Carolina Trailworks, LLC directory

 Made an account just so I could write this review.

For reference, this review is based on the mountain bike trail network at SCRA.

The Greenville area has waited a long time for a true mountain bike trail system, one designed and built specifically for mountain bikers. Someone finally stepped up and made that happen, and for that I'm genuinely thankful.

Unfortunately, the trails themselves feel like something straight out of the early 2000s. They lack imagination and ooze mediocrity.

SCRA sits on a massive piece of property with more than enough elevation to create something truly special. Any experienced trail builder would look at this terrain and immediately see the potential. Yet the trails being built don't come close to matching what the land is capable of. They feel outdated and uninspired, almost like they were designed without a strong understanding of modern trail building or what is possible today.

That matters because these trails are important. If done right, SCRA could become the project that convinces Greenville to invest in larger trail systems. It could prove that if you build something exceptional, mountain bikers will come. Local riders will come. Tourists will come. The surrounding businesses will benefit.

But this isn't the kind of trail system that creates that momentum.

The trails here should be making riders across the Southeast say, "Holy shit, have you ridden SCRA yet?" They should be attracting YouTubers like Seth from Berm Peak, BKXC, Singletrack Sampler, MTB_NC, and others because the riding is so amazing that it demands attention. Those videos would bring riders from all over to experience the trails for themselves.

Instead, Greenville continues to miss an incredible opportunity.

We're surrounded by communities that understand what great mountain bike trails can do for tourism and the local economy. Look at places like Rattlesnake Bike Park, Jarrod's Place, Chestnut Mountain, Stumphouse, Ride Rock Creek, Ride Kanuga, Little White Oak Mountain, Chicopee Woods, and etc. These places have become destinations because they invested in quality trail design.

And the excuse isn't elevation.

Amazing trails have been built with only 30 feet of elevation. The Hulk in Myrtle Beach proves it. So do countless trail systems throughout Florida and north Louisiana. Bentonville and Hot Springs have terrain comparable to, or in some places less dramatic than, SCRA, yet they've built world-class riding because the trail design is exceptional.

Great trail builders don't need huge mountains. They need vision.

SCRA already has the land. It already has the elevation. It has everything needed to become one of the premier riding destinations in the Southeast. What it's missing is trail design that takes advantage of that opportunity.

Imagine what companies like Rock Solid Trail Contracting, Progressive Trail Design, Elevated Trail Design, or Trail Dynamics could create with this property.

Instead, the current trails feel like they're being designed without the skills, knowledge, understanding, imagination, or vision of what modern mountain biking has become. There seems to be a lack of understanding of how to properly present trail features, how to string together sections of flow, how to carry and preserve speed, how to use the terrain to create excitement, how to build rhythm, and how to make every foot of trail memorable. The trails don't feel intentional. They feel random. After talking with several local trail builders who are familiar with the builder, this impression doesn't seem to surprise them.

All in all, I write this in the hope that whoever is building these trails will read this and consider continuing to learn and evolve their craft. Trail building has advanced tremendously over the last 20 years, and the best builders are constantly refining their techniques and learning from one another. These are quite possibly the most important mountain bike trails ever built in the Greenville area. They deserve to set the standard for what mountain biking in the Upstate can become, not simply settle for an outdated XC style of trail building driven by a lack of imagination, creativity, and an understanding of what modern mountain bikers are looking for.