A Local's Guide: What to Do in Greenville, SC

Lodging
If you are planning a cycling-focused train-cation in Greenville, SC, there are a few options for lodging. You can always go the VRBO/Airbnb route or book a hotel but there are a few other options to make your stay feel more like home.

Swamp Rabbit Inn TR (Traveler's Rest) - closer to the mountains/bike-friendly routes
Swamp Rabbit Inn Greenville (downtown) - walking distance to our award-winning downtown
The Bike Barn (close to Furman University and the Swamp Rabbit Trail)

Swamp Rabbit Trail 
The SRT connects downton Greenville to downtown Traveler's Rest. With over 20 miles of paved road, you can run, bike or walk on our heavilyused trail. If you are close to downtown, be sure to stop at the Swamp Rabbit Cafe and grocery for a delicious treat or Stecca bread.

Falls Park 
Our picture-worthy downtown has everything you would want in a downtown. Small businesses, farm-to-table restaurants, a park, waterfall, a scenic bridge and so much more. Located in the West end of downtown Greenville, this nature-filled park is worth the visit. You can also check out our art distric and Peace Center. Our downtown is also very pet-friendly.

Hiking
If you need a break from riding the roads on two wheels, be sure to visit some of our many popular hiking destinations. Lake Jocassee (Devils Fork) is one of our favs (you can rent a paddle board or kayak to see more of the lake). Other locations include Paris Mountain, Dupont State Forest (which is popular for mountain biking), Table Rock, Jones Gap state park, Lake Conestee, Caesar's Head and Pleasant Ridge. Most South Carolina state parks require a park pass (or a one-day park fee) and can get very busy on the weekend.

Eating
There are so many restaurants to choose from in and around Greenville. You'll find over 100 restaurants around downtown Greenville and several options in downtown Traveler's Rest. 
Here's a blog post that I wrote in 2014 (a few months after we moved to Greenville) discussing some of our favorite recent finds.

Where to ride
There are many notable cycling routes. We have lived in Greenville for 6 years and we are still discovering new routes! Here's a list of our favorite scenic climbs:
The Watershed
Green River Cove loop
Saluda Grade
Skyuka
Caesar's Head
Paris Mountain
Sassafras

Where to start your ride
Trailblazer Park 
Furman University 
Traveler's Rest Museum 
Hotel Domestique 
North Greenville University (Tigerville location - behind the theater off 414)

Extra StuffRun In - Run store
Carolina Triathlon - tri/bike shop
Set up Events - SC triathlon series - local race series
Greenville Humane Society - adopt, foster, donate
Westside Aquatics - lap swimming
Greenville Spinners - local cycling club
Greenville Triathlon Club - local triathlon club
Greenville Track Club - local track/running club

Greenville Splash - local master and open water swim group
Lake Summit run route - Popular crushed gravel loop around Lake Summit (park at Tuxedo Park).

Although the word is slowly getting out, Greenville, SC is a hidden gem in the southeast. We are so happy to live in such a beautiful and friendly community. If you love nature and live an active lifestyle, you too will quickly fall in love with our incredible city.

Greenville Cycling: Green River Cove Loop

What you need to know before climbing the Green River Cove Loop 

Note: The Green River Cove loop has a little bit of everything. This 20-mile loop includes descending, 3 very steep short climbs, a scenic flat section and a 2.3 mile climb with over 17 switchbacks. Because there is a lot going on in this loop, I'll break it down into three specific sections: The beginning, middle and end.

Distance: Starting from the gas station on Holbert Cove Drive (by hwy 26), the beginning section is 9.57 miles (left on Silver Creek Road - your first stop sign to the church. You then make a left on Green River Cove Rd). The middle section (starting at the church) is 8.3 miles. The end section (the actual climb with at least 17 tight switchbacks) is 2.29 miles. And then back to the gas station is about 1.7 miles.

Elevation gain: Since this is a loop, you start and finish at the same elevation (2010 feet). For the actual climb at the end, the elevation gain is 904 feet (in 2.29 miles).

