Airline Bike Park
Distance: 6 mi Elevation Gain: 350 ft Est. Time: 30-45 mins for a cross-country lap Difficulty: Advanced
Charlotte's first purpose-built bike park: flowy cross-country singletrack, progressive jump lines, natural downhill trails, a pump track and dirt jumps for every level.
Airline Bike Park is Charlotte's first purpose-built mountain bike park. It's on Dixie River Road in southwest Charlotte, and it was made possible by a partnership between Charlotte Water, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, and Crescent Communities.
This is a bike park - but not a commercial one. Tarheel Trailblazers volunteers open the gate, look after the trails and keep building new ones. There’s no lift or shuttle service! (but the climb back up isn’t terrible either!)
The cross-country trails are about 5 miles of fast, flowy singletrack for beginners and intermediates. Start on Kitty Hawk (green), then link up Co-Pilot. Auto-Pilot and Layover (all blue). The terrain is gentle, with only about 100 feet of elevation from top to bottom, so it's more about flow and speed than big climbs. Most of these trails change direction every day, which keeps things fresh. Pay attention to posted signs for direction.
The Gravity Terminal is where the park earns its name. It has three jump trails that let you progress step by step:
- Flight School (green): rollers, small tables and a few berms that sweep around the park's biggest ravine, finishing with a fun, rollable step-up. There's an exit about halfway, so you can session the top section.
- Spruce Goose (blue): long, sweeping berms and tabletops that get bigger as you go. Reworked in 2025 with more speed, new jumps and a wooden drop near the end.
- Airline (black): the park's signature line, with a road gap, a triple, step-ups, a long table, a big hip and a mandatory drop.
Alongside the jump trails are short, hand-cut natural downhill trails, from Divebomb and Roger Roger (blue) to black runs like Pursuit, Split-S and Wingover.
Near to the Gravity Terminal you’ll also find the BAR Trails BMX dirt jump area, with pro, intermediate and introductory lines.
The park isn't open every day. It opens on weekends, and on weekdays when a volunteer can open and close the gate, and only when the trails are dry. Always check the trail status before you go.
Interactive Trail Map
Details & Logistics
Main Gravel Lot
8025 Dixie River Rd, Charlotte, NC 28278
Gravel lot off Dixie River Rd. The trailhead map is in the parking area, and Kitty Hawk starts right from the lot. The gate is locked at 6:00 PM. Make sure you're out before then, or your car will be locked in. If this lot is full, there is other parking available on River District Drive very nearby.
Get DirectionsRiver District Drive
River District Drive, Charlotte, NC 28278
Ample parking available along the road here, next to The Outpost community space and near the hiking trail head. Easy to park and then ride into the regular gravel lot and pick up Kittyhawk.
Get DirectionsOpen weekends, and on weekdays when a volunteer is available to open and close the gate. Check the trail status before you head out. Usually open Sunrise to Sunset. Be off the trails and out of the parking lot before then.
Class 1 e-bikes are allowed on trails. Class 1 means bikes that only provide electric assistance when pedaling, don’t have a throttle and don't provide assistance over 20mph. Any bike with a throttle or that can provide electric assistance over 20mph is not allowed on trails because of the safety risk to other trail users, and the hard to repair trail damage they cause.
The park only opens when the trails are dry enough to ride, so it often closes after rain. The Gravity Terminal can stay closed longer than the cross-country trails, because wet jumps are easily damaged. You may see the park open with the Gravity Terminal closed, so check the status before you set off.
Most cross-country trails change direction every day. Odd-numbered dates: clockwise. Even-numbered dates: counter-clockwise. Kitty Hawk never changes. Always ride it counter-clockwise from the parking lot to reach the rest of the trails. Check the trailhead map in the parking lot before you start so you know today's direction. All Gravity Terminal trails are downhill only. Climb back up on the Go-Around climb trail, never on a jump line.
No night riding. The park closes and the gate is locked at sunset.
As the River District area gets developed, we should see shops etc arrive. But for now the closest main cluster of places to eat, get gas etc are 2.5 miles away around the outlet mall at I-485 exit 4.
No bathrooms
Trail Segments
Kitty Hawk
Your way in and out. This green loop starts at the parking lot and is always ridden counter-clockwise, whatever the date. Smooth, flowing singletrack with a few berms and gentle climbs. It links to the rest of the trail system.
Co-Pilot
Fast, flowy blue singletrack with a few short climbs and descents. It changes direction every day: clockwise on odd dates, counter-clockwise on even dates.
Layover
A short blue link in the cross-country loop. It changes direction every day, like Co-Pilot and Auto-Pilot.
Auto-Pilot
The longest trail in the park, with the most climbing (about 170 feet). Flowing blue singletrack that changes direction every day, like Co-Pilot.
Flight School
The best first jump trail. Rollers, small tables and a few berms sweep around the park's biggest ravine and finish with a rollable step-up. Downhill only. An exit about halfway lets you repeat the top section.
Spruce Goose
Blue jump trail with long, sweeping berms and tabletops that get bigger as you go. Reworked in 2025 for more speed, with new jumps and a wooden drop near the end that prepares you for Airline. Downhill only.
Airline
The park's signature black jump trail, with a road gap, a triple, step-ups, a long table and a big hip. It has a mandatory drop with no way around it. For experienced jumpers only. Downhill only.
First Timer Tips
- Check the trail status before you leave home. The park doesn't open every day, and it closes after rain. We don’t necessarily know until the actual day if the trails can be opened, so don’t ask us to predict that!
- Check the date. Odd dates: cross-country trails run clockwise. Even dates: counter-clockwise. Kitty Hawk is always counter-clockwise from the parking lot.
- Look at the trailhead map in the parking lot before you start.
- New to the park? Warm up on Kitty Hawk (green), then try Co-Pilot and Auto-Pilot (blue).
- New to jumps? Start on Flight School. Roll it slowly first to see the features, and use the halfway exit to repeat the top section.
- Move up to Spruce Goose only when you're landing jumps comfortably.
- Airline is for advanced riders only and has a mandatory drop with no way around it.
- Gravity Terminal trails are downhill only. Don't stop in landings, and climb back up on the Go-Around climb trail, never on a jump line.
- The gate is locked at sunset. Leave time to ride back to the lot and load up.
Media
Videos
Feature Teacher - Container Drop
Watch an expert walk you through how they take the container drop
Feature Teacher - Airline Big Drop
Want to know how an expert hits that big scary drop on Airline?