The Pickens ‘Doodle Line’ Railway is a 7.5-mile railroad that previously connected the City of Pickens and City of Easley for lumber and other freight travel. As freight and manufacturing in Pickens declined in the late 1990’s, the private owner of the railway decided to explore options to sell the ownership rights and promote a rail to trail conversion.

The Doodle Trail, a 7.5 mile rails-to-trails partnership between the City of Easley and the City of Pickens opened Memorial Day Weekend 2015.

Following several studies by Alta and other consultants, including the Doodle Trail Feasibility Study/Master Plan (Alta 2013) to assess site features, site planning, conceptual trailhead design, and cost estimates for implementation, the City of Easley and City of Pickens jointly purchased the railway in its entirety.

Alta led a design-build team to fully construct the Doodle Rail-Trail, which celebrated its opening with the community.  The 7.5-mile shared-use asphalt path provides vital recreation and transportation alternatives for visitors and residents alike, as well as major economic and regional impacts.

This success has prompted the City of Easley and the City of Pickens to provide a new trailhead parks that would welcome trail users, and provide a community hub for residents and visitors alike.  Alta provided full design, engineering, and construction administration of the Doodle trail head parks. The Easley Doodle Park opened in March 2018 and Pickens Doodle Park is currently under construction and is set to open in late 2018.