Explore the best rated trails in Beckley, WV. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Elk River Trail (Coonskin Park) and Lewis McManus Memorial Honor Trail. With more than 16 trails covering 211 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
My wife and I started from Gassaway through Duck. Unfortunately the Gassaway section to Frametown was not open. We met the Park Superintendent (Heath Cliver) on the trail and the State has just taken over the closed Gassaway portion. The dog issue outside of Duck mentioned earlier on this site has been eliminated. The plans call for continued resurfacing and more benches. The plans outlined by the Super were very positive. The trail is still in very good condition and the future is very bright for Elk River.
How can I find out which parts of the trail are paved and what parts are crushed stone? I would like to take my road bike and avoid the crushed stone as much as possible. Not sure where it is best to start. Thank you.
We rode the entire trail from Cass to Caldwell and the trail was not closed in any location. Thoroughly enjoyed the trail, especially the tunnels and the gorgeous river view.
We rode on September 22 and we're warned by another cyclist that there was a dog near Duck who is chasing cyclists spooking horses and even bit a walker.
We rode the section from Renick to Seebert on 9/23/22. The ride was wonderful, the scenery engaging, and we saw both deer and a black bear who crossed the trail in front of us just north of the Droop Mountain tunnel. Although the surface is crushed cinders/gravel, the trail was in need of maintenance. We were constantly dodging branches and sticks and several sections simply needed mowed as the center line between the two tracks made if difficult for us to ride our recumbent trikes. We saw very few other cyclists but truly enjoyed the ride.
If you plan to ride the whole 77 mi after 9/7/2022, you can't. The city of Lewisburg is planning to close the trail on the Caldwell end to dig it up and put in a water line. You can still ride from Cass to Anthony but there is no access to the construction portion (unless they relent and make accommodation for trail users.) Safest place to leave a vehicle is at Renick. Hopefully, the Visitor's Center will have current information available.
I have only ridden this trail twice and only as far as Cass to Marlinton, but what I've seen so far is excellent! Well maintained trail and beautiful scenery are hard to beat. I hope time allows me to complete the whole trail someday.
My friends and I, all women, have biked a longer bike trail each year for over 20 years. We range in age from 57 to 70 years. We chose to bike the Greenbrier River Trail in June of this year, 2022. We’ve ridden many trails and the Greenbrier ranks high on our list of favorite bike trails. It is almost entirely along the river and almost entirely in the shade. It was fantastic. The trail is not long enough to fill a week with just riding, so we added a few other activities this year to make the trip from Illinois to West Virginia worthwhile.
On our way to the trail, we stopped at the New River Gorge National Park. We stayed overnight at Hawk’s Nest Resort. We did a powerboat ride on the river, hiked the Endless Wall Trail, drove the Fayette Station Road, and stopped at the Grandview Overlook. It was beautiful and we highly recommend this park.
We then drove to Lewisburg, WV and stayed overnight. The next day we drove to Anthony, parked our car at the trailhead, and started biking the Greenbrier River Trail. Our plan was to bike around 30-35 miles a day. Shortly after we started to bike that first day, a bear ran from the river up to the trail about 10 feet in front of us, ran down the trail and up into the woods. That was pretty exciting for Illinois folks! We stayed the first night in Watoga State Park in a wonderful cabin that had a fully equipped kitchen. Cabins 1 and 2 are near the river and right inside the park boundaries. When we made the reservation we were told that the other cabins are three miles uphill. Jack Horner’s Corner in Seebert is right off the trail and has some food and supplies. The next day we biked to Cass Scenic Railroad State Park. Along the way we stopped in Marlinton for lunch. There are a few restaurants in Marlinton, a bike shop, grocery store, etc. and cell service. In Cass we stayed at one of the Company Houses for two nights. We rode the scenic train to Bald Knob, a 4-hour ride up to the top of the mountain and back. That was fun. We ate in the Company Restaurant while we were in Cass. The next day we headed back toward Anthony, staying in the cabin in Watoga State Park again. We brought food and plenty of water with us because food was limited. But, there were several of bathrooms and places to get water because the trail is very camper friendly. A map that is available from the West Virginia State Parks has all the bathrooms and water locations marked on the map. Cell phone service was pretty much not existent (which I liked) on the trail but you could get service in the “bigger” towns. There are small homes along most of the river, so it’s not complete wilderness. The trail is in great shape. We thoroughly enjoyed our time on this trail and our time in West Virginia. West Virginians are very friendly and helpful people.
My wife and I unloaded our bikes in the parking lot beside River Street/Perry Street in Gassaway, WV. We crossed the street and rode a wide and well packed Elk River Rail Trail for about 3.5 miles before we turned back because we were limited on time. It's a cool ride even on a hot day with a band of shading trees between the trail and the Elk River. I do plan to ride the trail to Duck, WV in the near future.
I have also walked a couple of miles south and back from the Duck trail access point and it seemed as nice as the Gassaway trail head.
This rail trail has signs that limit access to walking, bicycles, Class 1 E-Bikes, and Horses.
At only .4 miles, I would consider this more of a short stroll than a hike. There is a Pavilion at the “L&R Trailhead” but the only problem is that it’s not actually at the trailhead. You have to walk another.1 mile south before you encounter the rust colored sidewalk which signifies the actual trail. From there it’s very easy to follow and it takes you through a quiet neighborhood
Easy flat and filled with views. For beginning bikers or casual warmup…
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