Find the top rated trails in South Charleston, whether you're looking an easy walking path or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The White Oak Rail Trail runs for nearly 8 miles through the central West Virginia city of Oak Hill, connecting the communities of Summerlee and Carlisle at either end. Most of the trail is paved with...
The Gallia County Hike & Bike Trail follows an old railroad right-of-way between Bidwell and Gallipolis, at the Ohio River. Though are plans to develop a total of 28 miles (to include Vinton County...
Located in the gorgeous New River Gorge in rural West Virginia, the Keeneys Creek Trail is a gravel trail that doubles as a road for park service vehicles. Although built on top of an abandoned...
The Lewis McManus Memorial Honor Trail, also known as the Beckley Rail Trail, travels from Mabscott, through the heart of Beckley, north to the Beckley Crossing Shopping Mall. It follows the route of...
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Note: Portions of the Rend Trail are closed due to a bridge repair. The trail is closed 1.27 miles in from the Minden trailhead or 1.96 miles in from the Thurmond trailhead. According to the trail's...
The Hawks Nest Rail Trail is located primarily within Hawks Nest State Park near Ansted. The trail is nearly 2 miles long and runs on the south side of Mill Creek, beginning near the nature center....
The Gallia County Hike & Bike Trail follows an old railroad right-of-way between Bidwell and Gallipolis, at the Ohio River. Though are plans to develop a total of 28 miles (to include Vinton County...
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The Narrow Gauge Trail in Babcock State Park follows the gentle grade of what was the Manns Creek Railway, which connected Clifftop to Sewell, until it closed in 1956. The trail is breathtaking, but...
The White Oak Rail Trail runs for nearly 8 miles through the central West Virginia city of Oak Hill, connecting the communities of Summerlee and Carlisle at either end. Most of the trail is paved with...
The Kaymoor Trail runs parallel to the New River between Fayetteville and Cunard in the National Park Service’s New River Gorge National River. Much of the stunning trail follows old roads and dormant...
The Lewis McManus Memorial Honor Trail, also known as the Beckley Rail Trail, travels from Mabscott, through the heart of Beckley, north to the Beckley Crossing Shopping Mall. It follows the route of...
Note: Portions of the Rend Trail are closed due to a bridge repair. The trail is closed 1.27 miles in from the Minden trailhead or 1.96 miles in from the Thurmond trailhead. According to the trail's...
Located in the gorgeous New River Gorge in rural West Virginia, the Keeneys Creek Trail is a gravel trail that doubles as a road for park service vehicles. Although built on top of an abandoned...
As it weaves past long-abandoned mining towns such as Red Ash and Rush Run, the Brooklyn to Southside Junction Trail tells the unique story of "King Coal" and Appalachia. Once an important...
Kanawha County’s Elk River Trail provides access to Coonskin Park, a large park originally built by local residents in the 1950s and now managed by the Kanawha County Parks and Recreation Commission....
Kanawha County’s Elk River Trail provides access to Coonskin Park, a large park originally built by local residents in the 1950s and now managed by the Kanawha County Parks and Recreation Commission....
As it weaves past long-abandoned mining towns such as Red Ash and Rush Run, the Brooklyn to Southside Junction Trail tells the unique story of "King Coal" and Appalachia. Once an important...
The Kaymoor Trail runs parallel to the New River between Fayetteville and Cunard in the National Park Service’s New River Gorge National River. Much of the stunning trail follows old roads and dormant...
Located in the gorgeous New River Gorge in rural West Virginia, the Keeneys Creek Trail is a gravel trail that doubles as a road for park service vehicles. Although built on top of an abandoned...
The Gallia County Hike & Bike Trail follows an old railroad right-of-way between Bidwell and Gallipolis, at the Ohio River. Though are plans to develop a total of 28 miles (to include Vinton County...
The Hawks Nest Rail Trail is located primarily within Hawks Nest State Park near Ansted. The trail is nearly 2 miles long and runs on the south side of Mill Creek, beginning near the nature center....
Note: Portions of the Rend Trail are closed due to a bridge repair. The trail is closed 1.27 miles in from the Minden trailhead or 1.96 miles in from the Thurmond trailhead. According to the trail's...
The Lewis McManus Memorial Honor Trail, also known as the Beckley Rail Trail, travels from Mabscott, through the heart of Beckley, north to the Beckley Crossing Shopping Mall. It follows the route of...
The White Oak Rail Trail runs for nearly 8 miles through the central West Virginia city of Oak Hill, connecting the communities of Summerlee and Carlisle at either end. Most of the trail is paved with...
The Narrow Gauge Trail in Babcock State Park follows the gentle grade of what was the Manns Creek Railway, which connected Clifftop to Sewell, until it closed in 1956. The trail is breathtaking, but...
Very pleasant but the map isnt quite accurate. It shows the three trail heads which are the ends of the paved sections. The gravel continues further to the west. The 8 miles listed as the distance includes the gravel section. The paved portion from Summerlee to Carslisle is about 4.5 miles with a 1 mile side spur. There is a bit of a grade from Oak Hill to Carlisle but not bad. At that end of the paved trail you see the New River Company Oakwood Store long abandoned. The New River Company was a big coal company operating in the New River Gorge.
