Explore the best rated trails in Petersburg, WV, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Red Creek Trail and Rocky Point Trail . With more than 37 trails covering 4329 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.
Riding on this was a bucket list trail. Had hoped to ride further on it but had time restraints. Great trail. The rest stop in Meyersdale is wonderful. Plan someday to return and ride more of it.
Rode from Hendricks to Elkins and back mid-June on a saturday. Somewhat disappointed and would not do this trail again. Construction zone for corridor H is a mess with tough gravel and no signage. An average rider on a hybrid might find this section very unpleasant. The paved section from Hendricks to Parsons has enough little ridges from roots that it's annoying. Otherwise, the scenery is just not that great, you ride close so highways, and sections of the trail are not maintained as other rail trails are. This one seems to be a rustic trail compared to others so maybe that's the way it is intended.
My son and I rode the C&O the first week of June '25 as part of a ride from Pittsburgh to Washington DC.
I am going to preface this review making it clear that it was an unusually wet Spring and significant damage has occurred due to flooding. Kudos to the efforts to repair the damage and keep the trail open. There were numerous detours off of the trail but it was open and passable. However, had I not taken this into consideration, and had not just completed the GAP as a comparison, I would have rated the trail 2 stars.
Here are my key issues rated from most, to least, significant:
1) The terminus of the trail in Georgetown is inaccessible due to construction. We rode 334 miles in 5 days to unceremoniously end our accomplishment carrying our bikes up a series of stairs, only to encounter detour signs that literally pointed in all four directions. After a half hour walking through urine-laden alleys searching for mile 0, a bicycle cop told us that we were as close as we could get. Our victory picture was taken next to a detour sign, each of us providing a middle-finger salute.
2) The trail surface through the Paw Paw tunnel can only be described as interconnecting pot holes filled with 6" of water. Had there not been other traffic in the tunnel, it may have been rideable. Just accept that you will get the opportunity to stretch your legs for a half-mile walk in the dark. Your shoes will eventually drain and dry by the time you arrive in DC.
3) For 15-20 miles south of the Paw Paw tunnel the trail is unmaintained. The riding surface is basically sunken truck tire tracks, separated by a hump of uncut weeds. The tracks themselves were devoid of any gravel which ensured that you were riding in either water or mud. The weeds on both sides of the trail had yet to be trimmed and had encroached into the tracks. The good news is that we were concentrating so hard on keeping our bikes upright in the slop, we didn't have time to think about the ticks. Anyone who has hiked the Adirondack high peaks knows exactly what I am describing.
4) Most of the trail repairs have been made with loose, coarse, crushed stone. I was fortunate to be riding a mountain bike with 2" tires at 60psi. My son was riding a gravel bike with 40mm tires which mean he was riding sideways much of the time. He ended up riding a combined total of 400 miles considering the lateral component of his travel.
5) Where washouts had yet to be filled with the previously mentioned stone, you have to cross crevices 6-8 inches deep. Not such a big problem if you were travelling slow enough to identify them before jamming your arms through your shoulders and ramming your saddle through the softer tissues of your rear end.
6) Having camped in Assateague for half my life, I thought that I knew aggressive mosquitoes. However, since the trail is totally devoid of any breeze, the stabbing critters locate you as soon as your bike comes to a halt. The good news is that we saved time taking breaks.
I will be posting a 5-star review for the GAP next. If you average the two scores together, the total trail experience was a 4. That still makes the ride from the 'Burgh to DC worthwhile. Just be prepared for the unexpected challenges.
We ride tandem with hybrid tires. We rode from Thomas to Parsons and thanks to a shuttle service, did one way. It’s definitely a nice downhill ride but difficult to get up speed due to the many large potholes on the way to the first set of falls. Then turns to rough single track with tall grass and then gets a bit wider as you near Hendricks. Rode on the Allegheny Highlands trail (paved) to Parsons. The sounds of waterfalls surround you. No facilities or cell service in the canyon. Needed to stop to navigate fallen a few times.
We rode from Elkins out about 10 miles north towards Montrose and returned. The trail is in great condition. It was such a lovely day we regretted that we had not planned to ride further. Lovely farmland and plenty of shade. Good summer riding.
PA-Cumberland 5/2023. Loved this trail with lots of places to camp, a winding and entertaining trail, views of the river, tunnels, small towns along the way. I particularly liked Frostburg and camped two nights. The switchbacks up to town aren't as miserable as some describe and the view is rewarding. The Toasted Goat in Hotel Gunter is an old hotel worth a walk around and a meal. Check out the basement holding cell and speakeasy.
Ok section, kind of dull. Agriculture & cows. Found a bit of shade by a grain elevator for lunch. Several washouts filled with tumbleweeds as you get closer to Lind.
this was very hard with a lot of elevation. better to ride from morgantwon and back. i did the opposite. reedsville is very remote. this is the hardest of the three morgantown trails
We rode the trail the week of Christmas (no snow). You CAN go all the way from Elkins, thru the construction, all the way to Hendricks. You can also ride the “proposed future trail” all the way to Thomas… and it’s beautiful in there! We were on gravel bikes and had zero issues. A mountain bike would work but not a road bike. Enjoy the entire trail if you have the fitness for it- it’s beautiful!
I biked from Pittsburgh to DC (GAP and C&O trails combined) 9/8 thru 9/14/24. This review is for the C&O only. Weather – excellent. Scenery- beautiful. Accommodations – very good. Trail surfaces –highly variable from narrow dirt paths laced with muddy holes to relatively smooth, hardpacked dirt to loose gravel (better for a pickup truck than a bicycle!). From 10 miles south of Great Falls into DC the trail/road was especially rough. I was riding an Off-road bike with 40 MM wide tires and momentarily lost front tire stability in MANY spots due to loose gravel (especially on the sloped paths leading into & out of lock areas). My biggest safety concern were the numerous concrete bridges over creeks & culverts that had ZERO guard rails, warning signs or even yellow paint. The bridge widths were narrower than the trail requiring the biker to NOTICE and move more to the center for safety. If a biker went off the side of any of these bridges, I’d expect serious injuries or worse. The worst safety hazard was at Lock 38. Approaching the lock from the southwest side, the (main) trail leads right across the top of the lock wall- that is 3 to 4 ft wide with only an outer rail – very dangerous. The drop off to the grassy floor below was about 7-9 feet straight down. I was in a group of riders that suddenly saw this “tightrope” situation and jammed on their brakes. (Nobody realized we should have diverted onto a narrow, unmarked path that led downward through the lock.) Fortunately, everyone stopped safely; walked their bikes down a slope and on to the safe path through the bottom of the lock. A simple, cheap sign could prevent the near-miss accidents at this spot.
I’m really disappointed that this National Park hasn’t (at least) marked these safety hazards. Considering all the hazards and the rough gravel, I think this C&O Towpath trail merits 2 stars.
We started in Akron and rode about 18 miles north. Loved it!!!
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