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Trail Listing for Charlotte, NC
Renaissance Park is located on Tyvola Road. Take I-77 to exit 5 and go towards the Coliseum. The Park is located about a mile on the right. Go to the 2nd entrance by the softball fields. The front loop starts in the field across from the soccer field, and the back loop starts on right across from the softball diamonds. The trail is about 95% tight, technical single track with one inclined gravel road. The going is slow a good part of the time, but the difficulty of the trail makes up for the lack of speed. The Trailblazers have just added a new section of singletrack on the front loop as well as some great log jumps. The trail is about 7 miles combined for both loops. UNCC is one large hill-fun to go down but hellish to go up. It is mostly single track. The trails are not yet marked but soon should be. Take I-85 to Harris Blvd. east. Go to Highway 49, through the intersection and look for the hospital on the left. Turn left at the next road, pass the branch of the county library, and park in the upper parking lot. The trailhead is to the left of the parking lot.
The I-85 Mountain Bike Park (aka Catawba) is located on property owned by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Dept. of Recreation. These trails are wonderfully maintained by the local Tarheel Trailblazers. The trails are fast, mostly single track through the woods, providing some nice easy sections,a few good downhills, and two difficult climbs. Two new sections that are a bit slower and extremely technical have been added. There are also dual-slalom and downhill courses. Take I-85 to Sam Wilson Road, Exit 29. Turn towards the Texaco Station, and take the first left onto Performance Rd, which dead ends into Moore's Chapel Rd. Turn left and take the first right onto Heavy Equipment School Road. Park at the end of the road, and the trail starts beyond the metal gate and goes up towards the right. Poplar Tent is maintained on private land that the owners allowed mountain bikers to construct trails on. The trails are very technical with many roots and rocks and several stream crossings that are optional. The main loop is approximately 4 miles long, but with the optional trails, it is just over 6 miles. Two of the hardest rides at Poplar Tent are "Devil's" Dropoff" and "Gravity Cavity." Both are must rides in the Charlotte area. There is a fee of $2/rider that goes towards trail maintenance, and you must sign a waiver in order to ride. Take I-85 to Exit 52. From the North, turn left. From the South, turn right. Turn right onto Goodman Rd. There is a gravel parking lot about 1 mile on the left. There are trail maps available in the shed. Cane Creek State Park is located just outside of Waxsaw, NC, which is a suburb of Charlotte. The trails are relatively easy and fast as well as plentiful. There are a few good hills and very little technical difficulty. Novices will find these trails a lot of fun, and more advanced riders will find that they are good for aerobic training. Go to downtown Waxsaw and follow the signs, which are very clear. There is a $2 fee/car and $1 fee/bike. The McAlpine and Cambpell Creek Greenways are accessible at Tifton Rd. in south east Charlotte, on Monroe Rd. in east Charlotte, and from Margaret Wallace Rd about 300 yards N. of NC 74. Off of Margaret Wallace Rd., there is a small parking lot directly across from the fire station where you can park. The main trail is a 3.6 mile straight, doubletrack multi-use path. Thanks for Mark Hodroff for this information.
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