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Rail Trail West Ashley Bikeway (Charleston, SC)
Length:
2.5 miles one way Fees:
None Directions:
To the western trailhead: From downtown Charleston, drive west on US
17 and cross the Ashley River. Turn right onto Wappoo Road and the
trailhead sign is on the right immediately after the turn. To the eastern trailhead: From
downtown Charleston, drive west on US 17 and cross the Ashley River.
After you cross the bridge, turn right onto SC 61/SC 171. Shortly
before SC 61 and SC 171 split, there is a trailhead sign on the left. Hours:
Dawn to dusk Camping:
There is no camping.
Information:
Charleston Department of Parks, 30 Mary Murray Drive, Charleston, SC
29403, Telephone:
843-724-7321.
© 1996-2008
South Carolina
Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. |
Map
bicyclists, it’s a great area for walkers and runners. Once
part of a five-mile stretch of rail owned by Seaboard Coastline
Railroad Company, the route was abandoned in 1976. Before long, weeds
and rats took over and it became a collection point for old
mattresses, rusting appliances, and other refuse. Eventually the
corridor’s right-of-way passed to the S.C. Department of
Transportation, who hoped to turn the area into an expressway. This
didn’t happen, so in 1978 the agency agreed to lease the property
for $1 a year to the city. After several years of bureaucratic red
tape, the park officially opened in 1983. Today, what was once a
dumping ground, the asphalt pathway serves a real need in the
community. 