Greenbrier River Trail

Long-distance hiking trail in the United States

Greenbrier River Rail Trail State Park

Greenbrier River Trail south of Marlinton

Location of Greenbrier River Trail's Marlinton Depot in West Virginia

Location| Greenbrier County, West Virginia and Pocahontas County, West Virginia
Nearest town| Marlinton, West Virginia
Coordinates| 38°13′18″N 80°05′39″W﻿ / ﻿38.22167°N 80.09417°W﻿ / 38.22167; -80.09417
Elevation| 2,116 ft (645 m)
Established| 1980
Named for| Greenbrier River
Governing body| West Virginia Division of Natural Resources
Website| wvstateparks.com/park/greenbrier-river-trail/

The Greenbrier River Trail (GRT),[1] is a lineal state park comprising a 77.1-mile (124.1 km) rail trail between North Caldwell and Cass in eastern West Virginia.[2]

The GRT route and its contours were originally engineered by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, serving as a passenger and freight line before becoming unviable after the Great Depression. The right of way was gifted to the State of West Virginia in the late 1970s and the former railbed reopened in 1980[3] as a recreational multi-use trail.

The wheelchair-accessible trail features a hard-packed crushed-limestone surface[4] accommodating hiking, bicycling, ski-touring and horseback-riding. Access is provided at 14 trailheads.[4] The route features 16 primitive campsites (several with three-sided camping shelters),[5] 50 to 60 picnic tables,[6] and passes three state parks and two state forests.[5] As it follows the Greenbrier River, the trail drops 732 feet (223 m)[4] (north to south) along its route, crossing 35 trestles and traversing two tunnels - Droop Mountain Tunnel with a length of 409 feet (125 m) and Sharps Tunnel with a length of 500 feet (150 m).[7]

In 1999, the GRT was one of 50 trails in the United States designated a Millennium Legacy Trail.[8] In 2012, the trail was elected to the National Rail Trail Hall of Fame[6] and was named by Backpacker magazine as "one of the Top 10 hiking trails in the United States."[4]

## Background[edit]

The GRT follows portions of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway's former Greenbrier Division constructed between North Caldwell and Cass in 1899 and 1900. The route was used heavily in the 1920s for through traffic via its connection with the Western Maryland Railway at Durbin, serving quarries, sawmills and tanneries[9] as well as agricultural and livestock operations.[9] The line hit its peak peacetime tonnage in 1926.[9]

By the 1930s rail traffic waned, with the coming of improved roads[10] and the depletion of timber tracts.[9] Passenger service ended January 8, 1958,[9] and freight service ended in December 1978,[11] with the line being officially abandoned December 29, 1978.[10]

The Chesapeake and Ohio donated most of its right-of-way south of Durbin, including the land that became the Greenbrier River Trail, to the State of West Virginia on June 20, 1980.[10] A contractor for the railroad removed the track south of Cass in 1979–1980 and the state purchased the track from Cass to Durbin for its scrap value to be used by the Cass Scenic Railroad.[10]

* Marlinton trailhead

* Straight shady section of trail

* Southern entrance to Sharps Tunnel

## Trailheads[edit]

Greenbrier River Trail Trailheads with Parking[12] Trailhead  | Milepost  | Directions  | Map Coordinates