Goes through Oak Hill residential and partly country. Nice to see the town and you can take side roads into town. Also some nice local parks including Collins Park that has a disc golf course and playing fields.
We walked it, but consider it suitable for a good bike. I see now where it could serve as an emergency exit from the residential street at one end, as another review mentioned.
It was a really nice scenic walk on a nice fall day.
I hiked the Narrow Gauge trail Oct. 9 and enjoyed the scenery as well as the traces of old railroad ties and the rushing waters of the creek. As I left the trail to go back to my cabin, I missed the sound of the water. Compared to the Wilderness and Triple Creek trails at Babcock State Part, the Narrow Gauge Trail was interesting.
Perfect trail for an easy hike. Well maintained with a gentle grade, it parallels Mill Creek, which features several enticing shallow pools for cooling off. The waterfall dries up when there hasn't been rain but is lovely when running.
It's nice trail, but parking at Adair park is not a good way to access the trail. You must go down a large hill (paint creek) and cross Robert C Byrd to go up a gravel trail to gain access to the trail. I do not see this as ideal for families on bikes or anyone using roller skates or inlines.
May 2016 - Wanted to give this trail a try because it is fairly close to home. Was disappointed in the fact it is only 4.1 miles long starting at the Hastings Park. The trail is paved and recently had the edges mowed. You do cross several busy roads so I wouldn't recommend for families with small kids. We rode to the end at Holzer Hospital and turned around and rode back to town, was able to get 13 miles in fairly easy. I would give it a 3.5-4 stars
I did it May 7 after having done the Cliffside Trail at Hawk's Nest, which was more challenging as a path thru the woods with some climbing. Then rather than accessing the trail from Anstead, I went behind the tennis courts at the lodge and took the GSYP trail down the side of the mountain the tram runs, which are very, very steep stairs. The Rail trail is a mellow walk, nearly level, with great views of Mill Creek the whole way up. Kayakers were on the creek to watch, and you saw some locals. After taking in the view from the bridge over Mill Creek at the top, I headed back down, the climbed back up GSYP to the lodge. I don't recommend this. The stairs are uneven and nearly vertical. Spring for the half tram ride to the top. Lovely walk.
For biking I prefer beginning from the south end. The initial portion on this end follows an old surface mine access road and mine bench. Most of the trail appears to be an old connecting road between the old surface mine and the Kaymor deep mine. The degree of difficulty varies along the trail. The scenery can be spectacular. On one trip in the spring we discovered a cherry tree with delicious, ripe cherries. On an autumn trip on Bridge Day, I found a pear tree bearing fruit. The size of both trees lead me to believe they resulted from miners discarding cherry pits and pear cores from their lunches. We always go at least as far as the Kaymor mine and back. Your chances of finding the fresh fruit are slim, but the ride and the history are well worth it.
I am 55 years old, in decent shape, don't walk or bike a lot but this was pretty easy walk. The only thing easier would be flat pavement. Grade is 240' per mile which is not really noticeable. no ups and down, just even grade downhill going downstream, and slight uphill going upstream.
It might have been somewhat exerting if I had to pedal a slight uphill grade on a bike (from New River upstream along Mill Creek to the trailhead). But I only bike on flat pavement! So I walked it. Going down I could have slowly coasted all the way. This would be an easy mountainbike trail for even moderately mountainbikers, but I would not take a road bike with narrow tires and expect a leisurely flat ride in a middle or upper gear. Mostly hardpack gravel and dirt, a couple of damp places but no real muddy puddles.
Some very scenic waterfalls, one big one about 20' high, can wade out in the stream a few places. Some interesting sedimentary geology and one abandoned coal mine entrance. It would be very pretty in the fall with the change in leave color, but some places the leaves would partial block the view of Mill Creek, at least for picture taking.
I went Sunday April 17 2016 and the leaves were just emerging. On that day there was a large tree, about 18" diameter, across the trail about half way (1 mile mark or so). It fell from a cliff above so it was across at an angle, not laying flat, so you had to climb over it, or crawl under it. You could not ride a mountain bike across it but you could lift it over.
I started at the top and walked down it talking my time and taking pictures, took 60 minutes to go the almost 2 miles. Coming back, kept a brisk exercise pace and didn't stop and made the 2 miles back "uphill" in 40 minutes. You can also walk just one way if someone will drop you off and drive to the other end to get you.
Bathrooms and parking at each end (a road follows the other side of Mill Creek), drinking fountain only at bottom. Plus at the bottom where Mill Creek empties into the New River there is a small gift shop, refreshment stand and nature center. All were not open as of April 17, might have been too early in the tourist season.
It is as advertised - the path of an old narrow gauge rail. But it's a dull hike. On one side the mountain the trail hugs rises, and below you can hear beautiful Glade Creek but most of the time you can't see it. 1.5 miles out there's a notch waterfall at the switchback as you descend to the creek, where you find a suspension bridge on the old railroad tresses pylons. When you get to the end and realize you have three miles of boredom back to parking, you'll let out a audible groan. There are so many better trails in the area.
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