Find the top rated bike trails in Parkersburg, whether you're looking for an easy short bike trail or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a bike trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Marietta’s River Trail runs for more than 3 miles along the Muskingum River through the city situated just across the Ohio River from West Virginia. The paved trail passes through Marietta’s quaint...
The Hockhocking Adena Bikeway is one of southeast Ohio’s hidden trail gems. Tucked into the foothills of Appalachia, this 20-mile trail gives a sampling of the best the Buckeye State has to offer:...
The Great Guernsey Trail runs for 7 miles from the eastern edge of Cambridge to Lore City. The paved trail occupies a former CSX railroad corridor through rural wooded countryside. Because it...
The Old Town Creek Trail is a short but scenic pathway in Logan, the gateway to the Hocking Hills region of southeast Ohio. The trail links the county fairgrounds not far from Logan’s downtown to...
The Little Kanawha Connector Trail stretches west to east across Parkersburg, a city located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers in West Virginia. The trail is a combination of...
The Gallia County Hike & Bike Trail follows an old railroad right-of-way between Bidwell and Gallipolis, at the Ohio River. Though are plans to develop a total of 28 miles (to include Vinton County...
The Gallia County Hike & Bike Trail follows an old railroad right-of-way between Bidwell and Gallipolis, at the Ohio River. Though are plans to develop a total of 28 miles (to include Vinton County...
The Hockhocking Adena Bikeway is one of southeast Ohio’s hidden trail gems. Tucked into the foothills of Appalachia, this 20-mile trail gives a sampling of the best the Buckeye State has to offer:...
The Great Guernsey Trail runs for 7 miles from the eastern edge of Cambridge to Lore City. The paved trail occupies a former CSX railroad corridor through rural wooded countryside. Because it...
Marietta’s River Trail runs for more than 3 miles along the Muskingum River through the city situated just across the Ohio River from West Virginia. The paved trail passes through Marietta’s quaint...
The Old Town Creek Trail is a short but scenic pathway in Logan, the gateway to the Hocking Hills region of southeast Ohio. The trail links the county fairgrounds not far from Logan’s downtown to...
The Little Kanawha Connector Trail stretches west to east across Parkersburg, a city located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers in West Virginia. The trail is a combination of...
The Gallia County Hike & Bike Trail follows an old railroad right-of-way between Bidwell and Gallipolis, at the Ohio River. Though are plans to develop a total of 28 miles (to include Vinton County...
The Old Town Creek Trail is a short but scenic pathway in Logan, the gateway to the Hocking Hills region of southeast Ohio. The trail links the county fairgrounds not far from Logan’s downtown to...
The Hockhocking Adena Bikeway is one of southeast Ohio’s hidden trail gems. Tucked into the foothills of Appalachia, this 20-mile trail gives a sampling of the best the Buckeye State has to offer:...
The Great Guernsey Trail runs for 7 miles from the eastern edge of Cambridge to Lore City. The paved trail occupies a former CSX railroad corridor through rural wooded countryside. Because it...
Marietta’s River Trail runs for more than 3 miles along the Muskingum River through the city situated just across the Ohio River from West Virginia. The paved trail passes through Marietta’s quaint...
The Little Kanawha Connector Trail stretches west to east across Parkersburg, a city located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers in West Virginia. The trail is a combination of...
EASTERN SECTION. Starting at the Wolf Summit terminus, I rode 10 miles (and 10 back) on a Saturday afternoon 10/19/19 on an old Schwinn LeTour w/ 27 x 1 1/4 tires. I knew it was not an appropriate bike for this trail but it's what I've got.
Yes, the trail is in awful shape, and the state should invest in its improvement. Even during an especially dry fall, I encountered mud and soft ground frequently. The surfaces really varied. The most common surface was grass, but there were sections of fine stone/hard trail (w/in Salem especially) and sections of single and double track. There were a few spots where gravel had been put over previously-muddy problem areas. But the gravel was too big and laid thick to bike through. In the 10 mile section I biked, there were a lot of paved roads that ran parallel to the trail in part. On the way back, I took those to switch it up.
