GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — Bruce Euler is what you would call a bike guy.
“I’ve always ridden bikes whether it was on mountain biking or road biking,” he said.
Euler has been biking for years, but it was his son who led him to joining a mountain biking club called the Tar Heel Trailblazers.
“He decided to do this as an Eagle Scout project, and created the first eagle project in Rocky Branch,” Euler said.
For years, Rocky Branch Park was just a small handmade mountain bike trail located in Belmont. But two years ago, the city of Belmont decided to do something big.
They partnered up and expanded this trail all the way out to the town of Cramerton.
Cramerton’s park and recreations director and Belmont’s city manager say they’ve utilized over 50 acres of green space to create multiple trails for beginner, intermediate and experienced mountain bikers.
Euler can still find the bridge his son created for this trail, but says since this expansion he’s seen more people out here than ever before.
“There is a lot more usage,” he said. “We got a lot more people walking, a lot more people coming out running and stuff like that.”
More trails will be opening up in Rocky Branch Park soon, and it’s something Euler can’t wait to get out and explore.
Euler actually spent a few years building out nearly five miles of trail before this expansion.
Unfortunately, most of that work had to be repurposed for this expansion project but Euler says he and the trailblazers are still creating more trails across the Charlotte region.
If you are interested in learning more about the Rocky Branch Park you can find more information here.