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The Clear Fork Rail Trail is a 4.9-mile trail that follows an abandoned CSX rail line along the Clear Fork River in the northwestern corner of Raleigh County. The rail-trail has a gravel surface with a few boardwalk bridges. As it follows along the river, this quiet trail offers scenic views of cliffs faces and verdant forests.
About the Route
The Clear Fork Rail Trail is currently an out-and-back trail. Access the trail at the western end at the Jarrold's Valley Trailhead (101 Rich Ln, Whitesville). The trail meanders east along the river. The route includes a couple of boardwalk bridges that replaced former railroad trestles: the Stover Bottom Bridge and the Florence Bottom Bridge. The Gardner Trailhead is about 4 miles east from the Jarrold's Valley Trailhead. A highlight of the trail is the Clear Fork Rail Trail Waterfall, which can be heard before it is visible. Look up through the canopy to see the multi-tiered waterfall that descends from deep forest cover at least 40ft down the mountainside like stairs. The waterfall is part of the WV Waterfall Trail, which includes 43 waterfalls across West Virginia.
The current eastern end of the trail is a dead end at the Panther Branch river. Turn around and head back west along the trail.
Plans for the trail include extending it another 10 miles along the abandoned railroad corridor to the McDowell Branch river in the northwest outskirts of Beckley.
The Clear Fork Rail Trail runs between the Jarrold's Valley Trailhead (101 Rich Ln, Whitesville), where parking is available, and a dead end at Panther Branch (Colcord).
Visit the TrailLink map for detailed directions.
Easy to get to just south of Whitesville, WV; cross Clear Fork at Vest Road for nice parking at the trailhead. Raleigh County did a good job; the bed looks to have larger aggregate underneath a smooth but already hard-packed crushed stone the whole way. Very gentle slope the complete way.
Sights to see are many bridges, farms, tall hills besides the trail, and I even disturbed a flock of wild turkeys, that, yes, contrary to WKRP, they can fly (but very slowly). The waterfall was dry, due to our drought, but should be good again after the snows.
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