Tweetsie Trail (Rail-to-Trail)

The Tweetsie Trail runs along the old narrow-gauge railroad bed from Elizabethton to Johnson City. Ten miles of flat, crushed-stone path through farmland, hardwood forest, a couple of creek crossings, and one short rock tunnel toward the Johnson City end. It’s the easiest day-of-exercise we can recommend to guests, and the only one that lets a road-bike rider, a kid on training wheels, and a grandparent with a walker all do the same trail at the same time.

It is not a hike. It is a rail-trail, which means it was a railroad until 2003, and the grade never exceeds about 2%. You forget you’re going uphill until you turn around and notice that the way back is faster.

Names matter, clear this up first

The trail’s name causes confusion almost every week. Tweetsie Railroad (one word at the end, capital R) is a Wild-West amusement park in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, with a real steam train. Tweetsie Trail (just Trail) is the free rail-to-trail in Tennessee that we’re talking about here. They share a name because both reference the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad, the narrow-gauge line that ran between Johnson City and Boone from 1882 to 1950. Locals called the train “Tweetsie” after its whistle.

If you punch “Tweetsie” into your GPS, double-check the destination. We’ve sent guests to Blowing Rock on accident.

The drive from the lake

The Elizabethton trailhead is about 35 minutes from the townhouse.

US-321 west out of Hampton, through the Doe River Gorge, into Elizabethton. In town, the trail’s eastern trailhead is on State Line Road near Hatcher Lane, on the western edge of Elizabethton. There’s a parking lot, signage, and trail maps.

If you want to start from the Johnson City end instead, it’s about 50 minutes from the lake. The Legion Street trailhead in Johnson City has a bigger parking area and is closer to coffee and food.

We tell guests to start in Elizabethton if they want the prettier wooded section first, or start in Johnson City if they want to end their ride somewhere with restaurants and a brewery.

Trailhead logistics

Elizabethton (State Line Road / Hatcher Lane): Free paved parking for about twenty cars. Portable restroom. Trail map kiosk. Trail goes west from here.

Johnson City (Legion Street): Free paved parking, bigger lot. Bathrooms when the adjacent park building is open. Trail goes east from here.

There are smaller access points and parking lots at several spots in between, including Blue Ridge Drive in Elizabethton and the Sycamore Shoals area. Check the Tweetsie Trail page on traillink.com or the city websites for the current map.

No fees anywhere. No permits. Open dawn to dusk.

What the trail is actually like

The crushed stone surface is smooth and hard-packed. We’ve ridden it on a gravel bike, a hybrid, and a beach cruiser; all three are fine. A road bike with 25mm tires works but is not the most comfortable choice. Mountain bikes are overkill but won’t hurt.

The first three miles out of Elizabethton run alongside the Watauga River and through Sycamore Shoals area. You pass the Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park (worth a half-hour stop on the way back for Revolutionary War history, easy walking trails, and a small museum). There are a few road crossings but the trail is well-marked.

Miles 3 through 7 are the prettiest section. Hardwood forest on both sides, creek crossings on old railroad bridges, occasional pasture views. You can hear the trail name being repeated by birds. Mostly quiet, mostly empty during the week.

The last two to three miles into Johnson City pass through the more developed, urban end of the trail. Road crossings get more frequent. There is a short rock tunnel, about a hundred feet long, that is one of the photo stops on the trail. The eastern terminus drops you near downtown Johnson City and Legion Street.

Sample rides and walks

We give guests three options depending on their energy.

Easy walk (90 minutes total). Park in Elizabethton, walk west about 1.5 miles, turn around. You’ll do the farmland-and-creek section, see one historic marker about the old railroad, and be back at the car before lunch.

Half-day bike (3 hours). Park in Elizabethton, bike to the halfway point near Milligan, eat the snack you brought, ride back. About 14 miles of pedaling with no real hills. Mid-week, you might pass twenty people total.

Full one-way ride with shuttle (4 hours). Drop a car at the Johnson City end. Drive the other car to Elizabethton. Ride the full ten miles eastbound (it’s slightly downhill overall in this direction). End in Johnson City at a brewery or coffee shop. Have your shuttle driver bring you back to Elizabethton. This is our favorite version but requires planning two vehicles.

What to expect

It crosses roads. Especially toward the Johnson City end, there are road crossings without signals. Stop and look. Drivers don’t always see cyclists popping out of a trail.

It runs through some industrial-feeling spots. Not all ten miles are scenic. The middle is great; the Elizabethton end is pretty; the Johnson City end gets urban. If you only have time for part of it, do the middle.

It’s hot in summer. Most of the trail is partly shaded but the open sections get hot in July and August. Bring more water than you think.

No drinking water on the trail. Bring your own. There are no spigots between trailheads.

Bike rentals are limited. Johnson City has a bike shop or two that may rent for a day, but call ahead. We don’t have bike rentals at the townhouse. If you want to ride here, plan to bring bikes or rent in Johnson City the same morning.

Best season

Spring (April through May) for wildflowers along the corridor and comfortable temperatures. Fall (October) for the color through the wooded sections. Summer is fine if you go early; afternoons get hot. Winter is rideable on dry days but the trail can be muddy after rain or snow.

After heavy rain, the crushed stone holds up well but can be soft for a day. Wait twenty-four hours after a real downpour and it’ll be perfect.

Pairing it with other stops

Combine an Elizabethton-side ride with Sycamore Shoals State Park (right next to the trail), Doe River Covered Bridge (in downtown Elizabethton, about a mile east of the trailhead), and lunch at one of the downtown spots. That’s a full half-day before you head back to the lake.

If you ride one-way to Johnson City, end at one of the breweries on the east side and reward yourself. Yee-Haw Brewing and Johnson City Brewing are the standbys.

For a contrast day, do the Tweetsie Trail (flat, easy) in the morning and our Round Bald hike (short but steep, big views) in the afternoon. The variety is the point.

Related on the lake

• Elizabethton — the east trailhead town
• Johnson City — the west end
• Family-friendly day options