Elk River Rail Trail
A developing rail-trail on the former Buffalo Creek & Gauley and Elk River Railroad grades, opening a long, remote corridor along the Elk between Gassaway and Clendenin. Being built out alongside a water trail on the river itself — one of the more ambitious recreation projects in central West Virginia.
Know before you go
- Sections open progressively — check the foundation for current status
- Remote, with long stretches between services
What you can do here
Guides, gear and lodging near Elk River Rail Trail
Place-level placement for operators within range of this trailhead, put-in or crag.
List your business hereWho looks after it
Nearby in the Mountain Lakes
Elk River
One of the finest and least-known trout fisheries in the Appalachians.
Stonewall Jackson Lake State Park
A 2,650-acre lake with the most developed resort facilities of any West Virginia lake park — a lodge, marina, Arnold Palmer golf course and the state's largest open-water fetch for small-boat sailing.
Sutton Lake
A 1,440-acre Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Elk River in Braxton County, with several campgrounds, quiet coves and the dam that creates the Elk tailwater fishery below.
Burnsville Lake
A 968-acre Corps reservoir on the Little Kanawha with the Bulltown Historic Area on its shore — Civil War earthworks, a preserved farmstead and a well-regarded campground.
Holly River State Park
West Virginia's second-largest state park at 8,101 acres, in a narrow valley of hemlock and hardwood with waterfalls, cabins and a rugged trail network.
Cedar Creek State Park
A 2,483-acre park in Gilmer County with three small fishing lakes, a campground and a network of easy trails.