I will bike here again because I live closeby, the tunnels are cool, and it's remote. I will absolutely not bike here in the spring (trail will be soft&wet and a mess then) or after a lot of rainfall.
I took advantage of a beautiful day for a nice 7 mile out-and-back ride on on the Marietta River Trail in Marietta, Ohio. This trail runs along the banks of the the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers in the southeast corner of Ohio. This is a great trail for lovers of history as Marietta was the first government sanctioned settlement of the young United States in what was known as the Northwest Territory back in 1788. There are all kinds of historical markers along the trail and the architecture is varied due to the city’s age. There are a couple of other bike routes in town that would give you access to other historical sites away from the riverfront if you are so inclined. The trail is an asphalt surface which was in pretty good shape. If you are in the area, the trail is definitely worth the trip. My only disappointment was that the trail wasn’t longer. Next time I will have to add in one of the other trails that run through town for a longer ride.
Rode the trail from West State Street Park to Nelsonville, and back, about 14 miles each way. To reach the trail, follow W. State St. straight through the park, all the way to the end where it loops around the last baseball diamond. There is parking along the diamond loop. The trail is along the outer edge of the loop.
Riding the trail towards Nelsonville, the trail initially has a short downhill section (moderate) and then levels out quickly. The whole way out, I kept feeling like I was riding ever so slightly downhill, but the ride back felt just as easy. I wonder if the overall grade of the trail might be close to neutral, with sections that offer mild gradients periodically.
This section of trail is generally tree covered, providing nice shade. The portion through Athens itself, for the short portion I tried, seemed more open and exposed.
The trail does have some areas of root ridges, but they generally seemed to come it small clusters, and then be fine for a while. The trail otherwise seemed very smooth. There are periodic points when the trail must cross a road. Do follow the signs to stop/yield, but most crossings were easy. Mile markers are painted on the trail pavement, and while the numbers are not large, they are part of a stripe across the width of the trail, making them more pronounced.
I didn't really see any restroom facilities at West State Street Park, which seems odd for its size. Later, I found that if you follow the trail towards Athens for at most a quarter mile, after you go through the small parking lot and cross the street, there is a small red and white building on the trail that had signs noting it has water and restrooms available dawn to dusk (did not go in to verify). There also were port-o-potties along the trail by the road crossing at the Eclipse Company Store (mile 7), the Beaumont trailhead (mile 11), and in the Hocking College parking lot by the historical village (mile 16.5). The northern end of the trail runs between the Hocking College building and its parking lot. If you really had to, you could probably quickly run into one of the college buildings to find a restroom. The trail through Hocking College, by the historical village, also had a water fountain/bottle fill station, and a picnic pavilion to take a break. The signage at Nelsonville indicated restroom and water, but I didn't go into town to verify.
There are several points along the trail to park. They appear well illustrated on the trail's official pamphlet map (http://athensohio.com/wheretoplay/hockhocking-adena-bikeway-2/).
This trail overall just felt like a really nice ride. Very glad I tried it.
We are in our 60s and like paved trails such as this one. We parked at the Athens Community Center and city park, under the solar collectors. Its just north of highway 50 as you come in to town from the east. We biked 18 miles to Nelsonville and back in one day. Great trail, well maintained, and goes thru beautiful scenery and wildlife along the Hocking River. Only one place to get food or water once the trail leaves Athens, and that's the Company Store bar a few miles north of Athens. At the north trail end in Nelsonville there are plenty of food choices. There are mile markers every half mile. At Nelsonville, the trail kinda dumps you onto a back street at the end, but you are near a great outdoor supply store that has a café! We highly recommend this trail. Thanks to those who maintain this trail!
