Cottonwood Trail Has Been Restored

Cottonwood Trail: New paved trail, bridges, signs; native trees replanted

The Cottonwood Trail and the Preserve have been through a lot in the past year. Hurricane Helene brought severe storm damage, as it did to much of our community. Volunteers have spent countless hours clearing storm debris from trails, replacing picnic tables that floated away in flood waters, and repairing damage to bridges and benches.  

SPACE staff have re-routed trails in places where they had washed away. New signs, maps, and trail markers have been put up. Parking areas have been expanded. Rachel’s Bridge across Lawson’s Fork Creek was rebuilt thanks to generous grant funding from Women Giving of Spartanburg and the City of Spartanburg.  

Many residents of the Spartanburg community have long treasured the Cottonwood Trail. Located on Spartanburg’s east side along Lawson’s Fork Creek just minutes from downtown, the Edwin M. Griffin Nature Preserve, home of the beloved Cottonwood Trail, is a 100-plus acre oasis of nature in the middle of our city, owned and stewarded by the Spartanburg Area Conservancy (SPACE). 

Its convenient location offers thousands of residents easy access to nature. Kids enjoy riding their bikes on the trails, family dogs treasure the endless supply of good sticks, nature lovers look forward to leisurely walks on the boardwalk, spotting birds, frogs, and deer, and runners enjoy the miles of shaded natural surface creekside trails.  

Anyone who frequents the Cottonwood Trail will agree that having safe and convenient access to this beautiful green space has elevated their quality of life and enhanced their connection with nature. 

This treasured natural place didn’t happen by accident. It is a grassroots, collaborative, community-based conservation project built over time. Beginning with the Griffin family's donation of a portion of the land in 1990, SPACE has added to it, piece by piece, to create the 107-acre greenspace with more than five miles of trail.  

While the property has changed a lot over time, as nature does, it’s been shaped with love and intention. From the sturdy bridges built by Eagle Scouts offering connectivity and trail access throughout the preserve to the beautiful boardwalk across the wetlands lined with plaques in honor and memory of the many local conservationists who have helped care for this special place to the upcoming Rainbow Bridge that will serve as a tribute to our community’s beloved pets who’ve passed over their own rainbow bridge, the Cottonwood Trail is a sweet reminder of our community’s collaborative nature and respect for each other and our environment. 

PAL: Play, Advocate, Live Well began installing Wildflower Way, a new paved trail adjacent to the natural-surface Cottonwood Trail. An Eagle Scout Project replaced a bridge that had washed away in a previous storm. Hundreds of invasive plants have been removed from the landscape, hazardous ash trees killed by the invasive Emerald Ash Borer were taken down, and new native trees were replanted to fill canopy gaps thanks to help from the South Carolina Forestry Commission and The Noble Tree Foundation. Thankfully, this greenspace is resilient and has a lot of help from its friends. 

As a special thank you to all the volunteers, grant funders, and friends of the Cottonwood Trail, SPACE invites you to join us for a Cottonwood Trail Celebration on Saturday, March 15, at 10 a.m. in the picnic area near Rachel’s Bridge. We will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate our newly replaced bridges, followed by a guided hike with Sam Parrott, SPACE executive director, and some special guests. If you’ve never been to the Cottonwood Trail, we hope to see you there soon! There are parking areas at trailheads located on Beechwood Avenue and Woodburn Road.