Grade: In the beginning section, you'll notice there is a lot of descending. There are several switchbacks to descend on (two extremely tight and technical turns around 6 miles in this loop - be sure to slow down!) which is a lot of fun (if you have good bike handling skills. However, the fun is often interrupted by three very steep climbs. While each climb is relatively short, it stares at you in the face and reminds you that what goes down, has to go back up.
Steep climb 1: ~0.3 miles = ~9% average grade
Steep climb 2: ~0.28 miles = ~6% average grade
Steep climb 3: ~0.15 miles = ~8% average grade
In the middle section (after the church), this is mostly flat with a few small (very small) rollers.
In the end (the climb), this averages ~8% with some sections between 11-15% (and that's if you take the switchback in the outside and not in the inside where it's much steeper).

Road condition: The road condition is good. Some sections have been recently paved and other sections are a bit more beat up. It's not bad but it's not excellent.

Scenery: This is a very scenic climb. You have wide open views of the foothills, alongside farms, the rushing water of the Green River, beautiful trees and rocks spread around the land and as you near the top of the climb at the end, you can see the mountains far in the distance. If I had to compare this to a race venue, it reminds me a lot of the Ironman Lake Placid or Whistler race courses (just no epic mountains with snow on top).

Recommended bike/gearing: We have taken several campers (even a group camp) on this route and everyone had a tri bike. However, it's much more fun on a road bike since there are so many switchbacks throughout this loop. You'll enjoy the climb at the end much more on a road bike.

Descend: I'd consider this a very technical loop. There's one section that is dangerous (it will come out at you if you aren't prepared, around 6 miles into the loop), but nothing will come out of no where. You can almost always see what is coming. We've never descended down the climb (although Karel is itching to do it) so that may be a different story. The descend is technical and does require good skills.

Climb with a view? This loop is beautiful. There's no specific view point on this climb. Just a lot of beautiful scenery spread over several 20 miles.

Traffic: Although a few miles in the begining and the last few miles before and during the climb can get busy (there are several hiking trails throughout and a few river tubing facilities by the river), this is a very quiet loop. There have been some times that we don't encounter any cars until the last few miles of the loop. Because there isn't a lot of room to pass on the switchbacks, this is where you'll experience the most cars. But generally they are patient and there are some sections for cars to pass. The only downside is if a car is going down the climb and you are climbing up as you won't be able to take the far outside of the switchback (where it is less steep than the inside, but still steep).

Difficulty: The 3 pitchy short climbs are challenging. The end is challenging. I'd call this a difficult loop because of the grade changes. There are easier sections throughout the loop with the descends and the flat section in the middle.

Honest feedback: It's one of my absolute favorites. If it wasn't for those 3 nasty short climbs in the beginning part of the loop, I'd do this loop more often. I suggest to do this loop when you are fresh as it will take a lot out of you to conquer this loop. Note: In the Hincapie Gran Fondo, the Green River Cove loop comes at the end: After Skyuka and after the Saluda Grade (originally it was Howard's Gap but the road fell apart so they replaced that nasty climb with the Saluda Grade).

Greenville Cycling: Saluda Grade

What you need to know before climbing Saluda Grade

Distance: Starting from the gas station at 176, the climb to Saluda is 7.67 miles. However, the first few miles are fairly flat. The actual climbing guesstimate is around 3.88 miles.

Elevation gain: Start at 974 feet and finish at 2118 feet (total gain = 1537 feet).

Grade: According to my Garmin, the average grade is ~2% with most of the climb averaging around 4-5%. It's a steady climb with a few sections where the grade kicks up a bit. There are some more demanding segments that are around 6-9% but there is nothing crazy steep on this climb.

Road condition: The road condition is excellent. It's very smooth. This is a treat compared to our bumpy roads in SC (this climb is in NC).

Scenery: This is a very scenic climb. With a rock wall and trees on your right and a river flowing below the trees on you on the left, you can't help but feel at peace during this climb. You are literally tucked into nature.

Recommended bike/gearing: Road bike or tri bike. You'll want climbing gears just to keep a more fluid pedal stroke.

Descend: While I am calling this a climb, it's not a true mountain. It's a beautiful climb that takes you (left) into the town of Saluda (or you can go to the right and head toward the Green River Cove loop - I'll share that climb next). If you were to descend down the Saluda grade, it's a very fun descend with sweeping turns (nothing tight) - you can always see where you are going.

