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The Gary Shell Cross-City Trail connects the Wilmington campus of the University of North Carolina with the City of Wilmington's many recreational attractions, including Halyburton Park, Empie Park, McCrary Park, and Wade Park, providing important off-road connections across a wide swath of the coastal city.
About the Route
The trail route totals 15.8 miles in total; most of the route is a wide, paved asphalt pathway, although some sections utilize narrower sidewalks - fortunately, the city has marked the trail route on street signs to help users navigate. The 17-acre park offers scenic wetlands, a picnic shelter, a playground, and restrooms. On the opposite end of the trail, the northern terminus shares a route with the Summer Rest Trail, which features a nicely wooded path that ends at the waterfront.
The trail is primarily urban, so there are a number of restaurants, coffee shops, and two excellent bike shops along the route.
Connections
The Gary Shell Cross-City Trail connects to the River-to-Sea Bikeway at Empie Park.
At Military Cutoff Rd., the trail is just a short distance away from the Military Cutoff Trail.
The Gary Shell Cross-City Trail is part of the developing East Coast Greenway, a 3,000-mile route between Florida and Maine.
The Gary Shell Cross-City Trail runs between Wade Park, 3500 Bethel Rd. (Wilmington), where parking is available, and 423 Summer Rest Rd. (Wilmington).
Parking is also available at:
See TrailLink Map for all parking options and detailed directions.
The lack of adequate parking for walkers along the trails is a glaring oversight by the planning board. It’s evident that they were aware of this shortfall when they designed the parking options. Unfortunately, the influence of developers and boards dominated by politicians and investors continues to overshadow the needs of the community.
As a result, trail users are forced to park in neighborhood easements near trailheads, creating tension with local residents. The planning board must prioritize the addition of sufficient parking areas rather than catering to commercial interests that prioritize land sales over community needs.
Effective planning should involve acquiring land for parking during the trail development process, yet they ignored this critical issue—particularly on Rose Ave, where the only available parking area was eliminated through land sale. The barriers residents have erected in easements are a direct response to this neglect.
These politically motivated decisions are not just disappointing; they are detrimental to the community. It’s time for the planning board to take a stand for the citizens they serve and make informed, responsible choices for our shared spaces.
A good portion of this trail presents as a sidewalk along a busy road. Still decent park views, old trolley lines and water side rides at this end. The real beauty is at the Halyburton Park end. Wooded, all natural, rolling hills, the smell of pine and lots of critters. Peaceful and rewarding.
This cross-city trial is really just a sidewalk that runs alongside high traffic roadways and through constructions sites, and dangerous intersections. Beware! Drivers will run you down! There is no wildlife or nature to enjoy along the way. Just traffic buzzing by. If sniffing noxious fumes from passing vehicles is your thing you will love it!
Since moving to Wilmington several years ago, the Gary Shell Cross Trail is the best biking trail that I’ve discovered so far! Most of the trail is paved with signage leading the way, keep your eyes peeled. You’ll have to get creative when crossing several busy roads but, overall it’s a relative easy ride. You’ll pass the Contemporary Art Museum (CAM), bike through several parks and even get to explore some of UNCW’s main campus. You can stop for refreshments at Flying Machine Brewery, Soundside Seafood and Raw Bar, or Drift (either at Autumn Hall or R Wrightsville BeCh).
This is a great first ride in Wilmington to learn some nieborhoods. Could use a little better signage.
Not a fan. Poor to non-existant signage - extremely difficult to follow. Some stretches of sidewalk, some bike lanes, some dedicated bike paths - none of which connect smoothly. Rode four frustrating miles and turned around.
Rode this trail in December 2022 It is all paved and generally well marked However if you are not comfortable riding in bike lanes on busy roads this is NOT your trail Lots of traffic signals with long waits to cross multi lane streets There are some scenic parts thru parks
I stayed downtown on the waterfront for two months, and in that time I rode a combination of the River to Sea and Gary Shell Cross-City Trail to go from downtown to Wrightsville Beach. The River to Sea Trail is pretty tough, with narrow, bumpy streets downtown and only bike lanes which amounted to painted markings only. It goes through some pretty sketch neighborhoods, too. I didn't always feel safe, so I improvised and created my own route from downtown to where I intersected the Gary Shell Cross-City Trail at Empie Park. At that point, I followed the Gary Shell trail and I enjoyed most all of the ride to the beach. Of course, I'd love fewer traffic lights, but honestly for that part of the trail there were long stretches of uninterrupted trail that felt less like city riding with lakes, trees, etc. From my location at Pier 33 apartments, it was almost exactly 15 miles to Wrightsville Beach, making a perfect afternoon ride out and back.
What a wonderful way to get across town. From Halyburton Park, to Wrightsville Beach. 15 Mile one way a total of 30 miles make a day of it
If you like biking on a busy highway this is the trail for you!! Not well marked and people drive very fast and aggressive!
Rode from Empie Park to the Wrightsville Beach bridge today. The good parts of the trail were very good…the rest wasn’t. The trail is not very well marked in places and pretty hard to figure out. I wouldn’t suggest trying without a local leader or a big pile of time and patience. The route varies between nice trail, bike lanes, neighborhood roads, and a few sidewalks thrown in. Signs would make a huge difference.
Started out with high hopes of a great ride, but trail was very poorly marked. Lots of cracked and holed pavement made for a bumpy ride. Lots of busy intersections...glad I rode, but won’t go back.
Great Trail
While I agree with one of the other reviews, the trail is a little hard to follow but if you map your ride before you start, you should be ok. Most of the Trail now has a separate pathway which makes it safer especially if you are riding alone which I often do. There are beautiful stretches along side bodies of water, even a small waterfall. Parts of the trail are on a wooded and well shaded path. If you start at Mayfaire and go through a couple of neighborhoods and the UNCW campus you can get as much as 44 miles or more if you want. To me this is the best Wilmington has to offer and I very highly recommend it.
This trail has many twists and turns as it crosses the city. If you are unfamiliar with the area, it’s easy to make a wrong turn, because the trail is so poorly marked. The trail crosses many busy intersections, and part of the time you have to ride on a busy road to complete the 15-mile trail.
This is a great ride!!
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