Find the top rated running trails in Martinsburg, whether you're looking for an easy short running trail or a long running trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a running trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
_195617_st.jpg)
_230930_st.jpg)
Level, thin tiny crush stone on packed earth trail. Rolls easily, just a step below paved. From small old town of Newville through woods and farmland 10 mile ride to small university town of Shippensburg, with a couple small villages on the way. Horse path is next to bike/pedestrian path. You may see horses and riders on path. You will see farms, barns, cows, sheep, horses, cats, birds, assorted other animals, louse distant mountains. You will smell manure. It is not 15.8 miles. It is 10 miles from park at Newville to Shippensburg. You can add a couple miles by going east from Newville to a dead end. It's a nice ride. In Newville you can park at the park at Cherry & McFarland Streets
Just got done this trail 10/9. Gap trail is a wonderful easy ride. Places we stayed were awesome! Bright Morning B&B, Ohiopyle suites. We stayed in the Karly. It was great! Right off the trail!! Coffee shop is great too. They also have a laundromat. We then traveled to Meyersdale where we stayed in the hotel airstream! Gotta stay here! It was great! Know that if you need to take the train back to Pittsburgh like we had too, it can run late. 5hrs for us. We met so many nice people along the way. That’s what I think of when I think of this trail!
I just rode the trail 11 Oct 2025- shortly after the new Sideling Hill Trailhead grand opening a couple of weeks ago. I utilized the PA Turnpike to drive up from Harrisburg area- very easy and trouble free- just know that afterward you have to drive another 10 miles UP the turnpike to turn around and head back to Harrisburg....ugh 20 additional miles, even though both East and West bound have access to the Sideling Hill Rest Stop. Trail Head had really nice bike servicing equipment and picnic tables- Lots of food options at Rest stop- everything you need after 20 mile ride- Burgers and Pizza!! Leaving the rest stop- you ride a service road that is open to bikers (Mountain House Road). You then come to a 4 way stop- Make a left on North Hess Road- you will see a old farm/log cabin house on your right (see my pictures)- go straight this road will turn in to Pump Station Road- ride for about 1/4 of a mile do not turn on the first unmarked road on your right- go to the second road on your right just after the first one- look for a mail box- there is a home that shares the access- ride past home and you will be at the TOPP Trail- you will see cement road barriers on your left- this is the entrance to the trail- Enjoy your ride for the next 8 miles or so. The first tunnel you reach is about 1.5 miles up- This one is long and dark maybe a mile long. The second one is shorter. The trail is rough in sections due to the blacktop being torn up- if your a Pennsylvanian- this a typical PA road LOL potholes! Beware if you are with children or offend easily- There is a TON of Graffiti and things that will make a sailor blush (I used to be in the Navy). There is some really talented art work along the ride though. I would recommend mountain bikes or gravel bikes- my bike has 45MM tires and I rode with 35 psi which I thought was perfect for the rough areas. This trail was "Creepy Cool" and a perfect ride for a fall day and Halloween around the corner!
I decided to park in Cumberland on my way home from a trip to WV and ride down the C&O towpath to ride this trail.
I was disappointed in the state of the trail. It appears as if no one is maintaining this trail.
The path on the Maryland side is now almost covered with encroaching weeds.
The bridge is in good enough shape to permit you to ride across to West Virginia for the time being but it looks a little iffy. If no one is taking care of this trail the wooden planks may need replacing. At some point it may become a dangerous crossing when these planks start rotting.
The tunnel is blocked off so you can go no further than the WV side of the bridge.
I would recommend that riders skip this trail until such time as it is maintained.
We just finished the GAP trail & C&O towpath 9/20 from Pittsburgh to DC. We took 8 days and our days ranged between 32 miles to 63 miles. Highly recommend this trail. Well maintained, accessible and clean port a John’s, always had plenty of toilet paper and were frequent enough to remove any anxiety about not being able to relieve yourself in privacy. Potable water was available along the trail which we still used a filter just to be safe. Beautiful trail, friendly riders and towns to visit. We rented a full sized SUV in DC and dropped it off at the Budget on Stanwix St just two blocks from fountain starting point. Worked perfectly to get going on our ride without delay.
This is probably the most I could handle on a bike ride. We rode the GAP and C&O back to back like many do in 8 days. It was great fun but the C&O is noticeably rougher, fewer port-a-Johns and very scarce potable water sources. On our 7th day from Williamsport to Brunswick we ran out of water midway and rode the remaining 25 miles without water. Fortunately the shade offered by the beautiful canopy of trees made it bearable. We made sure to load up on extra water on our final day. The mix of loose sand that caught us by surprise & the larger stones on the trail made for a more challenging ride than expected. On the one rainy day we had from Cumberland to Little Orleans, some of the puddles we encountered offered a new sense of “oh dear” as we didn’t know how deep the hole we were riding thru when there was no room to go around the puddle.
Perfect day for a ride and on the first day of Fall. Trail and views were breathtaking!
I just completed the entire GAP. It was well worth it. The trail was in good shape and there was not too much traffic. I’d like to do it again.
Biked from Hancock to Little Orleans and return on August 30, 2025. Distance: 34.5 miles. Stopped for lunch at Bill's Place in Little Orleans and got good food and friendly service. The paved portion of the trail is in excellent condition -- thanks to the Maryland Park Service for recently repaving the trail. The only negative is the 3-mile detour on the C & O Canal towpath around the abandoned Indigo tunnel. The towpath detour is unpaved and has a rougher surface than the trail. The nearly one-mile long tunnel was closed in 2010 to protect a handful of bats allegedly living inside. The tunnel is an engineering marvel that should be seen and experienced by humans. Opening it to trail users would help the economically depressed Western Maryland area. For example, the equally-long Blue Ridge Tunnel in Afton, Virginia, draws about 50,000 visitors annually since it was reopened in 2020.
there are some really old bridges that go over the C&O. the highlight is the paw paw tunnel. better to walk through it. once you hit little orleans, i suggest going on the western maryland trail. it is fully paved and nice.
hancock is a great town
The trail is in good shape. They have completed an extra few miles at the end that are fully paved. There are many benches to sit and multiple entry points. There is a brief ride on streets. The bathroom works and there a a few port o potties. I liked it
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Scan the QR code to get TrailLink on your phone
Map Search