|
|
|

North Caldwell | 3.0  | 1.3 mi (2.1 km) N of US 60 on Stone House Road | 37°47′37″N 80°22′50″W﻿ / ﻿37.79361°N 80.38056°W﻿ / 37.79361; -80.38056
Harper  | 5.8  | On CR 30/3  |
Keister  | 11.1  | On CR 30/1  |
Anthony | 14.4  | On CR 21/2  |
Spring Creek  | 21.4  | On CR 13, 3.5 mi (5.6 km) east of US 219  |
Renick  | 24.5  | On Auto Road (CR 11), 0.4 mi (0.64 km) east of US 219  |
Horrock  | 29.6  | On Rorer Road (CR 7/2)  |
Beard  | 38.5  | On Beard Post Office Road (CR 31/8)  |
Burnsides  | 41.7  | On Workman Road (CR 31/3)  |
Seebert | 45.8  | at Seebert on Seebert Road (CR 27), about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of US 219 | 38°07′36″N 80°10′33″W﻿ / ﻿38.12667°N 80.17583°W﻿ / 38.12667; -80.17583
Marlinton | 56.0  | at Marlinton on WV 39 | 38°13′18″N 80°05′39″W﻿ / ﻿38.22167°N 80.09417°W﻿ / 38.22167; -80.09417
Cass | 80.4  | at Slabtown, 0.5 mi (0.80 km) S of Cass on WV 66 at Deer Creek Road | 38°23′27″N 79°55′20″W﻿ / ﻿38.39083°N 79.92222°W﻿ / 38.39083; -79.92222

## See also[edit]

* Cycling infrastructure
* Greenbrier County
* Pocahontas County
* High Bridge Trail State Park
* New River Trail State Park
* Virginia Capital Trail
* Fall Line Trail
* Virginia Creeper Trail
* Washington & Old Dominion Trail

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Flood damage closes part of Greenbrier River Trail; all other West Virginia state parks fully operational". West Virginia Department of Natural Resources.
2. ^ Greenbrier River Trail State Park web site, accessed April 19 2008
3. ^ "Greenbrier River Trail at WVencyclopedia". WVencyclopedia.
4. ^ a b c d Bob Downing (June 7, 2012). "Greenbrier River Trail great for W.Va. bikers, hikers". Charlotte Observer.
5. ^ a b Karen M. Laski (August 1, 1997). "The Trails Less Traveled". Washington Post.
6. ^ a b "Greenbrier River Trail Makes Hall of Fame". Allegheny Mountain Radio.
7. ^ McNeel, William P. "Greenbrier River." The West Virginia Encyclopedia. Ken Sullivan, editor. Charleston, WV: West Virginia Humanities Council. 2006. ISBN 0-9778498-0-5
8. ^ "Greenbrier River Trail: History". Greenbrier River Trail.
9. ^ a b c d e "Greenbrier River Trail, West Virginia". Trail Link.
10. ^ a b c d McNeel, William Price (1985). The Durbin Route. Charleston, West Virginia: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company. ISBN 0-933126-56-5.
11. ^ "Greenbrier River Trail: 77 miles of lush history". The Roanoke Times. January 31, 1998.
12. ^ "Greenbrier River Trail" (PDF). Greenbrier River Trail. West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. Retrieved June 12, 2017.

## External links[edit]

* Official website
* Greenbrier River Trail Association web page
* West Virginia Rails-to-Trails page
* Hiking and Biking Map of the Greenbrier River Trail
* Greenbrier River Watershed Association
* Greenbrier River Trail at Trailink
* HawkinsRails Greenbrier River Trail page

* v
* t
* e

Protected areas of West Virginia

Federal|

| National Parks|

* New River Gorge

|

National Historical Parks|

* Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
* Harpers Ferry

National Forests|

* George Washington and Jefferson
* Monongahela

National Recreation Areas|

* Gauley River (NPS)
* Spruce Knob–Seneca Rocks (USFS)

National Wildlife Refuges|

* Canaan Valley
* Ohio River Islands

National Trails System|

* Appalachian National Scenic Trail

National Preserves|

* New River Gorge

Wilderness Areas|

* Big Draft Wilderness
* Cranberry Wilderness
* Dolly Sods Wilderness
* Laurel Fork North Wilderness
* Laurel Fork South Wilderness
* Mountain Lake Wilderness
* Otter Creek Wilderness
* Roaring Plains Wilderness
* Spice Run Wilderness

