Rusty Rides: North Augusta Greenway Trail

I was in Columbia, SC Saturday for the USC-Furman game and decided to stay the night and take in a trail Sunday morning. The Rails to Trails guide hide nice things to say about the North Augusta Greenway Trail, so I drove about 45 minutes and gave it a try.
The trail was listed at less than 5 miles, and I thought I may have to ride it both ways a couple of times to make the trip worthwhile, but there have been some welcome to the changes since the Rails to Trails review. I measured the trail at 5.2 miles, and there's a fairly recent addition, the Riverfront Greenway, that adds another 1.6 miles. Up and back, plus the loop, and some side riding, and I easily logged 12 miles. The Greenway trail is a well maintained asphalt surface about 10 feet wide and well shaded. The Riverfront loop is concrete and out in the open a bit more. The Greenway opened in 1995. I didn't see a date for the Riverfront, but the surface looked new and there were sings of ongoing construction.
Temperature was mid 80s in the parking lot but immediately dipped on the trail. I started at the north entrance where the trail cuts between neighborhoods. The first couple of miles are peaceful pine forest. After 3 miles, the trail transitions to parks and ball fields while maintaining a shade canopy. Benches and water fountains are plentiful, but I didn't see a restroom until the soccer complex about 4 miles in. There is an extensive recreation complex after 3 miles, and there may be some facilities there, but I didn't see anything directly on the trail. Traffic was light (10 Sunday Morning), and the trail is perfectly safe for children. I can see my 4 year old son handling it easily. All of the major rodes are crossed via bridge or tunnel, so it's really safe. There is a slight grade South to North, but it's slow and steady, nothing to kill you; however, there is a bit of a hill on the Riverfront loop to get down to the water.
I really loved this trail, and it's such a great resource for those in the Aiken-Augusta area. I didn't think the Greenway would be a destination trail but after exploring the area a bit more by car, I'm going to make this a definite go to trail. Downtown is just uphill from the south end of the trail, and there's several restaurants and shops worth popping in. The real treat is hitting the surface streets and heading over to Augusta, GA (<2 miles). I wouldn't recommend this for children, but even a novice adult could make an easy go across the river. Downtown Augusta has even more to offer than it's sister to the north including the Augusta Canal Trail. I'll save that review for later, but the Canal trail is about double the length of the Greenway. Put together, the North Augusta Greenway Trail and Augusta Canal Trail make for a full day of riding.

The North Augusta Greenway Story

North Augusta Greenway Trail Listing with Map Links

Rails to Trails Link (free registration required)

North Augusta Chamber of Commerce

Augusta Visitors Bureau

Augusta Canal