Biking the Thermal Belt Rail Trail: Rutherfordton, Spindale and Forest City, NC

 

• Date Biked: October 24, 2020
• Posted Mileage 13.5
• Total miles Tracked:  28.17
• Type of Trail:  Paved rail-trial
• Conveniences:  Nice trailheads, good signs, some bathrooms
• Best Features:  Thoughtful design, great surface, access to downtowns
• Worst Features:  A few busy road crossings
• Wildlife spotted: Deer 
• Vegetation:  Hardwoods, pines, wildflowers
• Associated Website:  https://www.thermalbeltrailtrail.com/
• Primary Author: James

The Thermal Belt Rail Trail is currently the second longest continuous rail trail in North Carolina after the American Tobacco Trail. The Neuse River Trail is longer than either, but it's along a river bank, not a rail bed. At just over 13.5 miles long, the Thermal Belt makes for a nice day of biking from end to end and back. We've ridden it three times in the last few years and have seen the progress as they've extended into new sections. Now that it's finished, it's a trail we can highly recommend. 

Flat, straight, wide, and paved. The miles fly by!

A lot of trails we ride take us to the sort of places that get described as the middle of nowhere. The Thermal Belt is a nice change from this. While it does pass through rural areas, a big chunk of the ride will take you through the middles of somewheres. The Thermal Belt Rail Road was once an economic lifeline for several small towns, and the trail cuts through (or near) the centers of towns like Forest City, Spindale, and Ruth. This gives you easy access to restaurants and bars and breweries along the way. Cheryl and I consider it a nearly perfect day if we can spend all day biking before unwinding at a trailside restaurant. The Thermal Belt offers numerous opportunities for food and beer, enough to tempt us back several times to try out the places we haven't yet explored. 

Forest City

Spindale

The two larger towns the trail cuts through are Forest City and Spindale. Forest City has a fitness park along the trail with bathrooms and water fountains. The trail runs adjacent to an amphitheater and farmers market, and if you go off trail for a block or two you'll find yourself downtown which is full of shops, restaurants, and bars. A little off the main drag is Scoop, an ice cream shop in what looks to be a 1950s drive in. If you've ridden the full length of the trail and back, treat yourself to their specialty, a milkshake with a scoop of ice cream on top of it. 

When you go to the window, ask if they serve ice cream. They'll appreciate that.

Spindale had a new brewery under construction next to the track, so we're looking forward to trying it out on our next trip. Spindale also has a more industrial feel, as you pass by old warehouses and a still operational flour mill. Spindale also had a bike shop with rentals, the only one we noticed along the trail. All along the route, you pass a lot of churches and AM radio stations. In all, it's easy to feel like you are riding through a different era. 

Sometimes the churches and AM radio stations sort of blend together. 

Speaking of different eras, near the far western end of the trail you'll find the Bechtler Mint Site Historic Park, a former gold mine. There's not a lot to see there, but there's some info on NC's past as a gold producing state, and the park also has great views of the mountains rising in the distance. 

People used to crawl in and out of this hole lugging sacks of dirt that might contain a fleck or two of gold. No matter what job you do, it's got to beat that!

The ride itself is fantastic. This is a very flat trail. There are a few mild grades, but much of the ride is effortless, and since it's a fairly new trail the surface is flawless. The trail  heads have plenty of parking and excellent signage. There's a lighted bridge in Forest City, and many of the road crossings are painted with a leaf design. If there's one gripe, it's that some of the crossings have a lot of traffic, and one or two of the crossings don't have good lines of sight for you to watch for oncoming traffic until you are practically in the intersection. That said, when we did encounter traffic at the crossings, the cars stopped for us. This feels like a trail that the local communities treasure, which is a huge plus for us. 

The lighted bridge comes with bonus lighted spiders!

If this trail were closer to our house, we'd probably ride it every month. Alas, it's almost a three hour drive. But, if  you like a good greenway ride, it's well worth the trip!