American Tobacco Trail

For the Durham downtown end, begin near Morehead and Blackwell streets. Choose a specific park or official access address for other sections rather than navigating to a generic midpoint.

Choose a destination-specific access point. Downtown users can begin near Morehead and Blackwell; Elmira Avenue Park, Solite Park, and C.M. Herndon Park provide useful developed stops along the Durham section.

Use the trail according to posted daylight and park rules. Connected parks, restrooms, events, maintenance projects, and neighboring jurisdictions can use separate schedules.

General trail access is free. Parking, transit, programs, food, rentals, and adjacent destinations may charge separately.

Durham identifies restrooms at Elmira Park, Solite Park, and C.M. Herndon Park. They are not continuous along the 11-mile route, so plan stops before a long trip.

The Durham section is a ten-foot-wide paved off-road trail suitable for many mobility devices, but street crossings, grades, trailheads, detours, and restroom approaches vary.

The Durham section is 11 miles of paved off-road former rail corridor. Users should keep speeds below 10 mph, watch for other users, and use care at street-level crossings and spurs.

Families can choose a short out-and-back from a park with restrooms or travel a longer section with bicycles and strollers. Teach children to keep right and stop clear of through traffic.

Leashed dogs may use the shared trail subject to posted rules. Keep leashes short around bicycles, runners, skaters, wildlife, and road crossings, and remove waste.

Use picnic facilities at connected parks rather than stopping in the travel lane. Organized events, vendors, and group setups require permission from the relevant jurisdiction.

The trail links downtown Durham, neighborhoods and parks, historic rail-corridor landscapes, the Riddle Road Spur, the Chatham County line, and the larger route toward Jordan Lake.

Storm damage, bridge or pavement work, street projects, vegetation management, flooding, and jurisdiction-specific maintenance can create detours. Check Durham trail notices before a long through-trip.