Is an all weather surface really too much to ask for? this trail is soft with giant puddles after a rain. numerous trees across it. just a mess. could be a great trail of adequately funded by the state
I rode the NB trail July 5 and July 6. July 5 I rode r/t from Ellensboro to just a few miles west of Cairo. The trail was a beautiful fantastic ride. If I had stopped I would have said as good or better than any trail I have rode in OH & PA. The tunnels & landscapes were spectacular. The trail was well-maintained crushed limestone 90%. I was so pleased with my ride I rode into North Bend State Park up to the cabin area and talked to some people staying in the cabins. The cabins look fantastic as does it’s other facilities and I was ready to plan a trip to bring some people back down to ride this trail and stay in the state park. July 6, I rode r/t from Ellenboro with plans to ride east of toll gate. The trail was too much grass, some mud and a few very small areas of aggregate too large for a bike trail. I stopped at the Pennsboro depot which was very nice. I spoke to the volunteer manning the depot. He informed me the North Bend state park director is in charge of the trail and only has two part-time employees to maintain the trail. It’s really a shame W V state park system doesn’t have the resources to properly construct or maintain this trail. NB Trail would be one of my favorite trails if it had the proper construction maintenance. I could really see Cairo becoming a fantastic stop if it just had the bicyclists to frequent the attractions, stores, and restaurants. Based on the other reviews I’ve read it looks like I’m planning my next multi day bike trip at the Greenbrier Trail, PA GAP trail or TBD.
A one and one half hour drive to Athens to ride this trail from our home in Huntington, WV is always well worth it. The majority of the trail is canopied and keeps the temps 10 - 15 degrees cooler than what is reported. Only the campus of Ohio University is entirely in the open and can be hot in mid summer days with a cloudless sky. A stop at The Eclipse Company Store, at mile marker 7.5, is a must for cold libations and fuel for the ride- before, during or after. We have found that starting at Nelsonville makes for a better and more enjoyable ride as this is the most shaded part of the ride and less headwinds, coming or going.
For a non-paved rail trail, it’s just what you would expect! If you are looking for an easy paved route, you should go elsewhere. We went at the beginning of June with 4 boys, 9-12 years old and did fine. We traveled from west to east, carrying our camping gear. Did 42 miles the first day and 28 the second. Rode through some mud, grass and water but most of the ride was hard packed. Tunnels were awesome and the scenery was beautiful. Camped at the state park, which was well taken care of. Only complaint is the price of a shuttle back to Wolf Summit ($250 since we had 7 bikes). Instead I paid my daughter to come get us, rather give her the money!
We attempted to hike the entire trail today but it’s not possible to cross the creeks. There are no bridges and water was too deep. Lots of brushy weeds and poison ivy on the path. We did drive around to different points on the trail and saw King’s Hollow tunnel and Moonville Tunnel. We crossed one river by walking across on a log and made it back to “bears hollow” pond. Next time I’ll try parking in Zaleski to see how far one can take the trail from that direction.
I rode the trail from Happy Valley to Pennsboro (about 39 miles) and then back to North Bend State Park to camp (10 miles). Then I rode back to Happy Valley. (About 30 miles)
Pros: Awesome scenery along the route. Tunnels galore. Quiet and peaceful. The people I met in the towns seemed very welcoming. There is also the ability to camp along the trail so it can be inexpensive if you can forego a shower.
Cons: The trail is very rough in spots and sometimes it was hard to discern where the "track" was. There were muddy and wet spots but with all the rain I can't say that that was the trail's fault. The main thing I'd say is that some sections are really smooth much like the GAP and others are worse than the C & O.
Know what to expect and plan accordingly. Wide tires are very helpful (I rode on 2.2 29ers). A suspension seatpost and/or stem would probably be enough to take the edge off. I don't think a suspension mountain bike is necessary but it might be the best for comfort. The trail itself isn't hard. There were no scary descents or tough climbs. I really enjoyed the challenge and I hope to see this trail develop more and more over the years.
My family and I rode the whole length of the trail June 7-8, 2019. We started in Parkersburg from the trail head at Happy Valley rd. About 10 miles in it was grassy and muddy. Some parts of the trail was nice with hard packed gravel but the honestly the majority of the trail was nothing but grass and mud. We were all very disappointed in this trail because it has potential and it was fun to ride through the tunnels and take a tour of the railroad station at Pennsboro. The Long Run tunnel was terrible with 3” of water at each end and very large gravel in the tunnel. Such a disappointment.
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