Climb with a view? While there is a lot to see as you are climbing, there's no specific view point on this climb. Just a lot of beautiful scenery spread over several miles. There's a bridge with water running underneath, a small waterfall or two and a lot of beautiful trees.

Traffic: This road can get busy on the weekend as there are many touristy things around this area. The road starts off rather tight (two lane road) but at times it widens for cars to pass. Cars are fairly patient where we live so I never feel unsafe when we ride. But then again, I ask that all cyclists be the person that you want the people in the car to remember (in a good way).

Difficulty: While not an easy climb, it's not technical or intense. Having said this, there's nothing easy about our riding where we live. So depending on how you get to the Saluda grade (what preceeds it), your legs may be toasted before you start this moderate climb.

Honest feedback: We have taken several campers on the Saluda grade as it's a steady, peaceful climb. The only downside is that it's in Tryon, NC so it does require us to ride a bit longer to get to this climb. But that isn't a bother as there are so many amazing routes to get to the Saluda grade. Many cyclists will take the Watershed into Saluda and then descend down the Saluda Grade. There are so many options to include this route into your ride. In Saluda, I suggest to stop at Wildflower bakery or the M.A. Pace General store.

Greenville cycling: Sassafras Mountain

What you need to know before climbing Sassafras: 

Distance: The actual climb from Rocky Bottom is 4.68 miles. The last time I climbed it, it took me 36 minutes and 32 seconds (7.6 mph average and 66 average cadence). However, if starting the climb from Hwy 11/178 (which is where we were coming from on our ride), you need to factor in the climbing that occurs before the actual Sassafras climb. So technically, it's a 11.8 mile climb with a little descend before Rocky Bottom.

Elevation gain: Start at 1766 feet and finish at 3396 feet (total gain = 2580 feet).

Grade: According to my Garmin, the average grade is ~7% but there are several sections that are ~20%. There are a few quick downhills to recover but otherwise, it's a long grind to the top with several 8-14% sections. There's a nasty pitchy segment near the beginning of the climb and another one in the last 1.5 miles.

Road condition: The road itself is fairly good (considering that we have pretty bad road conditions in South Carolina). There are a few segments that are not smooth (cracks/bumps) but otherwise, the road condition is fine for the pitchy segments.

Scenery: You probably won't spend much time looking at the nature that surrounds you (trees) as you will be putting all of your energy into making sure you don't stop pedaling - and fall over. But since you are tucked into the forest, you can attempt to soak in the nature that surrounds you to take your mind off the suffering.

Recommended bike/gearing: Road bike. Semi-compact crank. 52-34 chainset and11-30 (or 28) cassette.

Descend: The descend has a few switch backs but otherwise, you can pick up a lot of speed with the long downhills. While you won't want to climb this sucker twice, you will want to descend it again after you get a feel of it the first time around. If you like speed, this is a fun descend.

Climb with a view? The view at the top is worth it. You climb all the way to the highest point in South Carolina. There's an observation tower at the top (behind the gate at the parking lot) with a panoramic view of the mountains. You can even stand in North Carolina and South Carolina at the same time.

Traffic: Depending on when you go, the road could get busy with cars (ex. weekend, late morning). However, there is plenty of room for cars to pass you and the road is pretty wide open with lots of room for cars to see what's coming as they pass.

Difficulty: I'd rank this as our most difficult climb. There is another option to get to the top. You can climb the backside of Sassafras from East Fork Road to Glady Fork Road. This "climb" is very gentle until you reach Carolina Point. The total climb is 5.63 miles (total elevation gain 1144 feet) but the last 1.47 miles (after you make a left turn toward Sassafras) is where you will hit the last pitchy segment before the top.

Honest feedback: Once you climb it, you'll never want to do it again (until your friends convince you to do it again and then you think "it seemed like a good idea at the time!"

Pictures below taken on 5/30

Ventum NS1 Road bike
Riding time: 4:54
Total miles: 83.0
Elevation gain: ~7300 feet
Run off the bike: 48 min/5.8 miles/~900 feet