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.
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
- 73 miles from Clendenin to Gassaway, open 24 hours, with the trail office at 12 Buffalo Creek Road in Clay
- It follows the river closely enough to be the easiest paddling and fishing access on the Elk
What you can do here
This is a developing corridor, not a finished trail: 73 miles planned from Clendenin to Gassaway on former Buffalo Creek & Gauley and Elk River Railroad grades. Sections open progressively, so check with the foundation for current status before you drive out. The trail is open 24 hours and the trail office is at 12 Buffalo Creek Road in Clay.
Railroad grade means the climbing problem that defines most West Virginia gravel does not exist here — this is a long, low-angle corridor along the Elk. The catch is remoteness, with long stretches between services along 73 planned miles. Carry tubes, food and water, and confirm which sections are open before committing to a point-to-point.
The rail-trail is being built alongside a water trail on the Elk itself, which is the unusual part of this project — one corridor serving both. The grade follows the river closely enough to be the easiest paddling access on the Elk, so shuttles and put-ins get simpler as sections open. Check the foundation for what is currently developed.
Access is the whole story here. The old railroad grade follows the Elk closely enough to be the easiest fishing access on the river, which otherwise means bushwhacking or asking permission. No species or stocking details are published for the corridor, so work from current WVDNR regulations for the Elk and expect long walks between anything resembling a service.
A rail grade is flat, car-free and continuous, which is what long runs need, and this one runs along the Elk through country with very little else in it. Open 24 hours. The tradeoff is that stretches run long between services, so carry water and tell someone your route, and check which sections are actually open.
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 hereNearby 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.
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.