For most of the summer and early fall, nobody could ride the Ecusta Trail from the Welcome Center on Main Street all the way to Horse Shoe without turning back. On Friday, October 16, contractors finished their work at the White Pine Drive intersection in Laurel Park and reopened the trail. All six miles in Henderson County connect again.
That connection comes with a deadline. The Friends of the Ecusta Trail have already put the next closure on the calendar. It's at Daniel Drive, also in Laurel Park, with an estimated start of March 15, 2027. So the trail is whole for about five months, from October 16 to mid-March. That window covers the cool, clear stretch of the year when a long ride or walk is easiest.
What the summer at White Pine actually took
The work at White Pine is part of NCDOT Project U-5783. That project rebuilds US 64 between White Pine Drive in Laurel Park and Blythe Street inside Hendersonville city limits, adding roundabouts, sidewalks and landscaping. According to the Ecusta Trail's US 64 project page, the roundabouts were originally supposed to be finished before the trail was built. Delays put the two projects on top of each other.
The posted plan had the trail blocked at White Pine from July 6 to August 5, about a month. The trail actually reopened on October 16, 102 days after the closure began. In August, NCDOT said the hold-up was Wall #6, a 250-foot segmental block wall built along the trail to hold back the new fill slope. By late August, severe storms had added weeks of their own.
The trail you ride now at White Pine is different from the one you rode in June. The project had to raise the ground around the road to the road's level, so the trail was rebuilt slightly higher, held up by that retaining wall. The new grade stays within ADA limits, which is typically no more than 5%. The crossing is now part of the new roundabout, with wide concrete curb ramps that have detectable warning surfaces where the trail meets the road. The Friends of the Ecusta Trail are asking riders and walkers to be careful while trail users and drivers on White Pine get used to the new layout, since work continues nearby.
Daniel Drive closes the through route around March 15
Daniel Drive is the second half of the same project. Once White Pine was done, the two intersections were supposed to be built back to back. The trail work at Daniel Drive is estimated at 40 days. In its October update, the Friends of the Ecusta Trail moved the start to late winter or early spring 2027, with March 15 as the estimate, and said more details will come as the contractor provides them.
The work zone runs between Daniel Drive and White Pine Drive. You'll still be able to get on the trail from either end, but there will be stretches when you can't pass through the active construction. Private property and ditches line the corridor, so a pedestrian or bike detour isn't considered safe. Downtown and Horse Shoe will each keep their own section of trail, but riding from one to the other will be off the table.
| Stretch | Status as of late October 2026 | What's ahead |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome Center to Horse Shoe, about 6 miles | Open end to end since October 16 | Through-travel interrupted once Daniel Drive work begins |
| White Pine Drive crossing, Laurel Park | Reopened at new grade with roundabout crossing | Ongoing work nearby; use caution |
| Daniel Drive crossing, Laurel Park | Open | Trail impacts estimated to start around March 15, 2027, for about 40 days |
| Horse Shoe to the county line, about 5 miles | Closed in preparation for construction | Phase II, with a 2029 completion goal |
The 40-day figure is an estimate, just like White Pine's month was. Treat March 15 as the latest safe date for a full-length ride, not a promise that the trail will be open right up to it.
Six miles, stop by stop
The official Henderson County terminus is the Welcome Center at 201 S. Main St. The open segment runs about six miles from there to the Horse Shoe community, with mile markers 0 through 6 along the way. The Ecusta Trail map lists partner businesses by mile. A ride out and back with a stop at each end looks like this:
- Mile 0, downtown. Ecusta Market & Cafe has food, coffee and groceries. Trailside Brewing has an on-site beer garden, and Trailside Table serves food. Trailside Brewing is also marked as a trail partner with parking, restrooms and water.
- Miles 1 to 3, toward Laurel Park. Southern Streams CoffeeHouse, Base Camp-Guidon Brewing Outpost and Dixie Diner are on the map. So is the Laurel Park Shopping Center cluster, which includes Sol Y Luna and Tequilas. The rebuilt White Pine and Daniel Drive crossings are on this Laurel Park stretch.
- Miles 5 to 6, Horse Shoe. Cognative Cafe serves coffee and food, and Packa's Place has drinks, food trucks and outdoor entertainment. Other food stops are clustered around Horse Shoe Gap Village and the Plaza at Horseshoe.
The map that lists these businesses dates from early 2025, and fall hours change. Check a stop's own page before you plan a ride around it.
Out and back is a 12-mile day, which is why the end-to-end window matters. A Saturday ride from Mile 0 to Packa's Place and back only works while the Laurel Park crossings are open.
Getting on, and where to leave the car
The Welcome Center is the main downtown trailhead. It has free parking, restrooms and a water-bottle fill station. Visit Hendersonville lists Lennox Station as another popular access point, about a mile from the Main Street trailhead. Lennox Station is at 441 South Whitted Street and advertises plenty of parking.
If you don't have a bike in the garage, or you're hosting guests who want to ride, Venture Ecusta at 873 Lenox Park Dr. rents e-bikes, trail bikes, and children's bikes and trailers. Rental customers get free parking and direct trail access. Ecusta Market & Cafe asks trail users to park in its upper lot next to Lennox Park Drive.
Between those spots, the county's trail access page says you can get on the trail at signed road crossings and designated businesses. Look for the blue crossing signs, and don't cut in at unsigned spots. County-owned lots are open dawn to dusk. In November and December, dusk comes early enough to cut an afternoon ride short.
The trail rules on the Ecusta Trail's site are short. The speed limit is 15 mph, pedestrians have the right of way, and you keep right and pass on the left. Leashes can be no longer than six feet. Only pedal-assist e-bikes are allowed, and riders 16 and under must wear helmets. With more riders now passing through the White Pine roundabout and drivers still adjusting to it, the speed limit and the right-of-way rule matter most in Laurel Park.
Two November dates already on the trail calendar
The Friends of the Ecusta Trail list two November events that use the reopened trail.
- Rotary Bingo for the Trail, Tuesday, November 17, 6 to 8 p.m., at Trailside Brewing, with the Friends of the Ecusta Trail as charity partner.
- The 14th Annual Hendersonville Turkey Trot 5K, Thursday, November 26, which is Thanksgiving morning. The route runs along Main Street and the Ecusta Trail before finishing back at City Hall.
What comes after the window
Over the winter, the trail should get more amenities. A July update from Henderson County's rail-trail advisory committee said amenity installation would start in September, with completion targeted by year-end. That's a plan, so look for the work along the route rather than assuming it's finished.
Further out, Phase II carries the trail west. It's a five-mile design-build section from US 64 in Horse Shoe to the county line. Crowder Construction holds the contract, and the goal is completion in 2029. Until then, Horse Shoe is the end of the line. And from about March 15 until Daniel Drive is finished, you won't be able to ride from downtown to Horse Shoe at all.
If the reopened trail has you thinking about a home where you can ride to the Ecusta Trail instead of driving to it, Team Drumgool knows the neighborhoods along the route from Main Street to Horse Shoe and is happy to talk through what's close to the trail. When you're ready, start with a free home valuation and we'll take it from there.