National Rivers|

* Bluestone NSR

State|

| State parks|

* Audra
* Babcock
* Beartown
* Beech Fork
* Berkeley Springs
* Blackwater Falls
* Blennerhassett Island
* Bluestone
* Cacapon Resort
* Camp Creek
* Canaan Valley Resort
* Carnifex Ferry Battlefield
* Cass Scenic Railroad
* Cathedral
* Cedar Creek
* Chief Logan
* Droop Mountain Battlefield
* Fairfax Stone
* Greenbrier River Trail
* Hawks Nest
* Holly River
* Little Beaver
* Lost River
* Moncove Lake
* North Bend Rail Trail
* North Bend
* Pinnacle Rock
* Pipestem Resort
* Prickett's Fort
* Stonewall Jackson Lake
* Tomlinson Run
* Tu-Endie-Wei
* Twin Falls Resort
* Tygart Lake
* Valley Falls
* Watoga
* Watters Smith Memorial

Former state parks: Booker T. Washington · Grandview · Grave Creek Mound · James Rumsey Monument · Mingo Oak · Mont Chateau · Morgan Morgan Monument

|

State forests|

* Cabwaylingo
* Calvin Price
* Camp Creek
* Coopers Rock
* Greenbrier
* Kanawha
* Kumbrabow
* Seneca

Wildlife
management
areas|

* Allegheny
* Amherst-Plymouth
* Anawalt Lake
* Bear Rocks Lake
* Becky Creek
* Beech Fork Lake
* Berwind Lake
* Beury Mountain
* Big Ditch
* Big Ugly
* Bluestone
* Burches Run
* Burnsville Lake
* Castleman Run Lake
* Cecil H. Underwood
* Center Branch
* Cheat Canyon
* Chief Cornstalk
* Conaway Run Lake
* Cross Creek
* Dents Run
* Dunkard Fork
* East Lynn Lake
* Edwards Run
* Elk Creek
* Elk River
* Fairfox Pond-Rehe
* Fort Mill Ridge
* Fox Forest
* Frozen Camp
* Green Bottom
* Handley
* Hilbert
* Hillcrest
* Horse Creek
* Hughes River
* Huttonsville State Farm
* Lantz Farm and Nature Preserve
* Laurel Lake
* Lewis Wetzel
* Little Indian Creek
* McClintic
* Meadow River
* Mill Creek
* Moncove Lake
* Morris Creek
* Nathaniel Mountain
* Panther
* Pedlar
* Pleasant Creek
* Plum Orchard Lake
* Pruntytown State Farm
* R.D. Bailey Lake
* Ritchie Mines
* Sand Hill
* Shannondale Springs
* Short Mountain
* Slatyfork
* Sleepy Creek
* Smoke Camp
* Snake Hill
* South Branch
* Stonecoal Lake
* Stonewall Jackson Lake
* Stumptown
* Summersville Lake
* Tate Lohr
* Teter Creek Lake
* The Jug
* Thorn Creek
* Tug Fork
* Turkey Run
* Upper Deckers Creek
* Upper Mud River
* Valley Bend Wetlands
* Wallback
* Widmeyer
* Woodrum Lake

Other WVDNR sites|

* West Virginia State Wildlife Center

Local|

| Municipal parks|

* Cameron City Pool
* Camp Mad Anthony Wayne
* Fries Park
* James Rumsey Monument
* Magic Island
* Marland Heights Park
* Memorial Park
* Oglebay Park
* Ritter Park
* Staunton Park
* Wheeling Park

|

Non-
governmental|

| Nature
Conservancy
preserves|

* Brush Creek
* Bear Rocks
* Cranesville Swamp
* Greenland Gap
* Hungry Beech
* Ice Mountain
* Mount Porte Crayon
* Murphy
* Panther Knob
* Pike Knob
* Slaty Mountain
* Upper Shavers Fork
* Yankauer

|

* West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
* West Virginia Division of Forestry
* West Virginia Division of Natural Resources

Authority control |

* VIAF

|

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