Explore the best rated trails in Berkeley Springs, WV, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park and Shuster Way Heritage Trail . With more than 20 trails covering 4227 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Just got done this trail 10/9. Gap trail is a wonderful easy ride. Places we stayed were awesome! Bright Morning B&B, Ohiopyle suites. We stayed in the Karly. It was great! Right off the trail!! Coffee shop is great too. They also have a laundromat. We then traveled to Meyersdale where we stayed in the hotel airstream! Gotta stay here! It was great! Know that if you need to take the train back to Pittsburgh like we had too, it can run late. 5hrs for us. We met so many nice people along the way. That’s what I think of when I think of this trail!
Please make sure you have bike lights, flashlights etc… those tunnels are dark!!
I decided to park in Cumberland on my way home from a trip to WV and ride down the C&O towpath to ride this trail.
I was disappointed in the state of the trail. It appears as if no one is maintaining this trail.
The path on the Maryland side is now almost covered with encroaching weeds.
The bridge is in good enough shape to permit you to ride across to West Virginia for the time being but it looks a little iffy. If no one is taking care of this trail the wooden planks may need replacing. At some point it may become a dangerous crossing when these planks start rotting.
The tunnel is blocked off so you can go no further than the WV side of the bridge.
I would recommend that riders skip this trail until such time as it is maintained.
We just finished the GAP trail & C&O towpath 9/20 from Pittsburgh to DC. We took 8 days and our days ranged between 32 miles to 63 miles. Highly recommend this trail. Well maintained, accessible and clean port a John’s, always had plenty of toilet paper and were frequent enough to remove any anxiety about not being able to relieve yourself in privacy. Potable water was available along the trail which we still used a filter just to be safe. Beautiful trail, friendly riders and towns to visit. We rented a full sized SUV in DC and dropped it off at the Budget on Stanwix St just two blocks from fountain starting point. Worked perfectly to get going on our ride without delay.
This is probably the most I could handle on a bike ride. We rode the GAP and C&O back to back like many do in 8 days. It was great fun but the C&O is noticeably rougher, fewer port-a-Johns and very scarce potable water sources. On our 7th day from Williamsport to Brunswick we ran out of water midway and rode the remaining 25 miles without water. Fortunately the shade offered by the beautiful canopy of trees made it bearable. We made sure to load up on extra water on our final day. The mix of loose sand that caught us by surprise & the larger stones on the trail made for a more challenging ride than expected. On the one rainy day we had from Cumberland to Little Orleans, some of the puddles we encountered offered a new sense of “oh dear” as we didn’t know how deep the hole we were riding thru when there was no room to go around the puddle.
Perfect day for a ride and on the first day of Fall. Trail and views were breathtaking!
I just completed the entire GAP. It was well worth it. The trail was in good shape and there was not too much traffic. I’d like to do it again.
Biked from Hancock to Little Orleans and return on August 30, 2025. Distance: 34.5 miles. Stopped for lunch at Bill's Place in Little Orleans and got good food and friendly service. The paved portion of the trail is in excellent condition -- thanks to the Maryland Park Service for recently repaving the trail. The only negative is the 3-mile detour on the C & O Canal towpath around the abandoned Indigo tunnel. The towpath detour is unpaved and has a rougher surface than the trail. The nearly one-mile long tunnel was closed in 2010 to protect a handful of bats allegedly living inside. The tunnel is an engineering marvel that should be seen and experienced by humans. Opening it to trail users would help the economically depressed Western Maryland area. For example, the equally-long Blue Ridge Tunnel in Afton, Virginia, draws about 50,000 visitors annually since it was reopened in 2020.
there are some really old bridges that go over the C&O. the highlight is the paw paw tunnel. better to walk through it. once you hit little orleans, i suggest going on the western maryland trail. it is fully paved and nice.
hancock is a great town
The trail is in good shape. They have completed an extra few miles at the end that are fully paved. There are many benches to sit and multiple entry points. There is a brief ride on streets. The bathroom works and there a a few port o potties. I liked it
I try to bike here every year and look forward to the added 2 miles or so connecting Red Cut to Saxton. Riders should note it's not the smoothest trail, the section north of Tatesville is 4 miles of slight uphill southbound that taxes in the summer heat, and if you like human interaction you will be disappointed. Also, when passing though Hopewell, remember this, I HOPE I can find the trail, WELL, I guess I'll just ride until I find it. The southern end is indeed down a nondescript gravel road off Rt 915 leading to Coopers Sawmill Rec area and a private seasonal camp. The northern end continues from Broad St, and in any event the town is so tiny you won't get completely lost. So enjoy the solitude this hidden trail can provide, and if you like busy paved trails, then Pittsburgh has much to offer you.
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