Explore the best rated trails in Monterey, VA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Rocky Point Trail and Red Creek Trail. With more than 35 trails covering 319 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.
We drove down and stayed the night in Waynesboro back in late April. The trail was very close by the town. It is a well maintained trail with ports-potties on either end. We parked at the northern end which is mainly downhill until we reached the tunnel. I recommend bringing a flashlight since the tunnel is nearly 3/4 of a mile and very dark. There are also uneven spots in the tunnel and a flashlight will help you safely pass through. If you down want to walk up the mountain I also recommend parking at the Afton lot. I don’t think this is worth riding bike on but highly recommend walking and enjoy the history boards along the way.
How can I find out which parts of the trail are paved and what parts are crushed stone? I would like to take my road bike and avoid the crushed stone as much as possible. Not sure where it is best to start. Thank you.
Dogs are allowed on leash. I recommend bringing a flashlight, 300 lumen is recommended. We went in mid-April. The views from the east portal are fantastic and the hike up and down the west portal got the heart pumping. Kudos to everyone who opened this trail for the historical experience. It was worth the over 4 hour drive for me to visit the area.
you can go about 17.5 miles from elkins wv until the trail ends(building a highway) The trail is paved for about three miles and then is a 2 sided gravel road. seemed a lot more uphill than the elevation gain but was a lot easier coming back. not much scenery.
i was the only person on the trail after about 3 miles.
i would do the other side today but it is 30 degrees
seems like half the tunnel was carved out of the existing rock. i walked through the tunnel. you will need a flashlight. short trail for a bike but the trail is in great condition
We rode the entire trail from Cass to Caldwell and the trail was not closed in any location. Thoroughly enjoyed the trail, especially the tunnels and the gorgeous river view.
Excellent ride on a well maintained crushed stone trail. We did the whole trail on recumbent trikes. Definitely would recommend to all cyclists.
We rode the section from Renick to Seebert on 9/23/22. The ride was wonderful, the scenery engaging, and we saw both deer and a black bear who crossed the trail in front of us just north of the Droop Mountain tunnel. Although the surface is crushed cinders/gravel, the trail was in need of maintenance. We were constantly dodging branches and sticks and several sections simply needed mowed as the center line between the two tracks made if difficult for us to ride our recumbent trikes. We saw very few other cyclists but truly enjoyed the ride.
Trail is not marked. Had to ride on the road to get to trailhead parking. I would suggest parking a little past trailhead. You do have to stop and open several gates and ride past a few nice cows. Enjoyed the ride and then visited downtown Lexington for beer and pizza at Salernos! Also visited Heliotrope Brewery! Fun outing!
I'll break this review into two parts. First up is the section from Elkins to the Corridor H construction at mile marker 16. We parked behind the Elkins train station and the trail starts there on small side streets in Elkins and quickly crosses Rt 92 and follows a sidewalk and ramp up to a pedestrian/bike bridge over Rt 250. After a short, curving downhill it heads out of town. The trail is paved for almost 4 miles. After that it is largely double track that is easy to ride. This trail features nice wooded areas, open farmland, fields, mountain views and parallels Leading Creek for quite a ways. There are a few very short shared use road sections that are really nothing. At Montrose the trail goes single track for a ways and a quarter mile section is all grass but there is an adjacent road that you can ride. After that it starts a gradual 2% grade up the ridge and then crosses over at the county line and drops towards Porterwood. At the 16 mile marker there are concrete barricades for the Corridor H construction area that you can easily go around. We went a bit further but it was quite muddy from recent rain and there was some construction activity so we turned around. We did meet a fellow who pushed his bike up through the mud and he said it was about a quarter mile long. If it had been dry and a weekend we would have gone through. This section was quite enjoyable.
The other section I have ridden by parking in Parsons near the old railroad depot. The trail is paved to Hendricks and up to about Porterwood. Other than some root heaves along the Black Fork of Cheat this is an excellent trail. The river is always nearby and on the Porterwood side there are plenty of Civil War signs about the battle fought here.
There are plenty of amenities in Elkins and Parsons has a decent amount also so you should be covered. Go and enjoy the trail. As noted in another review the trail website and Facebook page are woefully out of date or inadequate. Take these reviews as a recommendation to go ride this trail.
If you plan to ride the whole 77 mi after 9/7/2022, you can't. The city of Lewisburg is planning to close the trail on the Caldwell end to dig it up and put in a water line. You can still ride from Cass to Anthony but there is no access to the construction portion (unless they relent and make accommodation for trail users.) Safest place to leave a vehicle is at Renick. Hopefully, the Visitor's Center will have current information available.
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