Find the top rated bike trails in West Virginia, 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.
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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.
Rode this on 10/5/20 with friends. Mountain bike a must. Trail in poor condition. Numerous fallen trees, long grass, and muddy patches on this short old elevated rail track through the woods. With a little maintenance this could be spectacular.
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!
This trail is great for all ages and stages of bikers. Beautiful setting and the tunnel is pretty cool. Not very long so doable for the kids.
Been riding the Parkersburg end of the North Bend trail, just wanted to update fellow riders of utility work on the trail. Trail was great until about the mile 6 marker then it was a mess and we had to walk our bikes around the equipment and get on the hardtop road and we finally turned around and rode back until we found the trail on the other side of the construction area.
We parked by the river on Douglas Road and rode to Hendricks. The ride is beautiful with many cool features to see. Douglas Falls was a bit chilly on 9/12 but we could not resist taking a brief swim.
Ride back up from Hendricks is a bit of an uphill push, but still a nice ride. If you have younger riders you might want to consider being dropped off in Thomas and picked up in Hendricks. Or perhaps starting in Hendricks and knocking off the uphill ride to Thomas and then saving the sweet downhill ride for the way back.
Great Trail!
I did the whole Mon River part of this trail system for the first time last weekend, and I hope my experience is helpful to others: The Sheepskin Trail, Mon River-North, Caperton, Mon River-South and MC trails are all contiguous, and can be thought of as one, mostly crushed limestone, trail. I started out on the Sheepskin Trial in Point Marion, PA, where I found easy parking and a stunning, huge outside wall mural of stained glass. Cyclists coming from the north may find it convenient to start here. I continued south as the trail turned into the MR-N, which can only be thought of as scenic if you appreciate waste water treatment plants, coal powered electric generating stations, and locks and dams. The Caperton section is a varied, mostly urban route that runs past the WVU campus and offers opportunities for food and drink right on the trail. Found MR-S the most scenic of the three and also enjoyed the quick little ride through the pretty state park and lighted tunnel into nearby Fairmont on the MC Trail before I turned around and headed back. Almost no port-o-johns, picnic tables or water anywhere along the trail. Few benches, several of which are in poor shape. Downed trees blocked much of the trail in several areas and had been cleared only enough for a bike to pass, not removed from the trail. The MR-S was often grassy and sometimes narrowed to a foot path. Seems like maybe this trail system could use some more volunteers! Haven't done the Deckers-Creek yet.
One word describes this ride - WOW!!!
Beautiful scenery, and rode about 6 miles without turning a pedal.
First, I have to start with a disclaimer. Highlandtrails.org website clearly states “this section is quite steep and is not maintained for recreational use”.
I rode this on a hybrid with 700x38 tires and had no problems. Sure, wider tires would have been nicer, but maybe the suspension fork and seatpost saved me?
Trail is singletrack hard packed cinders with pea sized gravel. It will shake everything on your bike and give your arms a great massage. Trail never felt soft or mushy. Had one small washout about a foot wide and maybe 6” deep. Easy to walk across, and they had it marked with reflector posts so we knew something was there.
Started our ride behind the post office in Thomas. Don’t let the puddles scare you away. It’s not all like this. Trail starts as a 10 ft wide gravel driveway with potholes that goes to the sewage treatment plant. We missed the right turn across the bridge after the plant, so we ended up on Douglas Rd. Rode the paved road down the hill and across the river. Slight left turn onto the gravel road with the Douglas Falls sign. More potholes and have to watch for cars coming at you on the one lane road. Be careful crossing the bridge. I walked it. Went through a small parking area at the falls and finally got to the yellow gate. That’s where the fun starts. Beautiful Douglas Falls on the left. Partially obscured by trees. Next 6 miles was all down hill with some gorgeous views. Passed 3 waterfalls coming down the canyonside and under or over the trail and into the river. Great view of the canyon from the spot with the railing. I don’t think I turned a pedal until we got to the yellow gate north of Hendricks. What a ride!!! Had about 2 miles on a gravel road to the beautiful trailhead in Hendricks. Our driver had picked up sandwiches in Parsons, so we sat in the pavilion and enjoyed lunch.
Part of me wishes it was fixed up so more folks could enjoy it, but part of me says leave it wild and wonderful. Be sure to check out this gem if you are in the area....Bikin-Mike - 09/01/20
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
Labor Day gem! First time visit and would recommend to anyone. Can view the river most of the way. Lots of shade and easy grade. Really is a 5 star.
Started at Mile 3 right behind the Springhill Suites. Easy access from the back of their parking lot. Trail surface was in great shape. Cinders were a little thin from about mile 3.5 to 5.5. Could feel the ballast underneath, but nothing too bad. Easy on a hybrid with 700x35 tires. Trail is usually high above the creek. Closest to the creek with a nice little waterfall was at mile 7.2. Prettiest spot was at the rock overhang and the gorgeous waterfalls at mile 12. Good news - the grade flattens at about mile 12, so instead of 16 miles uphill it was only about 9!!! Had some pea size loose limestone near the road crossings at the limestone mine. Had about 5 small concrete bridges between Masontown mile 13 and Reedsville mile 17. Trail past Reedsville was a little soft, but they were working on it. Started a pretty steep climb from Reedsville to the dead end in the woods. Ate lunch at the DQ in Reedsville. Follow the signs to downtown. About a 1/2 mile up a steep alley with no traffic, then a very short ride on the sidewalk along Rt 7 from Church St to DQ. Nice pavilion to sit outside and eat.
My only complaint is quite a bit of road noise from trucks on Rt 7 for most of the ride. If I do it again, I think I’d turn around at Masontown. Not much scenery from there to the end.
After a break at the hotel, road the 3 miles of paved trail into Morgantown. Two nice restaurants right on the trail next to the river just left of the creek.
After dinner, rode the paved trail along the river up past WVU. All told, about 44 miles.
Great day! Great trail! Thanks for the wonderful trail.....Bikin-Mike - Aug 2020
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