River walk

The trails were pieced together for an mtb race, so it may not be the logical route if you were just riding at the Riverwalk and headed into the woods. These are young trails and need to be ridden in some more and worked on a bit. they are very rooty and rocky with very little flow. There is not a lot of elevation gain, but the climbs are almost always straight up and meant to maximize the effort on the terrain available.

Nice trail if you are near by. The trail was cover with leaves to the point I could not see 3" root and some of the rock gardens. I had to slow down to make sure I didn't wipe out. Most of the blue trail had flow but the flow ended pretty quickly. The blue trail started again but came back out on the green trail like 50 feet later. There is a new section that is an out and back. My opinion "don't waste your time. The trail was so tight, the vines were trying to take my head off, and there were a few trees down. If you go in the fall be careful. Nice trail to get your hear rate up.

Awesome trail, even moderate is difficult enough. Like it.

5 star beginner very well kept up and from the looks of it there adding to the Mtb trails as there was signs looking for volunteers to help with Mtb projects

This is a very family friendly course. And beautiful scenery as the trail rides along the catawba river. The trail has a few manageable hilss. And for the off road cyclist there are a few off road trails from easy to black diamond. And when you are done, take a dip in the catawba to cool off.

Nice, short set of trails at the Riverwalk complex. Tight and twisty with a couple of short, punchy climbs, but nothing technical. It's a bit too twisty to really get much speed going, but if you live in the area, as I do, and have limited time for a ride it's an OK alternative to Anne Springs.

Riverwalk MTB trails off the main multi use paved trail are very nice and get better with the volunteer work from the Rock Hill bike club all the time. The paved trail is a nice easy ride as noted, and has been expanded a mile so it's 7 miles out and back now..3.5 miles and there is is one green loop around the woods on an old fire road that is somewhat easy with some very deep ruts though, and a little green single track labeled off the wider easy loop also, fun and flat. Most of the trails here, are Blue and there's a black newer section along with a Blue section that comes in the second entrance past the ruins of the Carhartt Homestead that is a bit steep and used to be labeled black but is blue really, signs keep getting updated. The Blue Loop is 5 to 6 miles long depending on side trails you add in could go longer. Once on the Blue Trail, black areas are noted with a way to go around. There's a couple due to steep but short climbs and one steep 4 to 5 foot downhill (close to a drop). There is a new area that has some black obstacles built in and again, it's labeled black when you reach it and there is a blue go around. I have photos of the bridge in this area. It's a slanted 3 way bridge going over an obstacle and hence the black obstacle rating.The trails are being kept in great shape by the Rock Hill volunteer club. There has been work all summer on the down hill switch back area making berms smoother and wider and they try to keep up removing fallen trees and debris. The trail can feel pretty slow and technical off the start as you make your way up from the river on up hill switch backs but there's a few nice down hills coming. They have some switch back areas down hill also, there's a couple short areas of some semi natural pump track, a few bridges but they're 2 to 3 feet wide and not overly high off the ground. There's one creek run through. Only a few inches to 6 inches of water unless it's been really rainy. The track needs to be run a few times to get used to the technical aspects so you it can be taken faster and becomes more flowy when you know it, can feel a little grueling at first. When wet their is quite a few slippery root area to watch out for, when overly dry in the summer some sandy patches can toss you on the sharp corners. There is a couple of longish gradual uphill root gardens and a couple of very short rock gardens. The trail runs both ways, though one is labeled as one way, so watch, people do run it both ways. I love the track, it's my usual track, I'm at it all the time. Watch out for deer, I see them every day and these days they often hang around and wait seem to wait on me. Never sure they won't run out in front of me and in Spring/summer I tend to see black snakes often. Will post some photos.

Dusty, loose, dry. Notable exceptions: All muddy features were muddy with the exception of the Intermediate/(Old) Beginner entry path's mud-to-rollover. That was nearly bone-dry. We did the beginner trail around the perimeter, and it was fast and loose. Great opportunity to practice skids with little fear of actual injury. :)

First time at River Walk. Took the family (boys 11 & 7). Had a great time. Some rough spots and inclines for them but overall the trails were very well kept and challenging at points. Nice easy trials to cruise and some more difficult trails to ride which were more fun.

I followed the blue square intermediate trail, and it was a nice combination of rolling elevation changes with a few more challenging steeper climbs as well. The loop took me about 1 hour 15 minutes and was a good work out. The trail was relatively smooth with not too many roots or over technical sections. Does have some tight turns and some straights too. Recommend for any intermediate biker or above.

