Day two of our Morgantown rail trail adventure had my wife and I cycling the Decker Creek Trail. We started at the Hazel Ruby McQuain Riverfront Park. It is 19 miles to the end with a gradual uphill slope the you don't notice much until you're on the way back and are sailing along at 15 mph. The highlight of the trip was the stop at Dave's Snack Shack which is located right beside the trail at MP 9. It broke up the ride and made my wife happy as right acoss the trail Dave has several chairs, a bench and a glider set up under a roofed shelter. His place was stocked with snacks of all sorts including ice cream and m,any different drink products. This turned out to be very welcome as the trail doesn't have any convenience stores or towns close by. One interesting thing he mentioned was that if his shack isn't open he has a doorbell there that rings down at his house just off the trail and he'll come out to serve the cyclists needs. We had a nice rest there and several other cyclists came by and most of them knew Dave.
The trail condition is excellent with a nice crushed stone surface that makes for easy pedaling even with skinny tires. The trail is very senic as you're cycling along a creek almost all the time. There was lots of noise though as large gravel trucks kept up a steady pace along nearby Hwy 7 until we got past the Greer Quarry around MP 10. At the end again there are plans to extend the trail which can only make it better. We rode steady going back with only a quick stop again at Dave's as we were getting tired. Totals for the day were 38 miles ridden with 5.0 hrs of seat time.

"My girlfriend and I just did the stretch from Morgantown up to mile marker #9 where Dave's Snack Shop is located. Dave grew up in the nearby village of Greer and had lots of great history and stories to share. His little snack shop along the trail is a great slice of Americana. He also owns a nearby, long-abandoned, century-old chapel that is easily accesible for viewing right off of the trail. There's also an old, small church and cemetary around mile 7. As for the ride, it was a fun and relatively easy climb up to just about the halfway mark. We spotted several hawks and a hedgehog, which didn't seem to mind us at all. You also pass a farm around mile 6 with plenty of horses and cows. The water was always nearby and the fall WVA weather couldn't have been nicer. We would've went further, but we're on a tight schedule. We'll definitely return to do the full trail and hopefully sample some of the others out of Morgantown. The ride down was very swift as we coasted and lightly peddled around 15-18 mph. Highly recommended."

"I couldn't find the Hazel Ruby McQuain Riverfront Park on any maps I had, and we didn't see it when we passed by (it is a very narrow strip of land), so we turned south on Hwy 7 and followed it a mile or so until we saw the trail and another park on our right. From the park, we rode up the creek to mile 15, just past the coke ovens near Masontown, and then returned on an easy ride back down the hill into Morgantown.

When we returned, we continued on to the riverfront park. Once there, it was hard to see how we missed it (it is near the intersection of Garrett St. and Don Knotts Blvd, about 3 blocks SW of the Hwy 19 bridge.)

The trail itself is paved in town, then changes to an excellent crushed gravel surface for the rest of the journey. You pass through but are disconnected from the town for a few miles, then the creek dominates your thoughts as you continue past waterfalls and rapids and through beautiful woods. We turned around at mile marker 15, just past the unique abandonded coke ovens. Although it was uphill most of the first 15 miles, it is an easy grade. It just sets you up for a wonderful return."

"Rode this trail all the way. Good uphill ride from mile 4 to 14 and a great downhill to just coast after uphill. Good time in Morgantown, check out Blue Moose cafe for great cappuccino."

"Rode this trail on Sep 28, 2005 from Morgantown to the Dave's Place at the 10 mile marker. Nice stop, built by this gentleman, on the trail with chairs, picnic tables, ice cream, cokes, and great conversation. They take your picture for their album, that they show you. The downhill ride back to Morgantown was great. "

My wife and I rode this trail late April 2002. We started near Reedsville at the CR 56 crossing. We found this starting point from the DeLorme West Virginia Atlas. You can find the gravel road off SR 7 one mile east of Reedsville. The turn south and park near the grade crossing.

Our ride was very relaxing and was almost entirely downhill to Morgantown. Deckers Creek is beautiful with flowing water and several rapids and small falls. Riding in this direction requires very little effort. You will pass an old graveyard and a small old church. There are some old brick coke ovens and an abandoned railroad trestle here. There are plenty of restaurants near the interstate underpass approaching Morgantown.

We parked a second vehicle (a rental) in Morgantown that enabled us to ride one way (downhill). The trail was smooth the whole way. I highly recommended this trail. E-mail me for info on other trails we have ridden. I have also posted pictures along the trail.

"This trail is a real find! It starts off in Morgantown with a very urban/college town feel, then becomes wild and isolated. And beautiful. The 2% climb isn't as bad as it sounds; the surface is one of the best I've seen. You're on a shelf on the mountain following Decker's Creek in all of its whitewater/waterfall glory. When you reach Masontown it levels out, and you'd think you were in Ohio - the farmland at the top is flat and beautiful.

And the 2%? Wait til you head back! Sometimes you don't need wings to fly.

Don't miss it!"

My wife and I rode this trail on the Fourth of July while it was humid and near ninety and we had a fantastic ride. The trail was in very good condition we had no problems doing it on our hybrid bikes.

The nice folks at the kiosk made for a pleasant trip. Be sure to take enough water as it is not readily accesible. We got caught in a thunderstorm on the way down. It was great fun riding down at high speed and not being able to see!

I highly reccomend this trail and all the friendly people of West Virginia.

"It's a good climb and a great workout, but not 1,800 feet. The trail starts at around 840'ASL at Marilla (flat to the Mon Jct) and reaches 1,680'at Cascade hitting about a 2% grade in some areas.

It's basically flat past Masontown, Bretz, and to Reedsville Rt 92. Then it climbs to 1,770' at the trail end at Morgan Mines.
That's about 930' total elevation change. The high point on the old rail grade is where it went under Rt 7 in Manown, about 2,140' downhill to Kingwood from there."

"The ride from Reedsville was enjoyable in several respects. Every section of the trail is in excellent condition. It provides an excellent view of the region that is only possible from a trail. There is a wonderful little booth along the way for conversation and nutrition.

he paved trail through Morgantown along the river is an inner-city delight. From here, there is easy access back to the motel we stayed out. We'll return for more cycling.

-Bob"

"Great ride!
Good workout from Morgantown,The trail climbs 1800 ft. in 18 miles. Nice scenery & you can coast most of the way back!"