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Winston-Salem is a biking or cycling-friendly city, offering many off-road and on-street bike trails for bicycle enthusiasts to enjoy, ranging in intensity from easy to difficult. Whether you are looking to ride for pleasure, exercise, as a transportation alternative, or an adrenaline-pumping, extreme sport, we have found the trails perfect for your needs. Read about the trails below and find the one you are looking for.
Table Of Contents
Cycling Trails for Pleasure, Exercise, and Transportation Alternative
Trails that are both off-road and on-street are suitable for cycling in Winston-Salem. These routes include some Greenways, which can be taken alone or combined with on-street riding. All the Greenways are excellent for off-road cycling in Winston-Salem. You can see a list of them in our Greenways article. You can also find ten on-street bike route maps on the City of Winston-Salem website.
Greenway Loop
- 6.36-miles
- Easy Ride
- Mostly Paved
- Start Point: Old Salem Visitor’s Center
This is an excellent ride for pleasure and as a transportation alternative, as it takes you through a portion of the downtown area. You begin at the Old Salem Covered Bridge and cycle on The Strollway past 1st St and Corpening Plaza to the Gateway YMCA and near the new Kaleideum. From there, you will connect to Long Branch Trail through a series of streets. You will take Town Run La left on 3rd St, right on Cherry St, right on W 4th St, left on Trade Street, right on W 5th St, left on N Church St, right on W 6th St, left on N Chestnut St, right on E 7th St, left on N Patterson Ave, right on N Martin Luther King Jr Dr, and from there you will enter Long Branch Trail. This is an urban part of the Greenway system that passes through Winston-Salem. There will be lovely city views and several wooden bridges you will cross. You will continue until you connect with Salem Creek Greenway, where you will head west (turn right). You will cross the Wade Bitting Footbridge that passes over Salem Creek. There is a sign explaining where it gets its name. You will cross one more bridge, Molly Leight’s Crossing, before returning to where you started.
Muddy Creek Greenway
- 2.9-miles, one-way
- Easy Ride
- Paved
- Start Point: bridge to Summerfield Development opposite Jefferson Elementary School
This wide path follows Muddy Creek and is popular with walkers, runners, and cyclists. A pleasant ride, it travels through meadows, forests, and Jamison Park to Country Club Road. Five neighborhood connectors are along the trail: Cedar Trail, Century Oaks, Lantern Ridge, Stonebridge, Summerfield, and Brooks Landing. Each provides additional areas to go off the trail for street riding. There is also a connector to Meadowlark Middle and Elementary Schools. Turning around at the end and riding back makes this an easy and relaxing 4-mile ride.
Bowen Branch • Newell-Massey • Brushy Fork Greenways
- 2.05-miles, one-way
- Easy Ride
- Paved
- Start Point: Bowen Blvd/Hansel B Thomas Park on Bowen Blvd
This trail comprises three connecting Greenways for an enjoyable 2-mile ride through lush forested areas along Brushy Creek. Bowen Branch connects to Newell-Massey via a sidewalk connector at New Walkertown Road. The trail is 12-foot wide, shaded, quiet, and runs alongside an old cemetery. It has connectors along the way, including Winston Lake Park, Skyland Park, Twin City Little League Fields, and Winston Lake Aquatics Center. Brushy Fork Greenway, the last leg of the trail, ends at Lowery Street, on the other side of Salem Parkway, but will eventually connect to Salem Creek Greenway. Here is a map of the connected Greenways:
Map of Greenways in Winston-Salem
Salem Lake Trail
- 7-mile loop
- Intermediate Ride
- Mostly Dirt
- Start Point: Salem Lake Park
This is a beautiful trail around Salem Lake through the wooded area along its banks. During your ride, you will enjoy continuous glimpses of the lake, refreshing shade, birds, and wildlife. The path has some paved areas, primarily dirt and gravel, with roots, stones, and uneven terrain. There are some elevations, though not severe. You will see markers along the trail that run counterclockwise from the playground area, where you begin, and benches, should you want to rest. Water fountains and bathrooms are also available. There is a Bikeshare station if you don’t own a bike and would like to ride. Salem Lake Trail connects to Salem Creek Greenway if you want a longer ride.
Long Branch Trail – Salem Creek Greenway Loop From Winston-Salem
- 13.7-miles
- Intermediate Ride
- Mostly Paved
- Starting Point: Park at Flow Subaru
This route requires good physical fitness, some on-street biking, and a segment where you must dismount and push your bike. When you exit Flow Subaru onto Silas Creek Pkwy, make a left and ride a short distance to turn left on Konnoak View Dr, then turn right on Hollyrood St, follow to W Acadia Ave, turn right, continue to S Main St and turn left, follow to Waughtown St, turn right and look for the entrance to Salem Creek Greenway on the left. You will follow Salem Creek Greenway to Long Branch Trail, an urban pathway through Winston-Salem. It has various connections through the downtown area and several wooden bridges to cross. Take the connector to Fogle St and follow to N Patterson Ave, alongside Bailey Park, then turn left on E 7th St, continue to Trade St and make a right, make another right on N Martin Luther King Jr Dr and follow that road back to the entry point for Long Branch Trail. Continue on Long Branch back through the city to Salem Creek Greenway and turn right to head toward Salem Lake. Follow this lush trail for its length as it runs alongside Salem Creek and through Washington Park, Happy Hills, and Reynolds Park. You will turn around when you reach Salem Lake Trail and bike the Salem Park Greenway back to Waughtown Rd, then take the on-street ride back to Flow Subaru.
Cascades Preserve Loop From Quarry Park
- 43.6-miles
- Expert Ride
- Mostly Paved Surfaces
- Starting Point: Quarry Park
This trail requires excellent fitness and is an expert bike ride. It begins on the Waughtown Connector Greenway to the Peachtree Greenway, to Peachtree St, to Reynold Park Rd, through the park, and onto the Salem Creek Greenway, a lush, wooded trail that follows Salem Creek to Salem Lake Trail. You will connect to the north side of Salem Lake Trail, which has more woods and a dirt path with some uneven terrain. Follow it along the lake to Linville Road Southeast, where you will turn left. Continue on Linville Road until it becomes Old Greensboro Rd, then make a right on W Mountain St. You will follow W Mountain St a significant distance, passing Hasting Hills Rd, Asheby Woods Dr, and Goode Farm Rd on your right before you make a left turn on Grady Pettycord Rd, then a right onto Pisgah Church Rd. Continue on Pisgah Church Rd to Bagley Dr, where you will make a left turn. Take it to the end and make a left on Old Hollow Rd. Follow Old Hollow Rd to Old Valley School Rd and turn right. Continue along Old Valley School Rd, and you will come to Kernersville Lake Park. There are restrooms and covered picnic areas, a nice place to rest…