I am one of the trail builders at Riverwalk. We are working hard to add to what is an already excellent trail system. These trails are not green circle easy as listed. We are going to be actively adding more trails in the near future. Please come check it out soon.

I have ridden here several times since my first review. This is a fairly new trail system and more work is being done to the trail. Some small obstacles have been added and the trails are starting to take form. It is definitely a great trail system and I'm excited to see what more the trail builders have in store!

The River Walk trails are part of a larger planned community which includes an existing Giordana Velodrome, a 2.5mi riverfront greenway that is part of the Carolina Thread Trail Network, and a Kayak & Canoe Ramp on the Catawba River right next to some Class 1 rapids...On the long term Master Plan is a 1000 acre community of newly constructed $200k homes, a BMX SuperCross track, storefronts offering merchants from restaurants to bike shop(s) right next to the trailhead. The MTB trail organizers are actively pursuing adding a MTB skills area as the next phase of the trail section(nominee for Bell 2013 trail grant).
Now to the nitty gritty...one word to describe the trails POTENTIAL. While there are existing trails for beginner to intermediate riders on property, this network should only continue to thrive with the surrounding outdoor sports-focused community. The trails run along the upper banks and ravines of the Catawba River, which ensures constant elevation changes and switchbacks. The trail tread varies from hard pack to loamy sections with a couple of creek crossings. While there are some rooty sections, they are relatively infrequent and easy to navigate. While there is a trailhead map and signage on the trails, there are some chances to get turned around - but not lost...worst case, I did a section twice - expect this to improve as the trail building matures. There are not really any advanced technical features on the trail yet, just a few small jumps and little berms. The primary trails are the "Blue" trails - agree with previous review that the "Black" trail is not much more different than the Blue yet. Consider the "Green" loop as the access trail(mixed singletrack/jeep road) that travels the perimeter of the network and allows access to most all of the other trails. There are some historical ruins from the 19th Century on the network: The Carhartt Mansion, an old Mill site, Civil War emplacements, Ferry Crossings, and Native American Fishing Weirs.
Start out from the Lat/Long at the Canoe/Kayak Put-in and ride the paved greenway SE away from the Cherry Rd Bridge until you see the MTB trailhead sign. The MTB trail will start by exiting right off the greenway to a climb...make sure to hang in there as the first part of the trail can be a little fragmented, but once you get on the long blue it's a good ride. The trail will end by running the Green loop right back to the greenway. I used the paved greenway for my warm-up and cool-down which added for some nice views of the river, flora, and fauna. My total distance was 14mi with a couple short repeat sections. Get out and represent, but do so responsibly... 1) Look out for many walkers on the greenway(they also have security out there in quad-runners).... 2) Follow the 24hr rule after weather because some sections can hold water.

I rated this place a three because I haven't been mountainbiking long. I live about a mile from Riverwalk, and I have had my bike, a Giant Revel 29er, since the first of December 2012. I ride these trails quite often, several times a week if it is reasonably dry. The tracks through the woods can be ridden a little damp, but the green loop is very muddy when wet. Not a lot of roots right now since the trails are pretty new. Like I said, I haven't been riding long, but I have gotten a lot of enjoyment out of these trails. There is a black diamond section that has been created a little more recently that runs into a section that is marked blue, though in my opinion the blue section is at least as treacherous as the black diamond section. I have done a lot of riding since I got my bike, which is the first nice bike I have ever owned or even ridden, and 95% of it has been here. It's easy to get out of too if you need to, as even the longest section of the trail loops back and forth in the same few acres of forest, so you are never far from an easy way out. At this point there are several sections that need work, and if the ground is wet, stay off the green loop (except for one short green singletrack) as it gets so muddy it isnt even fun. If you hate roots, now is the time, since the trails are so new that there aren't many.

Went here the other day with the sole intentions of riding the paved trail that follows along the river. I thought it would be a good idea to bring my dog along. Unfortunatly, after I had ridden about two miles on the paved trail I was stopped by the local dude on a "Gator" and was told that my dog had to be on a leash. I had not brought a leash, so Dolley (my dog) and I opted to head off road. The night before the area had some very heavy rain. We stayed on the "beginer" trail which is mostly a gravel/hard pack fire road. Still, some places were very slick and muddy and we avoided. The trail system also offers an "black diamond" trail and an intermediate trail. I crossed the path of these trail several times, but didn't venture on them due to the wet conditions. We are supposed to have a good week or so of dry weather here, so I'm going to give them a try next week. Hopefully I can update the review then.