Enjoy the beauty and sounds of nature while biking along the Piney and Tye Rivers! It is one of our local trails that we ride 5 or 6 times a year. We did a YouTube video of one of our rides this year that you can find on our channel, Bent on Bike Trails.

Pastoral 7 mile rail trail bike ride along the Maury River from Lexington to Buena Vista, Virginia. Here’s your chance to “Ride with the Cows! “ We hope the washed out bridge can be replaced soon so the trail segments are reconnected. We did a YouTube video of our ride that you can find on our channel, Bent on Bike Trails.

This trail is in Covington, Virginia. The word “Scenic” in its name is a perfect description! A delightful, well maintained rail trail; don’t miss riding this trail! We did a YouTube video of our ride that you can find on our channel, Bent on Bike Trails.

If you come with realistic expectations, you will love this trail. If you expect perfectly groomed trail with multiple towns and cell phone service all of the time, I'd suggest you try something a little tamer. This trail is for those who crave solitude and beauty and don't mind if they have to pay a small price for it. I actually found the track to be pretty good, yes there are some bumps and puddles here and there but more the exception than the rule. Rode the trail from Cass to Caldwell as part of a longer trip and really enjoyed it despite some rain on the 2nd day. I really liked the Cass to Marlinton section as well as the last 10 miles or so into Caldwell. Overall this is a great experience well worth your time.

We rode the trail in three days. Marlinton to Cass and back day one. Renick to Marlinton and back day two, Caldwell to Renick and back day three. The trail was in good shape, we averaged 10 mph. Plenty of wildlife and raw nature. We stayed at the Greenbier State Park cabins. I highly recommend.

I rode this trail on a gravel bike with bikepacking bags and light weight camping equipment. I started at Cass, WV and did 77 miles the first day, then camped down at the first site on the trail near Caldwell, WV. I then retraced my path back to Cass on the second day. I researched this trail for several months prior to riding so I could get an understanding of trail conditions, features and amenities. This trail is highly impressive in its infrastructure and cleanliness! Starting Cass, with the understanding that The Green Bank National Radio Astronomy Observatory is right over the mountain, you should be aware this is a blackout zone for cellular networks but GPS is still active. The trail hosts an impressive number of campsites, many with facilities and pumps offering potable water. Being a multi-use trail, one should expect hikers, cyclists, joggers and horseback riders. There are several small towns along the way like Marlinton, Seebert and Renick and you’re treated to the grandeur of the Monongahela National Forest, the Watoga State Park and Calvin State Forest. You get two great tunnels and a ton of bridges from truss to girder to flat-deck. Being a railtrail, the surface is mostly level and packed with crushed limestone. Sometimes you get a little double track with a grassy center but mostly smooth sailing. A few puddles here and there, but paying attention to the weather prior to your trip can alleviate some suffering and/or misery. Overall, this was a fantastic trip that exceeded my expectations! I highly recommend this journey but will stress that basic planning and simple preparation are key to enjoying all this phenomenal trail has to offer!

The entire loop is walkable but only a small part can be biked. The two mile paved section along the river is good for biking. I usually just use it as a connector for a longer cycling route.

This is a good place for new cyclists to practice or for more experienced cyclists to connect through on a longer ride. The northern section is hilly but the southern end is more or less flat-ish.

I can’t believe I’m writing a negative review of this HoF trail. After COVID-19 killed our original vacation plans, I was looking forward to 77 miles of social distance riding in the beauty of WV. After a quick snack at the lovely historical Cass General Store, started our ride to Marlinton. We were dry for about 30 mins then rode in a light rain for about 45 mins. That’s when the fun ended. Trail is part standard 8ft wide cinders, mostly two 12” tracks with grass and weeds in the center, and part all grass with two little 6” tracks. After the rain, the tracks became puddles and sometimes little streams. We tried to avoid them by switching from one side to the other, but the center grassy part was usually pretty soft so we found it was better to just splash through the puddles. Luckily, most of them were shallow and solid bottoms so it was easy going, but it just sprayed water and grime all over us and our bikes. Everything was coated with brown/black gunk by time we got to Marlinton. Rained overnight, so the next morning I rode to the end of the pavement at about MP 53 and then saw more puddles. Not doing that for a 2nd day.

My son rode the entire trail (see the pic of him and his filthy bike)and he said it seemed to get better after he left Pocahontas County and got near Caldwell. Maybe more maintenance money at that end?

My guess is it takes a day or two for these puddles to dry out because of all the shade?!?!

The trail has everything I love in a trail. Along a river, lots of curves, tunnels, a few bridges, beautiful scenery, lots of shade, and peaceful and quiet. So bummed that mud puddles took the joy out of it. Maybe I’ll have better luck next time......Bikin-Mike - Sept 2020