A new mountain biking trail is open near Greenville’s airport district, running parallel to the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail.
Rad Rabbit Trail is intended for all ages and levels of expertise. It was built by the Upstate Greenways and Trails Alliance (UGATA) with advice from the Barbara Stone Foundation to ensure that people with disabilities can also partake and enjoy the trail.
A grand opening for the trail was held June 7. The trail totals roughly 800 feet with a jump and a roller line. The entrance to the trail is located to the side Think Tank Brew Lab, located at 101 Airport Road.
“One of the main things we wanted to do was to have kids be able to hone their their skills on a bike, to get that balance locked in early and then also to introduce a lot of kids to the sport of mountain biking without having to go too far,” said Sam Davis, UGATA project manager.
The idea for the trail came after a trip for Davis and UGATA executive director Matthew Hudson-Flege took a trip to Bentonville, Arkansas, which Davis described as a “mountain biking Mecca.” Bentonville has a trail similar to the Swamp Rabbit called The All-American Trail which comes along with a mountain biking trail.
“They had about 70 miles of really advanced mountain biking trails that brought in some very intense mountain bikers from all over the country there,” Davis said. “But as soon as they put it in a beginner trail, right off of their Swamp Rabbit, that’s when they saw the big cultural change, and that’s when all of the kids started getting out there, and that’s when they saw the businesses flourish.”