If you are looking for biking, walking, and running all in one place, then you have to try out the Doodle Trail! Easley, SC decided to pave a route out of an old train track path, located in Pickens County, while also adding a park for kids to enjoy. If you love exploring Greenville’s Swamp Rabbit Trail or The Mary Black Rail Trail in Spartanburg, you’ll want to check out the Doodle Trail.
If you are looking for more outdoor fun to be had in Pickens or Easley, Kidding Around has guides to spending the day in each town.
Spending Day in Pickens, SC | Spending a Day in Easley, SC
The Doodle Trail is an 8.4-mile Rail Trail that connects Easley and Pickens. I’ll be honest, I hadn’t learned of it until recently. That funny name kind of sticks with you once you hear it though. The name of the trail is a remnant of the day when it was a working train track. In 1898, the train service carried passengers and cargo back and forth between the towns, without the ability to turn around on its return to Pickens. So it scurried backward from Easley like a doodlebug, hence the name. The paved trail opened on Memorial Day weekend in 2015, and has only grown in popularity since!
The Doodle Park
We like parking where the original trailhead is at the Easley Doodle Park. The park has restrooms, a playground, a picnic area, and a place to rent bicycles for use on the trail. The trailhead, a mile-long extension, is closer to downtown near the Silos. My kids love the park, and we can’t visit the trail without stopping there.
There is a Little Free Library location, as well as the Born Learning Trail. According to the United Way of Pickens Website, “Born Learning Trails are interactive, walkable trails of signs for caregivers and children which foster early learning opportunities. Each sign suggests fun outdoor games designed to boost children’s language and literacy skills while helping families get active together.”
There are two more of these trails in the area:
- J.B. “Red” Owens Recreation Complex, 111 Walkers Way, Easley
- Jaycee Park, 149 N. Homestead Road, Pickens
Enjoying The Doodle Trail: Easley, SC
There are so many things to see while you’re on the trail. On our last visit, I asked my kids to pretend we were pioneers and to look for things we could forage to eat. As I’m sure you can imagine it was interesting. Kind of like a real-time Oregon Trail, minus rampant dysentery.
We found grapes, mysteriously hanging from trees over the trail. The kids loved looking for things we might eat if we were making our way across the frontier. We found a stream to drink from (not really, PLEASE do not do this), trees for shelter, and other ways to survive our imaginary trip. My kids got so creative, and it made the trail so interesting.
The trail is paved, wide, and very stroller and bike-friendly. We haven’t made it from one end to the other yet, but every time we go, we walk a little further before turning around. It’s made a great goal for the kids and me to go round trip in one visit.
Things To Know About the Doodle Trail in Easley
- The only restrooms on the trail are at each end, so be sure to use the facilities at the trailhead. This way you hopefully won’t have to stray from the trail to try and find a restroom.
- Dogs are permitted but must be leashed at all times. Dog waste bags are available at the trailheads.
- The trail crosses streets at several points. Please use the stop signs to keep everyone safe.
- Remind your children that the trail is shared by others, and a quick lesson in giving others the right of way will allow everyone on the trail to have a good experience.
- The Doodle Trail is open from dawn to dusk, 7 days a week.
Doodle Trail
Railroad Street, Pickens, SC
You will have a blast when you Spend a Day in Easley, SC!
Love to bike? Check out these family-friendly biking trails near Greenville, SC for a biking adventure.
