Upstate Greenways Network Map

UGATA’s interactive Upstate Greenways Network Map is a tool to understand the trails and greenways network as it is, as it could be, and how we hope it will be!

This map shows all the paved and protected bike and pedestrian greenways in Upstate SC.

The interactive legend (arrows on the top left) allows you to filter the map based on what you want to see.

  • Green lines indicate an existing paved greenway.
  • Red lines indicate routes where the relevant local government has the ability to build a paved greenway because access has been secured.
  • Orange lines represent routes that governments have studied as possible new paved greenways but either do not yet have land access or funding.
  • Purple lines indicate natural surface trails (aka dirt) that UGATA has access to build. UGATA is pursuing funding and construction plans for these trails.

Click on each route to see more detailed information about that route. If you want to learn more, check out the Frequently Asked Questions below the map!

Frequently Asked Questions

Trail? Greenway? What’s the difference?

A classic square/rectangle situation. All greenways are trails but not all trails are greenways. We use greenways to refer to trails that are paved and protected and are usually over 10′ wide. Trails on the other hand, are natural surface (dirt) paths that are usually much narrower. Usually around 2′ wide. As you can see from how much more orange there is than purple, this map is primarily focused on greenways. That said, we wanted to include the future UGATA natural surface trail projects because we are so gosh-darn excited about them!

What does paved and protected mean?

Paved and protected greenways are bike and pedestrian specific infrastructure that is separated from car traffic. UGATA defines “separated” to include both trails that are physically located away from roads (e.g. the Doodle Trail) and on-street greenways that have a physical divider between car and bike/ped traffic (e.g. the Simpsonville portion of the Swamp Rabbit Trail). If you are interested in a list of existing natural surface trails, check out AllTrails or SCTrails.

Why does this map focus on paved, protected greenways?

Paved and protected greenways are considered the gold standard for bike and pedestrian infrastructure. They are both safe and comfortable. Surveys have repeatedly shown that  while ~70% of the population is interested in cycling on high quality infrastructure, only ~10% are willing to cycle on the road. Think about all the folks you know that want to ride their bikes on the Swamp Rabbit but would never ride on Main Street! We want to focus our efforts on the types of infrastructure that encourage the maximum amount of people to feel safe cycling.

There are a lot of orange lines on this map! Why aren’t we building all these greenways?

Access! Access! Access! The number one reason that the Upstate does not build more greenways is that the local, regional, and state governments do not have the legal right to use land for trails. For the most part, land in the Upstate is owned by private citizens who must agree to allow a greenway to be built on their property. The routes shown in the orange lines are the results of planners who brainstorm big ideas (and UGATA LOVES big ideas), but they have not yet done the difficult work of negotiating with individual land owners to obtain easements or other access. Helping facilitate and complete these negotiations is a major way that UGATA helps expand the trails and greenways network. It might not be a visible as pouring concrete, but it is equally important! 

What do the red “Shovel Ready” lines mean?

These are the routes where the the local government or private developer has the legal access to the land required to build a trail. This can mean that the difficult access negotiations resulted in a public trail easement (sometimes with our help!) or that a private developer plans to build a trail and allow the public to use it.  These routes could be built very quickly, but occasionally there are issues that must be solved before construction can begin such as funding, engineering challenges or parking access. UGATA likes to help solve these problems too!

How can I help get these built?

We’ll take all the help we can get! The best way to help UGATA is to donate which will help keep our lights on. Also, if you have a particular greenway project that you are interested in helping, please reach out to Sam. One of the hard (but fun!) parts of getting trails on the ground is that no two projects are the same. Sam can give you some more specifics on each project and can help figure out the best way to get the project moving!

I think that a greenway is missing from the map. How do I add it?

We love the way you are thinking! We have worked very hard to build this map and keep it updated but there is so much happening with Upstate trails that even we miss some things. If you have any edits that you think would improve this map please reach out to Sam and let him know. Thanks for your help!