Explore the best rated trails in Union, WV, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Lewis McManus Memorial Honor Trail and Murray Run Greenway . With more than 32 trails covering 289 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 have to give all the park rangers and volunteers a shout out for making this trail a beautiful trail again after Hurricane Helene. We parked at Ivanhoe and rode to Cliffview. Flush toilets and a gift shop at Cliffview. The trail is better than I remember it being before. You could clearly see the devastation and how hard they must have worked to bring this trail back! Thank you!
Good for walks, runs, and bike rides. Pretty sunny, with a few shaded sections. Usually not crowded!
We love the Jackson River Trail and ride it several times a year - yesterday was the first for this year. The trail extension was delayed by a terrible mudslide, but has now been beautifully completed two+ miles north into Bath County. I wish Bath County would complete the trail all the way into Hot Springs! It would rival the Creeper Trail for sure. This trail is the best maintained trail we've ridden. There had been inches of rain the day before but there were no puddles, no debris - the trail was completely clear. The Parks and Recreation guys of Covington keep it nicely mowed and the restrooms are amazingly clean. We highly recommend this rail trail. And if you want a great place to eat afterward, try Trani's Grille! Great food!
My wife and I rode this trail 4/15/2025. Great surface, very scenic and NOT busy during the week. Signage was great as we're trailheads
I took my gravel bike on this trail and won’t do it again. There’s large stones and branches. I had to carry my bike over several downed trees and several big wash outs. A beautiful ride next to the creek for sure. A great place to hike I’d say. Please don’t think of this as a rail to trail flat ride, it is not.
The rest of the right of way is planned to become a rail trail. The future Craig Botetourt Scenic Trail will be 26 miles from New Castle to Eagle Rock.
Accessed trail at Booker Falls. Great ride with beautiful views of the New River. Saw several deer and interesting to see the damage from the hurricane.
We biked the gorgeous Meadow River Trail, starting in Nallen. The trail is very remote, scenic, and well-maintained. It’s a long gradual uphill climb, near a road for about 2 1/2 miles, then upriver through completely undeveloped area for another 6+ miles. The trail officially ends after a trestle that crosses the Meadow River at around 9 miles. We went an additional 3 miles on slightly rough, but not difficult, old railroad grade with a variable surface of fine gravel and dirt. We finally had to stop at an old unrepaired railroad trestle and private property signs. The route downhill was lovely and easy. Total trip was 24 miles. Things to note: Parking at the Nallen trailhead was easy and felt safe. There are no bathrooms or water, so plan accordingly. space parking in Nallen was easy and felt safe. There are no bathrooms or water, so plan accordingly. Craft
While in the New River Gorge area, I decided to bik this new trail, and it exceeded my expectations. Great Surface with two river crossings and great river views along the trail. I wish the water level would have been higher with all the rapids.
Most of this trail consists of a wide grassy median with two narrow gravel ruts on either side. This is great for bicycles but recumbent trikes, or anything with more than two wheels, will be forced to ride with at least one wheel up on the grass making for a slow rough ride. I rode almost the entire trail over two days on my trike, from mile marker 25 to 77, and it is a beautiful trail -- for bicycles. Short sections that are in full shade in deep forest are pure crushed stone, no grass. This makes it clear that when the trail was originally constructed it did not have a grassy median; the grassy median is due to bad maintenance. Politicians love to attend ribbon cutting ceremonies for new infrastructure, and the press will cover new stuff, but who ever read about politicians attending a ceremony to celebrate routine annual maintenance? Build and neglect.
My wife and I rode the Jackson River Scenic Trail over two days in late summer, Intervale to Smith Bridge the first day and Smith Bridge to the end on the second. We thoroughly enjoyed this trail. The trail was shady, scenic and peaceful. It is one of the widest, flattest and smoothest rail-trails I've ever been on, perfect for kids or casual riders who don't like incessant bumps or grinding grades. The trail is well equipped with picnic areas and restrooms. (No interpretive signage however; it would be a nice upgrade to showcase the human and natural history of the area.) Two of the best sights are located just off the trail. A small sign will direct you to a suspension footbridge over the river. It's well worth the detour to bounce over the bridge. (A sign warns you not to bounce, but just walking across the thing sets it into motion!) Just below the Smith Bridge parking area is the decommissioned Smith Bridge, open to foot traffic only. It offers big views of the river. A couple of caveats: 1) While the trail traces the river for most of its length, there are no places to get wet directly on the trail. A public access area just off the trail at Smith Bridge has a shallow area perfect for getting wet. 2) The lower portion of the trail is located a few miles from a huge paper mill. Depending on weather conditions, you may smell it.
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