The West Fork Trail is a 27 mile long rail-trail that runs from
Durbin WV
to the
Shavers Fork River.
The main trail is 25.7 miles long with an additional 1.3 mile spur.
It lies on the old railbed of the Coal & Iron Railroad which ran from
Elkins
to Durbin and first started service in 1903.
The first 21 miles of trail between Durbin and
Glady
are maintained by the
U.S. Forest Service.
From Durbin the trail gains elevation as it runs along the
West Fork Greenbrier River
to it's headwaters at the Lynn Divide near trail mile 17.
Then it's downhill to Glady along side the
West Fork Glady Fork River.
At Glady there is a steep road detour that takes you over
Shavers Mountain
to avoid the closed railroad tunnel.
The section of trail on the Shavers Fork side of the mountain is not maintained but is easily bikeable.
The trail ends where it meets the track from the
West Virginia Central Railroad.
This is an active rail line that is operated by the
Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad which runs the
New Tygart Flyer
along this section of the Shavers Fork River.
The
Greenbrier Junction Spur
is the additional section of rail-trail that completes the West Fork Trail. It
runs from
Cheat Junction (on the West Fork Trail) to Greenbrier Juction which is farther up along
the Shavers Fork River.
About 1.6 miles up the Shavers Fork from Greenbrier Juction are the
High Falls of the Cheat.
All information is presented without any assurance of accuracy. Use at your own risk.
Distance measurements are approximate.
All photos © 2008 J. Watson. All rights reserved.
Comments Welcomed. trails@wvbike.org
Last updated 4/25/2008
