First Broad River Trail in Shelby, NC (Blog Hike #899)

Trail: First Broad River Trail, a.k.a. Twin Trestle Trail, Carolina Thread Trail

Hike Location: City of Shelby Parks and Recreation
Geographic Location: west side of Shelby, NC (35.30434, -81.56516)
Length: 2.8 miles
Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: September 2022
Overview: A mostly flat out-and-back along the First Broad River.
Trail Information: https://www.carolinathreadtrailmap.org/trails/trail/first-broad-river-trail
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=922540
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: From the intersection of US 74 and SR 226 on the west side of Shelby, drive SR 226 north 0.7 miles to Grover Street and turn right on Grover St.  Drive Grover St. east 0.6 miles, crossing the First Broad River along the way, to the signed parking area for the First Broad River Trail on the left.  Turn sharply left and drive down the gravel road to the parking area, where the trail begins.

The hike: Rising near the southwest corner of North Carolina's massive and famous South Mountains State Park, the First Broad River traces a meandering southward course for 60 miles through the rolling Piedmont.  The river provides water for the towns of Lawndale and Shelby before emptying into the Broad River just north of the South Carolina state line.  Of course, the name First Broad River implies the existence of another nearby watercourse called the Second Broad River.  Indeed, the Second Broad River traces a similar course that finishes about 20 miles west/upstream from the First Broad River's mouth.  I could not find any watercourse in this area named the Third Broad River.

            The First Broad River Trail follows the bank of its namesake river for 1.4 miles on the west side of Shelby.  The trail's north end is at a parking lot and trailhead on Grover Street.  As presently constructed, the trail's south end is a dead end, though future plans call for the trail's extension further south.  This trail is part of the Carolina Thread Trail, a project designed to create a network of trails throughout the Charlotte Metro area.  This trail is also informally called the Twin Trestle Trail for reasons you will see early in the hike.

Grover Street trailhead

            From the trailhead parking area, walk down the concrete trail that heads toward the river.  A wooden railroad trestle soon comes into view across the grassy area to the right.  This trestle has not been used by trains for many years, but it still bridges the First Broad River and provides interesting history and scenery.

Suspension bridge over river

Wooden railroad trestle

            After a few hundred feet, you enter the woods, pass under Grover Street, and reach the suspension bridge that carries the trail over the First Broad River.  Rebuilt earlier this year, this bridge swings a decent bit, but careful and persistent forward stepping got me across without incident.  Now on the river's west side, the trail surface turns to dirt and gravel as it continues a southbound course through young forest with the river on your left.  Black walnut is the most common tree in this riverside forest, but some oak trees grow on the slightly higher blufftop areas.

Iron railroad trestle

First Broad River

            Near 0.3 miles, you pass under a second railroad trestle.  Made of iron, this more modern trestle still supports an active railroad line, so you may hear a train rumble overhead while you hike along the river.  Just past the second trestle, a bench on the left provides this trail's best view of the First Broad River.  A small unnamed creek flows into the river directly across from this bench.  This creek enters the river via a cascading waterfall when it has enough water, which it did not on my visit.

Hiking along the river

            Continuing downstream, for the most part the river stays nearby but out of sight on the left.  Several wooden footbridges take you over small side streams.  At 0.6 miles you pass under a power line; notice the low level dam in the river under this power line.  At 0.9 miles, you pass under US 74/SR 226 and enter a shrubbier area.  At 1.4 miles, the trail unceremoniously ends.  The only option is to turn around and retrace your steps to the trailhead to complete the hike.