnik, Director, Center for City Park Excellence, Trust for Public Land

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643591063
Publisher:	Wilderness Press
Publication date:	05/28/2024
Series:	Rail-Trails
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 5.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Rails to Trails Conservancy is a nationwide nonprofit dedicated to converting former railroad corridors to public, multiuse recreational trails that offer easy access to runners, hikers, bicyclists, skaters, wheelchair users, and equestrians. It serves as the national voice for more than 160,000 members and supporters, more than 23,000 miles of open rail-trails across the country, and more than 8,000 miles of potential trails waiting to be built—with a goal of ensuring a better future for America made possible by trails and the connections they inspire.

Read an Excerpt

Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail

County Baldwin

Endpoints Orange Beach Sportsplex Trailhead (Orange Beach); Orange Beach City Hall (Orange Beach); W. Second St. and AL 180/W. Fort Morgan Road (Gulf Shores)

Mileage 23.4

Type Greenway/Non-Rail-Trail

Roughness Rating 1

Surface Asphalt, Boardwalk

The paved, ADA-accessible Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail is a network of multiuse trails offering visitors a chance to experience the natural beauty and diverse ecosystems of Gulf State Park on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Designated a National Recreation Trail in 2010, it is part of Alabama’s Coastal Connection National Scenic Byway and Coastal Birding Trail. In 2023, USA Today named it the country’s best recreational trail.

The trail system spans more than 23 miles, connecting the cities of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. Trail users may encounter rare and threatened indigenous plants, birds, and other wildlife, such as the Alabama beach mouse. In addition to the seven trails highlighted below, many other trails exist within the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail network, ranging from 0.1 mile to 2.2 miles with varied surfaces, including boardwalk, dirt, and sand. To learn more about each trail, visit the Alabama State Parks website.

From the Orange Beach Sportsplex Trailhead, travel southwest on the 3.2-mile Gulf Oak Ridge Trail through a maritime forest of ancient, moss-covered live oaks and palmettos to State Park Road 2. This coastal corridor was used by Indigenous peoples, explorers, settlers, and soldiers from nearby Fort Morgan. With many benches throughout and a bluff overlooking the valley below, the trail is a popular spot for bird-watching and wildlife photography.

From the western end of the Gulf Oak Ridge Trail, you can pick up the newest addition to the trail system: Coyote Crossing, which travels 2.2 miles west from the western Gulf Oak Ridge Trailhead to AL 59/Gulf Shores Parkway. There, a crosswalk allows access to the paved, 5.6-mile Fort Morgan Road Trail (separate from this trail system) traveling through Gulf Shores.

Alternatively, if you head east from the sports complex, you’ll travel on the mile-long Twin Bridges Trail, which includes a parkour course and crosses two timber bridges, a pine savannah environment, a unique wet prairie, and an impressive pitcher plant bog. At the end of the Twin Bridges Trail, you can connect with two more trails in the network. First, you’ll reach the 2-mile Rattlesnake Ridge Trail, home to the eastern diamondback rattlesnake and other reptiles. This trail heads east, ending at Orange Beach City Hall.

Just 150 feet south of the Rattlesnake Ridge Trail juncture, the Twin Bridges Trail dead-ends at the 1.9-mile Catman Road Trail, which follows a former roadway through coastal scrubland and wet pine flatwoods. The trail, named for a legendary half-man/half-panther creature that supposedly haunts these forests, heads west past Little Lake and east to AL 161/Alabama’s Coastal Connection. As the trail travels east, it meets the mile-long Cotton Bayou Trail, 0.4 mile from the juncture with the Twin Bridges Trail. The Cotton Bayou Trail traverses coastal wetlands, offering opportunities to see waterfowl and wading birds and providing access to a primitive campsite with canvas-walled tents available for rent (call 251-948-7275).

Near the intersection of these trails is Boulder Park, which offers a children’s climbing area, as well as a butterfly garden and nature pavilion. Heading west from Boulder Park, you’ll be on the 1.6-mile Rosemary Dunes Trail, which navigates a relict dune scrub ecosystem featuring a variety of marsh wildlife, including alligators, the endangered Alabama beach mouse, and the gopher tortoise. Sharp-eyed viewers can also spot an eagle’s nest. The Rosemary Dunes Trail ends at Perdido Beach Boulevard, which is lined with beach resorts and shops, as the roadway is just a block from Romar Beach Access.

Additional trails in Gulf State Park connect to a nature center, a beach pavilion, campgrounds, a lodge, a fishing pier, and Lake Shelby.

