What you need to know before climbing Paris Mountain:
Distance: The actual climb from the bottom of Paris Mountain (starting on Old Buncome) is 2.17 miles. You can also climb Paris Mountain starting on State Park Road/253, which is a 3.69 mile climb. In total - from one side to the other, it's ~5.8 miles. With a climb to start and a descend to finish, there's a little bit of everything between (rolling).
Elevation gain: From the Old Buncome side (which is where we usually start as it's closer to our house - ~10 min bike ride away) - start at 1168 feet and finish at 1972 feet (total gain = 1565 feet). From the State Park Road side - start at 1283 feet and finish at 1972 feet (total gain = 1690 feet).
Grade: According to my Garmin, the average grade (Old Buncome side) is ~6% but there are only two steep pitches (the first is around 7% and the last one at the top is ~10%. The climb has a few segments where you can change your cadence and pick up some speed - even though you are still climbing.
Road condition: Great! The road was recently paved and compared to the road conditions around the area, I'd call this excellent. It's very smooth!
Scenery: Regardless of when you do this ride (fall, winter, spring or summer) you'll enjoy the scenery around you. While you will mostly be tucked under a canopy of trees, you can see downtown Greenville on your right (through a neighborhood gate) and on your left, you can see the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Recommended bike/gearing: Road bike or Tri bike. Your typical climbing gear set-up will do.
Descend: The descend has a few switch backs but nothing too tight. This is a good climb for those who are wanting to practice descending skills. I'd consider it a safe descend as you can always see where you are going (or which way the road is turning). Aside from the top when you start the descend, there are no segments where you would gain too much speed that you would feel out of control on your bike.
Traffic: Paris Mountain is home to many houses. However, it's a very popular cycling route (for example, Karel and I did three repeaters on Paris Mountain yesterday and we must have saw a dozen cyclists within an hour). Cars expect cyclists so I consider it a very safe bike route. There's plenty of room for cars to pass as you are climbing or descending.
Difficulty: A climb is a climb. If you are a good climber, you can make the climb as hard as you'd like it to be (you may want to check Strava before you try to go after any segments - we have a lot of speedy professional cyclists in our area!). We have taken many triathletes athletes up Paris Mountain and I'd say it is a moderate climb. Not easy but not extreme. If you are new to cycling or you don't have a lot of experience climbing on your bike, you'll feel incredibly attemping this climb. No matter how far you get up the climb, you'll feel accomplished.
Honest feedback: This is a go-to climb when you are visiting Greenville. Because it's just off the Swamp Rabbit Trail (by Furman University - off Roe Ford) and close to Traveler's Rest, it's a good option to include in your ride - especially if you want to get in some extra elevation.