This Up-and-Coming Blue Ridge Trails Town Has the Region’s Newest Rail Trail

Hendersonville, North Carolina, may be an up-and-coming trails community, but its recreation roots run deep. The southern Blue Ridge Mountains community created summer camp culture as we know it in the 19th century when vacationers came up from the sweltering South Carolina heat to take in the cool mountain air.

Today, Hendersonville is an active community of lunch-hour laps and after-work group rides at the numerous local trail systems. A sign of Hendersonville’s biking bona fides: this is where residents of the legendary outdoors communities of Asheville and Brevard—with destination-worthy recreation opportunities in their own backyards—come to play on weekends.

Now, Hendersonville boasts the Blue Ridge region’s newest bike path, which will ultimately connect that city to Brevard and allow for easy, scenic and car-free excursions between both communities.

The History of the Ecusta Trail

The roots of the new Ecusta Trail run deep, too.

In 1939, the Ecusta Corp. opened a paper mill in Brevard, on the rail line along the Davidson River. Named after what’s thought to be a Cherokee word meaning either “place of origin” or “rippling waters”, a reference to the river that paralleled the rail line, The Ecusta Mill employed 3,500 workers at its peak, but when it shuttered in 2002, the rail line lay abandoned.

Recognizing the potential for connecting Hendersonville to Brevard and their residents to the outdoors, local advocates worked for nearly 20 years to establish public recreational access to the rail line.

In summer 2025, the easternmost 6 miles originating from Hendersonville opened to the public. The remaining 5 miles in Henderson County, and the 8 miles in Transylvania County, home to Brevard, should open to users in 2029.

The paved trail is ADA-compliant and open to all non-motorized uses. Constructed at an almost unnoticeable incline to accommodate trains carrying loads of timber, the Ecusta line makes a perfect trail corridor for morning commutes or leisurely evening strolls.

How to Ride the Ecusta Trail

In Hendersonville, the Ecusta Trail begins at the city’s Welcome Center. From downtown, the trail passes through idyllic residential neighborhoods before entering a broad valley of farmland and hardwood forest, the pastoral foreground framing views of Mount Pisgah in the distance. Currently, the trail ends at the roadside community of Horse Shoe; from here, users can retrace the route back downtown.

Need a bike? Riders can reserve rentals at Venture Ecusta at Lennox Station. Venture Ecusta carries a fleet of e-bikes, children’s bikes and even a kid’s trailer, all of which come with helmets and locks for off-bike adventures.

Cyclists should take some time post-ride to enjoy the numerous breweries, boutiques and coffee shops that compose Hendersonville’s charming historic Main Street. Grab a coffee or ice cream cone and stroll; sidewalk dining and sitting areas amongst shade trees and flowering plants encourage visitors to stay awhile.

Shopping, Food, and More Along the Ecusta Trail

A Main Street anchor, the Mast General Store is a relatively recent outpost of an iconic western North Carolina mercantile with pre-Civil War origins. Like the original location in Valle Crucis 2 hours north, both essentials and knicknacks line the shelves, which has led to the saying, “If you can’t buy it here, you don’t need it.”

For dining, the popular Shine offers an extensive menu of Southern-influenced New American cuisine such as duck-fat fries and crab cakes. Enjoy a hand-crafted cocktail on the rooftop patio for unbeatable Blue Ridge views.

Visitors should also be sure to download the Cheers! Trail app. North Carolina’s only route that features five types of craft beverages—beer, wine, cider, mead and spirits—the Cheers! Trail highlights several stops on the Ecusta corridor all of which make ideal mid- or post-ride refreshment locations.

Right outside downtown, and right off the paved path at Lennox Station, Trailside Brewing serves up a dozen rotating locally crafted taps, with outdoor trailside seating. Lennox Station also houses the Ecusta Market & Café and Venture Ecusta, making it an ideal bike-path basecamp. Meanwhile, a few miles down the trail, riders can stop at Elijah Mountain Gem Mine and Crystal Store for curios or a cold one at their bar.

Finish off a day of exploration in Hendersonville at Cold Spring Base Camp. Tucked into a wooded creekside ravine 20 minutes south of town, Cold Springs Base Camp’s open-air glamping shelters and cabins—including a treehouse—offer guests a restful night under the stars; the on-site sauna, shower house and cold plunge pool aid in relaxation. With roots in the camp culture of Hendersonville, Cold Spring brings a modern flare to summer-camp nostalgia.