Shelby trail network expands with Carolina Harmony Trail project

Shelby’s Carolina Harmony Trail is moving into a 10.2-mile corridor through Shelby, Patterson Springs and Earl along unused railroad right of way. Planned since 2007, the project is part of the Carolina Thread Trail system and is now being built as a route for walkers, runners and bicyclists of all ages and fitness levels.

The first finished piece, Phase 1A, runs about 0.65 miles from Sunset Cemetery to Marion Street. The city marked the first phase with a groundbreaking at Bobby Bell Pavilion on Nov. 16, 2022, and a ribbon cutting during Shelby Trail Days on Oct. 21, 2023. The theme is “An Emphasis on Nature through An Urban Corridor,” and the finished section uses a 13-foot asphalt trail with concrete walkways, a gateway sculpture, a kiosk, perforated metal panels, a retaining wall, benches and lighting. The completed segment is more than a half-mile long and includes split-rail fencing, pedestrian lighting and a roadway underpass.

The next leg, Phase II, began construction on Oct. 6, 2025 and will extend the route by about 1.55 trail miles, or about 2.32 miles when spur connections and paving limits are included. That work will link the existing trail on Marion Street to S. Dekalb Street and add crosswalks, trail lighting, bike racks, landscaping, street trees, curb and gutter work, drainage, structures and bridge improvements on U.S. 74. The job is a 2.32-mile hardscape pedestrian facility with roadway improvements along the former railroad corridor.

Shelby’s trail network already reaches beyond the Carolina Harmony alignment. The city’s current trail system includes the First Broad River Trail and the Carl Spangler Trail, a shady natural-surface path along the First Broad River that connects the First Broad River Trail to Grover Street and ends at the future Carolina Harmony Trail connection. The city named it for a Cleveland County community leader and Carolina Thread Trail supporter.

On March 4, 2026, Shelby opened a First Broad River kayak and canoe boat ramp at 940 West Grover Street, just past the First Broad River Trail parking area. About 35 people attended the ribbon cutting. With dawn-to-dusk access, no motorized vehicles unless allowed by law or city code, and bans on camping, open fires, charcoal grills, alcohol, smoking and vaping, the site is managed with public-use rules for the river corridor.