A current dispute with the Yacht Club (as of July 2020) means that you will not be able to park at the trail head.

Just wanted to make people aware that the last 2 times I biked this trail I saw a coyote. Please be aware of your surroundings. The first time it bolted when it saw me but the second time it ran parallel to me for abt 40 feet. I was just abt to do a u-turn and it ran into the woods. I just want to remind everyone you are in what is left of the woods in these areas so please keep your eyes open as these animals don’t have a lot of places to go. I also saw one on the Montour Trail this year near mile marker 5 and last night there was a wounded raccoon lying in the middle of the Montour Trail near mile marker 15.

I biked the North Bend Railtrail this past week. My summary:

Happy Valley to Petroleum: trail quite manageable, however some areas have gravel that is too large for a rail-trail, but not quite as large as comment below.

Cairo-Ellenboro: very nice, smooth

Westbound Wolf Summit- Ellenboro: first 16mi to Smithburg characterized by very soft surface with numerous large vehicle ruts in the trail—very little gravel-based portions. Would recommend for only the most hardy of bikers.

Smithburg- Pennsboro: smooth and in good condition

Pennsboro Tunnel (tunnel 8)– MM36: a total disaster—gravel the size of rail ballast. Whoever decided to cover the trail with ballast-sized gravel has never ridden a bike on such! Remainder to Ellenboro manageable.

I started at the southern-most part of the trail (48th St & Water St) and rode north. Despite the fact that the trail was paved, there were a lot of cracks and bumps in the pavement. After about 15 minutes I wished I brought my mountain bike rather than my road bike. Once I got through the downtown Wheeling area and north, the pavement smoothed out. I got as far north as Warwood and had to turn around because the weather was beginning to get bad. If you plan on riding this trail, be aware that it is rather bumpy for a road bike with no suspension.

It can be a little hot at the two ends of the trail as there is no close to the trail vegetation, however it is worth the sweat. There is an ice cream stand right off the trail about midway should you want to get a snack or something to keep you cool. The bridges, the lily ponds, the wildlife, the way this trail has been lovingly cared for by volunteers makes it a unique place to ride.

This well-maintained asphalt path made for a fun 44 miler on the gravel bikes. We rode it twice to get some extra miles. The covered bridges and tree canopy kept us in the shade most of the day.

This trail was full of birds and the smell of honeysuckle. The asphalt path was extremely well-maintained. We brought our gravel bikes, but could have easily ridden our road bikes.

This trail probably has the most elevation I’ve ridden on a trail yet! From Morgantown to Reedsville increases elevation more than the other way. It was a little rockier than I would have liked in certain areas.

I rode Montour Trail from mile 0.0 to 11.4 as my first Rail Trail experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it! The trail was in great condition with lots of interesting scenery and cool bridges and tunnels. There is a slight, but steady, uphill grade from about Mile 8-11, which I considered to be a nice challenge without being too taxing. As other note, there are some industrial sections of the trail.