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.
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 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 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 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 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 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:...
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...
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...
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 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 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 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 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...
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.
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.
We started on the Nelsonville end of the trail. Rather than trying to find a safe spot to park at the true end of the trail, we parked in a nice spacious lot near Route 691 and went from there.
The trail is nice and flat and very much tree-covered which makes all of the difference on a hot summer day. This trail really takes you away from the stresses of life and deep into nature with a nice variety of scenery from rock cliffs to swamps to woodlands to open fields.
A couple of tips, we did notice that it seems to be a constant (slight) downward grade from the Nelsonville end going toward Athens. We're very leisurely riders, so next time we'll probably start at the other end so that the second half of our ride is easier.
Also, don't miss out on stopping at the Eclipse Company Store right on the bike trail at the Jackson Drive crossing. It's a great place to stop, relax, and have a drink and/or bite to eat.
We rode this trail in May 2019 from Happy Valley to Pennsboro. This trail is designated a WV State Park and it is in dismal shape which is too bad because it really has great potential. We rode after a rainy few days so I would expect puddles and mud but this was beyond puddles. Much of the trail is a made up of two single tracks thru grass or gravel so soft that your tires sink. Other sections someone has put down #2 gravel that only a Mtn bike could traverse. For the most part the scenery was nice and we saw several deer. We rode this over the course of a few days hoping each section would be in better shape than the previous...nope. I would NOT recommend this trail.
I notice that the bad reviews for this trail typically speak of the eastern portion. I have ridden most of the trail, riding various sections at different times. Most recently, my daughter and I rode from the easternmost end to Ellenboro (about 38 miles). We had intended to ride the entire length, but much of this portion has not yet been fully developed. Some sections had been improved since the last time I rode them. However, for now, the only portions of this trail I would recommend are those west of Ellenboro, although the tunnel near West Union is worth seeing and that section has been improved recently. Considering only the western half of this trail, I would rate it behind Greenbrier River, Virginia Creeper, and New River Trail in that order. When fully developed it has the potential to challenge all of them for the top spot in my book.
The River Bend State Park section (which was all I had time for) was very interesting historically as well as great scenery. The trail was easily navigable with awe-inspiring tunnels that cut through the terrain. With more time I would have liked to have biked west to Parkersburg.
Trail not maintained well at all. Disappointment to bikers from Ohio. Won't return or recommend to fellow bikers.
Sorry but I'm maybe not as generous in my review as other trail users. Started in Athens near Habitat for Humanity. Only 4 parking spots here. The American Legion tolerates parking. That comes from a local who I talked to upon arrival. Parked there because the site map says water and bathrooms are here. Nope. A mile north is a park/baseball diamonds. No water or bathrooms. Few porta-pots along trail but no free water until you get to Robbins Crossing/Hocking College. Oh yea the fountain beside the trail with a sign proclaiming the evils of bottled, store bought water...not even turned on!! Luckily there are many hydrates in the parking lot. Nelsonville end does need signs for out of towners. The only one is for Rocky Shoe Store's restaurant The Grill. Again a local told me there are restrooms...on the third floor of the store!
Scenery, beautiful. Trail is truly in the "back country" very little crossings of busy roads. There are numerous crossings for Hanley Run, a true single lane road (?).
So, all in all, 4.5-5 for scenery and maintenance of trail; 2 stars for lack of water, amenities.
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