Find the top rated birding trails in Charleston, whether you're looking for an easy short birding trail or a long birding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a birding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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I started at Nallen and rode to Rainelle. Google Maps indicates it's 500 incline over the 16 miles, but it felt more difficult. Rainelle is a great little town to recharge for the easy trip back.
The length, setting and scenery are hard to beat, could be the best trail in the state. However, trail surface badly needs work. We love nature and quiet on this trail, but found the ruts, large stones, branches and horse hoof damage on this trail hard to ignore. There were signs of attempts at repairs, but they weren’t done to pre-damage condition. By day’s end, our wrists, backs and backsides were complaining loudly. Very disappointing after a long drive to get there. Glad we did it, but won’t go out of our way to ride it again, unless we see reports of major improvements.
Did this trail on the first cool late August Sunday afternoon and enjoyed it immensely. Small town flavor with woods, some houses, fields, and some businesses. It wasn’t well marked and we only saw one real sign that designated it as this trail. We parked at the church after asking an employee there if it was OK. He said no problem. As another reviewer said it’s great for a Sunday afternoon pedal.
Just spoke with the Ranger today, August 24, 2025 at the Canyon Rim visitor center and he said the trail was closed. It has been closed for a while because of the bridges are not safe anymore. So cross this one off your list.
Loved this ride! Started at Nalen and rode up to the big tressel for a 16 mile out and back total. Such great scenery of the Meadow River which is full of smallies! A few places to go down to the water. That river is beautiful and ranges from flat shallow spots to giant boulders cascading water! I wish there was more openings to view the riverbed! The forest was deep, dark, cool, and shady. Saw deer and turkeys for wildlife. It is one of the top trails we have done this summer! Well done WV!
Could be a really nice trail, both wooden bridges are missing planks. A tree is down on the trail. The asphalt is pretty rough.
The trail head is at a large gravel parking lot to the right of the post office with a bulletin board depicting the trail route. The trail is double track, suitable for most bikes but not for three wheelers as the tracks are narrow with a berm in the middle. Crushed and packed stone with occasional sketchy spots. Would love to see the trail graded flat with more rolled stone to create a wider lane to accommodate handicap users.
We rode parts of this trail the week of June 22, 2025. The trail is remote (not much cell service) which we like. My wife suffered a blowout not far from the bigfoot. That shortened our ride that day. The trail surface is decent for the most part but there are sections where there are pretty large rocks/stones that you have to watch out for. My wife's blowout was due to one of these. No big hills which is nice. The 2nd day we rode from Gassaway to Strange Creek. Saw no other humans either day however it was pretty hot both days we rode. The big takeaway for us was the trailheads need a lot of work. For the most part, they were just parking lots. No water, no covered shelter or picnic table and no restroom at the trailhead. (restrooms were scattered over the trail, however). Shoutout to Trailhead Farm Meats & More and Bigfoot Braxxies in Gassaway for helping us with the flat tire and yummy pepperoni rolls.
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.
My daughter n I parked at Ivydale and headed north on the trail, 3 miles up this BEAUTIFUL trail there's pick-nic table under the watchful eye of a gi-normous wooden carved Bigfoot! Five star attraction!
Easy to get to just south of Whitesville, WV; cross Clear Fork at Vest Road for nice parking at the trailhead. Raleigh County did a good job; the bed looks to have larger aggregate underneath a smooth but already hard-packed crushed stone the whole way. Very gentle slope the complete way.
Sights to see are many bridges, farms, tall hills besides the trail, and I even disturbed a flock of wild turkeys, that, yes, contrary to WKRP, they can fly (but very slowly). The waterfall was dry, due to our drought, but should be good again after the snows.
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