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 itineraries
Ten multi-day routes with day-by-day plans, the destinations on each, the season required and the difficulty level. Want something else? Create a custom itinerary.
Gauley Season Weekend
Six weekends a year, Summersville Dam opens and the Gauley carries the most concentrated whitewater in the eastern United States. Build the weekend around one raft day and use the rest of the time for the gorge.
Dolly Sods Backpacking Loop
Heath barrens, sphagnum bog, wind-flagged spruce and tannin-dark creeks on a plateau above 4,000 feet. Trails are unblazed and stream crossings unbridged, so this is a navigation trip rather than a signed loop.
Greenbrier River Trail End to End
Seventy-eight miles, thirty-five bridges, two tunnels and a gradient under one percent. The most achievable long-distance ride in West Virginia and a bikepacking trip a first-timer can finish.
Canaan Valley Winter Weekend
The most reliable snow belt in the mid-Atlantic, with three downhill areas and a Nordic center within twenty minutes of each other, and two small towns to come off the hill into.
New River Gorge Climbing Trip
Sharp Nuttall sandstone, stiff grades and the best autumn friction in the East. Base in Fayetteville and rotate walls by aspect and temperature.
Greenbrier Valley Weekend
The most approachable region in the state: a rail-trail at under one percent grade, warm river paddling, a preserved eighteenth-century town, and limestone country with commercial show caves.
Hatfield-McCoy Riding Weekend
More than a thousand miles of trail across former coal lands, with towns where machines are street-legal so you can ride to dinner. Buy the permit before you leave home.
Eastern Panhandle Paddle & Hike
The closest real outdoors to Washington and Baltimore: warm rivers, the Appalachian Trail, and a spa town to finish in.
Potomac Highlands Fall Color Tour
Color starts on the ridges in late September and runs downhill through October. This route follows it, mostly by car with short walks at each stop.
Elk River Fly Fishing Weekend
Cold tailwater below Sutton Dam holding wild browns, a sulphur hatch worth planning around, and smallmouth downstream when the trout water gets busy. Central, quiet water that sees little fishing pressure for how good it is.
None of these ten fit? Create a custom itinerary
Answer a few questions about what you want to do, when you are coming and how far you will drive, and the trip planner builds a route from the same destinations, seasons and access notes these ten are built from.
Create a custom itineraryWest 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.