Parking

Select parking areas for the trail are listed clockwise, beginning from the Orange Beach Sportsplex Trailhead at the north-central point of the loop. For a detailed list of parking areas and other waypoints, consult TrailLink. For information about parking fees at Gulf State Park, visit the Alabama State Parks website. *Indicates that at least one accessible parking space is available.

• Orange Beach*: Orange Beach Sportsplex Trailhead, 4385 William Silvers Pkwy. (30.2816, -87.6133).
• Orange Beach *: Orange Beach City Hall, 4099 Orange Beach Blvd. (30.2838, -87.5829).
• Orange Beach *: Catman Road Trailhead at Catman Road/Marina Road and AL 161/Alabama’s Coastal Connection (30.2805, -87.5819).
• Orange Beach*: Cotton Bayou Trailhead at Cotton Bayou Trail and AL 161/Alabama’s Coastal Connection (30.2731, -87.5851).
• Orange Beach*: Rosemary Dunes Trailhead at Perdido Beach Blvd./ AL 182/Alabama’s Coastal Connection (30.2584, -87.6339).
• Gulf Shores*: Gulf State Park Interpretive Center, 22250-A E. Beach Blvd. (30.2555, -87.6425).
• Gulf Shores*: Lake Shelby Picnic Area Dog Pond (30.2526, -87.6620).
• Gulf Shores*: Gulf State Park headquarters, 20115 State Park Road (30.2665, -87.6818).
• Gulf Shores*: Lakeview Trailhead at State Park Road 2/Eagle Connector/Fort Morgan Road (30.2660, -87.6715).
• Orange Beach*: Gulf Oak Ridge Trailhead West at the dead end of State Park Road 2/County Road 2/Fort Morgan Road (30.2716, -87.6556).

Table of Contents

Regional Locator Map

About Rails to Trails Conservancy

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Summary of Trails

Introduction

How to Use This Book

Alabama

• Aldridge Creek Greenway
• Big Cove Creek Greenway and Flint River Greenway
• Chief Ladiga Trail
• Five Mile Creek Greenway
• High Ore Line Trail
• Historic Bridgeport Walking Trail
• Hugh Kaul Trail, Railroad Park Rail Trail, and Rotary Trail
• Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail
• Indian Creek Greenway
• Old Railroad Bridge Trail
• Richard Martin Trail
• Shades Creek Greenway
• Sunset Drive Trail
• Yoholo Micco, The Creek Indian Trail

Georgia

• AdventHealth Redmond ECO Greenway
• Arabia Mountain PATH
• Atlanta BeltLine
• Augusta Canal National Heritage Area Trails
• Big Creek Greenway
• Bill and Dustie MacKay Trail
• Carrollton GreenBelt
• Columbus Fall Line Trace
• Cricket Frog Trail
• Douglas Greenway Trail
• Euchee Creek Greenway
• Jekyll Island Trail
• Man O’ War Railroad Recreation Trail
• Noonday Creek Trail
• PATH400 Greenway
• Rockdale River Trail
• Silver Comet Trail
• Simms Mountain Trail
• South Peachtree Creek Trail
• South River Trail
• Suwanee Creek Greenway
• The Thread Trail
• Tom White Linear Park
• Truman Linear Park Trail

North Carolina

• American Tobacco Trail
• Atlantic & Yadkin Greenway
• Bicentennial Greenway
• Boone Greenway Trail
• Cape Fear River Trail
• Catawba River Greenway
• Charlotte Rail Trail
• City of Lenoir Greenway
• Dunn-Erwin Rail-Trail
• Elkin & Alleghany Rail-Trail
• Estatoe Trail
• French Broad River Greenway and Wilma Dykeman Greenway
• Irwin Creek Greenway and Stewart Creek Greenway
• Little Sugar Creek Greenway
• Little Tennessee River Greenway
• Marcia H. Cloninger Rail-Trail
• Muddy Creek Greenway
• Neuse River Greenway Trail
• Oklawaha Greenway
• Point Lookout Trail
• Rocky Branch Trail
• Salem Creek Greenway
• Salem Lake Trail
• South Tar River Greenway
• Thermal Belt Rail Trail
• White Oak Creek Greenway
• Yadkin River Greenway

South Carolina

• Doodle Rail Trail
• Florence Rail Trail
• Heritage Trail
• Lindsay Pettus Greenway
• Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail
• North Augusta Greeneway
• Peak to Prosperity Passage
• Piedmont Medical Center Trail
• Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail
• Spanish Moss Trail
• Three Rivers Greenway
• Waccamaw Neck Bikeway
• West Ashley Greenway and Bikeway
• Wonders’ Way

Index

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