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Every organization we link to: local tourism offices, the state and federal agencies that manage the land, the nonprofits and clubs that keep access open, and the universities doing the research.

West Virginia has roughly 1.5 million acres of public land and a handful of places that carry almost all of the attention. The consequence is that a great deal of very good ground sits nearly empty, usually for one of three reasons: nobody has heard of it, the road in is gated or rough, or it is undeveloped and has nothing to advertise. Those are the places below — of them across regions.

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The Greenbrier River Trail or the North Bend Rail Trail

Two long, nearly level rail grades: 78 miles of river company on one, 72 miles of dark curved tunnels on the other.

7 min read

The two grades, end to end

The Greenbrier River Trail covers 78 miles from Cass to Caldwell on a former Chesapeake and Ohio logging grade, with the Greenbrier River beside it the whole distance. The grade never exceeds about one percent. North to south from Cass runs very slightly downhill, and two or three days end to end is the common pace.

The North Bend Rail Trail covers 72 miles on the old Baltimore and Ohio grade from Wolf Summit to Parkersburg. Its signature is tunnels rather than water, and a stretch of it carries the coast-to-coast American Discovery Trail. Six miles of length separate the two, which is no real difference to anyone deciding between them.

Both sit in the state park system, so one agency answers for either, and both are what a rail-trail means here: former logging and coal-hauling lines, long and gentle because railroads had to be. Surface, darkness, sleeping arrangements and the calendar are what separate them.

Surface is the thing that picks your bike

Quarter-inch limestone crusher run covers most of the Greenbrier's length, with some coarser sections still in place. That is close to firm and level for 78 continuous miles, and the most approachable long-distance surface in the state. A loaded touring bike handles it without complaint, and so does a handcycle.

North Bend runs from crushed limestone to rougher ballast in sections. Ballast is loose, angular and slow, which is why tire volume matters more here than speed. Ride the widest tire your frame takes.

No section-by-section surface map is published. Trailforks carries rider-reported conditions and closures statewide, and the state park office can confirm surface and bridge work. Rail-trail infrastructure is old, and a closed bridge mid-corridor is what ends a point-to-point trip.

Tunnels, lights and two counts that differ

Two tunnels punctuate the Greenbrier, both documented precisely: Droop Mountain Tunnel, 402 feet, built 1900, at mile 30.9, and Sharps Tunnel, 511 feet, 1899, at mile 65.2. Ride the whole trail without a light and you lose only the ability to read the tunnel walls.

North Bend is the opposite case. It carries 13 tunnels by the state's inventory, though a detailed fact sheet says ten, plus 36 bridges. Several are long, dark and curved, one of them 2,297 feet. Lights are equipment rather than a nicety. Silver Run Tunnel comes with the state's best-known railroad ghost story.

The Greenbrier's bridge figure differs the same way: 35 by the state park's count, 37 by the trail site's. Neither discrepancy changes the ride, but if a route plan depends on an exact number, take it from the state park office rather than a map.

Free to ride, paid to sleep

Riding either trail costs nothing. West Virginia charges no admission at any of its 35 state parks or 9 state forests, a policy set in state code, and both corridors are in that system. Fees apply only to services: camping, cabins, lodge rooms, pools, golf and rental.

Greenbrier camping is spaced for cyclists, with primitive sites and privies every few miles, which is what makes 78 miles in two or three days workable without hauling much. These are designated sites rather than dispersed camping, which state parks do not permit. Clawson, at mile 61.2, is reached by five miles of unpaved mountain road if somebody is meeting you there.

North Bend State Park is one of the system's resort parks, running a full lodge with a restaurant alongside its campground, and it sits directly on that trail. Everything in the system reserves through the West Virginia State Parks system, generally up to a year ahead. October is the busiest month statewide, so a late fall booking is the thing most likely to go wrong.

Shuttles, hours, season and signal

Shuttle services operate from Marlinton and Lewisburg, so a one-direction Greenbrier ride is easy to arrange, and Marlinton is a working trail town. No shuttle is published for North Bend, so treat it as an out-and-back or arrange your own car swap. That trail is also open only 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and tunnel time is slow time.

The calendar treats both alike. March and April bring mud. July and August are humid and hot below 2,500 feet, leaving trails green, buggy and quiet. September and October are the busiest weeks of the year statewide, with cold nights and clear days, and lodging in Marlinton books months ahead. From January, snow turns the near-level Greenbrier railbed into cross-country touring that needs no route-finding at all.

Cell service is absent for long stretches of the Greenbrier, whose southern end lies near the National Radio Quiet Zone, where transmission is restricted by law. Download offline maps in Gaia, onX or Avenza, and leave a return time with somebody. Fishing needs a state license at 15 and older plus a trout stamp on stocked water, and WVDNR posts stocking by the end of each business day with a hotline on 304-558-3399. Ticks, not hunters, are the hazard here, since state parks generally prohibit hunting: use permethrin and check after every ride.

Which one, for which rider

Choose the Greenbrier if you are riding end to end, riding loaded, riding with someone whose bike is not built for rough ground, or using a handcycle. Primitive sites every few miles remove the need to plan lodging, and shuttles exist. It is the better runner's and skier's trail for the same reasons, and the better angler's: the river is beside it for all 78 miles.

Take North Bend if the tunnels are the point, if you want a lodge and a restaurant on the corridor rather than privies in the woods, or if you are traveling the American Discovery Trail and this is your West Virginia mileage. It is also the pick for a rider near Parkersburg, and drive time counts for more than the map suggests: sixty road miles here can take two hours.

For horseback riding the records cannot separate them. Both list riding and neither publishes designated equestrian sections or trailer parking, so ask the state park office before towing. Trailhead parking capacity is unpublished for both, and illegal parking is the fastest way to lose access in this state.

Questions

Is there a fee to ride the Greenbrier River Trail or the North Bend Rail Trail?

No. West Virginia charges no admission at any of its 35 state parks or 9 state forests, and both corridors are in that system, so day use on either is free. Fees apply only to services: camping, cabins, lodge rooms and rental.

Which is easier to ride, the Greenbrier River Trail or the North Bend Rail Trail?

The Greenbrier, on surface. Its grade never exceeds about one percent over quarter-inch limestone crusher run for most of 78 miles, with some coarser sections remaining. North Bend's 72 miles run from crushed limestone to rougher ballast, which is slower and rougher on a narrow tire.

Do I need lights on the North Bend Rail Trail?

Yes. Several tunnels are long, dark and curved, one of them 2,297 feet, and a curved tunnel gives you no daylight at the far end. The trail is also open only 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Greenbrier's two tunnels are 402 and 511 feet, so a light there is optional.

How many tunnels and bridges does each trail have?

The Greenbrier has two tunnels, Droop Mountain at mile 30.9 and Sharps at mile 65.2, and 35 bridges by the state park's count against 37 by the trail site's. North Bend has 13 tunnels by the state's inventory, though a detailed fact sheet says ten, and 36 bridges. Both counts differ between agency pages, so confirm with the state park office if a plan depends on the number.