Sports

First leg of Ecusta Trail to officially open in July

Bicyclists enjoy a day on the Ecusta Trail on Monday. The first six miles of the trail will officially open in July.

By Amy McCraw, Published: June 2, 2025

Henderson County will officially open the first six miles of the Ecusta Trail on July 18 with a ribbon cutting, speeches and special events along the trail.

Opening day will begin at 2 p.m. at the Trailhead Pavilion on Main Street with guest speakers, community recognition and special announcements.
After all the “speech-a-fy-ing,” attendees will gather at the bridge near the Fresh Market on Greenville Highway for a ribbon cutting, Mike Morgan, Henderson County’s chief communications officer, said on Monday during an event announcing the opening.
The trail will officially open at 3:30 p.m.
Trail partners and businesses along the trail will have special events throughout the day, Morgan said.
Morgan and supporters of the trail gathered at the Trailhead Pavilion to announce the date the trail will open.
Representatives from the Mast General Store also unveiled Blaze, the bear sculpture that depicts the Ecusta Trail. Blaze was created by former Mast General Store employee Natalie Hudson and once stood outside the store on Main Street. Blaze was relocated to the Trailhead Pavilion after Mast General donated the sculpture to the trail.
Friends of the Ecusta Trail President Mark Tooley and Jeff Meadows, a vice president at Mast General and board member of the Friends of the Ecusta Trail, were among about 40 people who gathered for Monday’s announcement.
Tooley said he was happy the trail is about to officially open after working for the last 16 years to make it a reality.
“It’s a dream come true,” he said. “Hopefully, we can get the rest of it too.”
Meadows said many people have been enjoying the trail recently even though it isn’t yet open.
“That’s what we were all after in the beginning, connecting our communities,” he said.
Several people walked, rollerbladed and biked along the trail on Monday while in places dump trucks and backhoes continued to work on sections that are not yet complete between downtown Hendersonville and U.S. 64 West in Horse Shoe.
One bicyclist asked a reporter when the trail opened and said she was surprised to learn it remained officially closed.
Some places along the trail where it intersects with roadways also lack signage that would direct vehicle drivers and trail visitors on how to best manage the intersection.
Morgan said signs will be in place when the trail opens in July.
“Just be careful right now in those areas since it’s not officially open yet,” he said.
After the first six miles of the Ecusta Trail open in July, five more miles of the trail will need to be completed in Henderson County before it reaches Transylvania County. The trail will include eight miles in Transylvania County.
The second phase of the trail in Henderson County remains in the design phase and is about two years away from completion, Morgan said.