Find the top rated hike trails in Hinton, whether you're looking for an easy short hike trail or a long hike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a hike trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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My friend and fellow bike adventurer David and I spent three days riding the entire trail twice. West Virginia is truly scenic and this trail also doesn't disappoint. Many trails claim they are adjacent to water but often meander far away. This trail is next to the scenic Greenbrier River almost the entire 77 miles and the tree canopy was protective on our hot, sunny days. We lodged in Marlinton (TwoTire AirB&B) a town with all necessary services. Day one we rode north to Cass, an historic town with a nice cafe, museum, gift shop and an excursion steam locomotive. The up and back ride was 51 miles. Day two we rode south to Rorer (26 miles) and back for our 52 mile day. We stopped at the really nice general store on the trail in Seebert (10 miles south of Marlinton) and bought sandwiches to take to our lunch stop...this is the only food service on this stretch of the trail. On day three we drove to Spring Creek so we could ride south to the trails end near Caldwell. Spring Creek has very limited and remotely located parking so I'd recommend other parking areas if you follow a similar itinerary. There is no food service on this stretch. we planned to ride into Caldwell and over to Lewisburg but this turned out to be a bad idea. The trail ends at mile marker 3.1. The narrow and hilly country road into Caldwell has no shoulder and had traffic on our Sunday stop. We determined it was too dangerous to cycle but we needed lunch...solution...call Dominoes and have a pizza delivered to the trailhead.
Phone service is limited but we found that stops like Cass, Seebert and Caldwell had service.
The trail is mostly a two track path and is fairly well maintained. The best bike for this trail would be a gravel or touring style bike with 36c or larger tires. I wouldn't recommend a road bike and while we saw one hand cycle and one recumbent, they were struggling a bit.
I did the trail from end to end in two days pulling a BOB trailer with no problem staying overnight at one of the campsites near Cass. It’s an easy trail to ride with wildlife around each bend. I saw every kind of animal WV has to offer including two bears. The campsites are well spaced and well thought out. Water is available but I wouldn’t pass one by without topping off. This is a great trail for an introduction to bike packing. Cell service is sketchy at best so be prepared.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Some friends and I rode the entire Greenbrier River Trail as part of a four-day 180-mile bike tour. (The entire route is part of Adventure Cycling's Short Routes collection at https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46271108)
On the Greenbrier River Trail, you're enfolded by green mountains, flowing water, wildflowers, solitude, and lots of places to get wet. And quiet! The near-total lack of cell coverage meant no dinging intrusions from the "real world". So relaxing to disconnect and reconnect!
There is a remote feel to this trail, but you’re never far from camping or water. The primitive campsites along the trail are free and first-come first-served. The campsite at Mile 28.5 was an especially nice place to swim and gather around a campfire. There is also an adjacent Hipcamp and Watoga State Park for those who want a hot shower.
Cass, a former lumber boomtown, has a steam excursion train a small museum for rail buffs. Marlinton offers a respite to trail food, including a combination bike shop-café. Jack Horner's Corner, just off the trail in Seebert, has good food and ice cream.
Several things set this trail apart: the feel of isolation, the abundant camping options and the trailside displays showcasing the human and natural history of the Greenbrier valley.
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