Find the top rated walking trails in Clarksburg, whether you're looking for an easy short walking trail or a long walking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a walking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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I am happy to report that the Allegheny Highlands Trail is 100% open and in great shape. We departed Hendricks not fully knowing if the trail was open, closed or just in very rough shape. We were delighted to find out that the trail was not only open all the way but the smoothest part of the trail was where the bridge construction was. The repair to the trail is complete and there is a nice layer of crushed stone to take you through where the construction site was. From Hendricks to Hambleton, the trail is paved but has quite a few cracks and ridges. Nothing too bad and very passable. The rest of the ride from Hambleton to Elkins is a mix of pavement and crushed stone and the trail is excellent shape the whole way. There a few parts with high grass and vegetation that crowds the trail but again, nothing that hinders passage. The thing I loved most about this trail is the variety of towns and countryside. It is truly a ride through the back yard of Americana culture and a window to way people live in rural America. The town of Parsons had some great little restaurants and be sure to grab a cup off coffee at The Sunrise Coffee Company. Elkins was a great place to stay the night and offered great food and a free concert in the park with Top Shelf performing. Great band!
After finishing this trail I was surprised to see that it received a 2 star review. While this is not a well groomed urban trail nor a remote back country ride, this trail offers a pleasant ride through the back yard of America with wonderful little towns along the way and absolutely beautiful countryside. The wild flowers alone were a spectacular addition and the small towns offered us a place to grab some lunch along the way. The best part of all is that the trail exists for our enjoyment and is absolutely free to anyone who wishes to wander its path. That alone deserves more than 2 stars.
After riding from Elkins to Hendricks, we decided to extend our ride and take on the uphill ride to Thomas. We throughly enjoyed a rainy day ride through the canyon and on into the town of Thomas. The climb is constant but never that difficult. The trail, while rough at times was doable on a Trek FX3 with 40mm tires. However, I would recommend suspension for the downhill ride. Our hands were quite numb from the vibration of the rocky trail with no suspension on our bikes. Overall, the trail was a great addition to our ride that day and added a challenging 10.7 miles up and a very easy coast back to Hendricks. Great scenery along the way with waterfalls, deep canyon ravines, coke ovens and the wonderful town of Thomas. I think in order to fully appreciate this ride you need to start in Hendricks for the ride up the canyon to Thomas to fully deserve the very easy downhill ride back to Hendricks. After traveling from Elkins, we thoroughly enjoyed the remoteness of Blackwater Canyon and constant sounds of the river below. The trail is rocky but well maintained for the most part and high grass was not an issue at all. This trail has been on my list for years and was well worth the wait.
Did all 72 miles from West to East, over 3 days. Some tunnels were dry and others so wet had to walk bikes. 4 miles of pavement but most is gravel, grass, mud or dried dirt. One downed tree we had to lift bikes over. Hybrid bike recommended. Few bathrooms of other riders.
A bit of a steady uphill out of Morgantown. Beautiful sights well maintained. Be careful crossing the roads.
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.
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.
When Connellsville to Point Marion is completed, the Sheepskin Trail should be fantastic, but for now the pieces are nice but short and incomplete - just a few miles each. Fayette County should pick up the pace and finish building this trail before we're all too old to bike them!
There are also pieces near Dunbar and Uniontown, but the pieces I biked most recently were around Point Marion. From the WV-PA border there is trail 1.5 miles north along the Monongahela River to Point Marion - this segment has existed in some form for decades, but I think it got a nice surface only in 2018. The newer sections (opened in 2022?) parallel Cheat River and Nilan Rd. There is a 1.2 mile long section starting at the north end of the Route 119 bridge over the Cheat River, continuing eastward. Then a gap of several hundred feet at the little community of Hope Hollow. Then if you go up a slope from Nilan Rd you can get onto another segment of trail, 1 mile long, that continues eastward toward the little community of Lake Lynn, stopping just before the coke ovens. The surface of these trails is crushed limestone. A new trail bridge is planned for construction by 2027 in Hope Hollow: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/penndot/projects-near-you/district-12-projects/sheepskin-trail-nilan-bridge
A really lovely ride. We started at Monongah and rode south. There is a section right before Shinnston that has slipped. The trail maintainers are doing a great job marking it. The section of trail closed to the north was open and we were able to ride the entire length as of mid-March
My wife and I walked this entire trail on a very warm, last day of February. The trail is very nice and pleasant with a lovely Browns Run always nearby with nice little cascades and it looks like a typical mountain trout stream. The gorge gets deeper as you go towards the western end of the trail. There were several people using the trail. I only gave it four stars because of the short length. It's too short for a bike ride but for walking, it's great. The previous review by stacy_riffle77 about the bridges being unsafe was absolutely not evident. There were no holes in the decking and none of the bridges creaked. In fact, these were some of the best built bridges I have seen including on some major, well-known trails. Go with confidence and enjoy. We may be back in a month or so to check for spring wildflowers.
Had a nice cool ride today. 32 degrees. Trail is pretty good. I only had to go off in one spot where the trail was washed out. Most of the trail is paved, so this is a good alternative if there has been any rain.
We went up park side and it is so steep I fell over. It is paved but dangerous for most.
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