This collaborative project will bring youthful energy to downtown Spindale, fostering community cohesion, while improving local recreation opportunties and bolstering the tourism economy.
North Slope’s innovative site plan and distintive project brand builds upon Spindale’s ongoing streetscape redevelopment efforts, further solidifying Spindale’s transformation into a vibrant and connected trail town.
Ribbon
Cutting
The celebration included the ribbon-cutting, riding demos, giveaways, plus a great turnout from residents and supporters as we opened this exciting new chapter for the Town of Spindale.
Plan
Overview
Strategically woven into the Thermal Belt Rail Trail, North Slope Park completely revitalizes a once-vacant 1.6-acre parcel in the heart of Spindale’s central business district.
As part of Destination by Design’s comprehensive Rutherford Bound Tourism Master Plan, North Slope Park establishes Spindale as a vibrant destination and key gathering place along the Thermal Belt Rail Trail, enhancing the town’s appeal for locals and visitors alike.
Site Master Plan
Designed for efficient use of space, the park integrates essential elements for an accessible and family-friendly experience, including a 7,500-sqft. skatepark, an asphalt pump track, unique swinging benches, and a 20×20 picnic shelter. Modern restrooms with bike parking allows for seamless respite from the Thermal Belt Rail Trail and ADA-compliant sidewalks ensure all visitors feel comfortable.
The plan prioritizes a pedestrian-friendly environment that seamlessly intertwines with existing trail infrastructure. The integration of landscaping, streetscape improvements, and custom signage creates an inviting environment that blends with Spindale’s evolving urban landscape and tourism infrastructure.
Signage
The park features thoughtfully designed signage to enhance the visitor experience and navigation within the park and along the Thermal Belt Rail Trail, while remaining intertwined with Spindale’s current wayfinding.
A prominent entrance sign aims to draw visitors off the trail, and ultimately into downtown, while remaining aligned with Spindale’s character. Informational kiosks and wayfinding elements provide clear guidance through a rad design intended to inspire visitors to shred.
Brand
Identity
The North Slope brand identity compliments the town’s to create a cohesive sense of place.
Our team designed a dynamic logo to infuse youthful energy into the project. It features custom typography inspired by the smooth, flowing motion that users will experience on the pump track and skatepark.
Through a collaborative process with the town, we explored multiple concepts to develop a name and brand that truly reflects the spirit of the community. The result is a design that residents are excited to wear and embrace—symbolizing their pride in Spindale’s revitalization.
Community Engagement
Public feedback and community involvement played a pivotal role in shaping North Slope Park’s design. Through surveys, public meetings, and social media engagement, residents voiced strong support for the project. The input gathered helped refine the project, addressing community needs for accessibility, safety, and wellness.
Destination by Design partnered with the Town of Spindale to plan and design North Slope Skate & Ride Park, transforming a once-vacant 1.6-acre parcel in the heart of downtown into a 7,500-square-foot skatepark and pump track. The project grew out of DbD’s broader Rutherford Bound Tourism Master Plan, connecting the new park directly to the Thermal Belt Rail Trail and positioning Spindale as a key gathering place along the route. The $2.71 million project included park planning and design, engineering and construction documents, and a full brand identity.
In North Carolina, recreation master planning and greenway development often go hand in hand, especially in trail towns looking to turn passersby into visitors who stop and stay a while. North Slope Park reflects that pairing directly, integrating a skatepark, pump track, picnic shelter, and ADA-compliant sidewalks right off the Thermal Belt Rail Trail, so trail users have a reason to leave the path and explore downtown Spindale.
A well-placed park amenity can do more than give residents a place to play. It can anchor a downtown’s broader transformation. North Slope Park was designed to work alongside Spindale’s ongoing streetscape redevelopment, using landscaping, signage, and pedestrian-friendly design to knit the new park into the town’s evolving urban core. Community engagement through surveys and public meetings shaped the final design, giving residents a direct hand in a project many now proudly wear on their own gear.
Recreation master planning is the process of designing public recreation amenities, from parks and trails to sports facilities, in a way that fits a community’s broader goals for growth, tourism, and quality of life. For Spindale, that meant more than laying out a skatepark. It meant integrating the park with existing trail infrastructure, downtown streetscape plans, and custom signage so the whole project functions as one connected visitor experience.
Spindale sits in Rutherford County in the foothills of western North Carolina, right along the Thermal Belt Rail Trail that connects several small towns in the region. Its central downtown location put North Slope Park directly in the path of trail users, giving the town a natural opportunity to draw that traffic off the trail and into its business district.
