West Virginia's Allegheny Highlands Trail: Recreational Railroad Tracks

A 24.5-mile-long trail, once an old railroad track, has been converted into a usable trail for recreation. The Allegheny Highlands Trail in West Virgina runs through the two counties of Tucker and Randolph.

The trail is used for biking, hiking, jogging, cross country skiing, in-line skating, and equestrian. It is also wheelchair accessible for handicapped individuals. The trail is made out of asphalt and crushed rock. It has numerous parking areas along the trail for vehicles to load and unload. You can get additional information about the area by using Google search.

The Mountain State trail, that was helped developed by the West Virginia Division of Highways, begins in Elkins on an asphalt surface and heads north. The first twelve miles runs along highway 219. It is shadowed for the first 12 miles by the Leading Creek. The trail runs through undeveloped farmlands, hillsides, wetlands, and forests. It even goes through part of the Monongahela National Forest.

There are five trailheads along the way. They are located in the towns of Gilman, Kerens, Montrose, Parsons, and Porterwood. All of these offer parking facilities.

As you proceed north you cross wooded peaks like Bearlick Knob, Pheasant Mountain, and Polecat Knob. The trail remains level until you reach a slight upgrade going into Porterwood. It tapers off there along the Shavers Fork River going into the town of Parsons. In 1985, Parsons was devastated by a flood and has slowly been recovering since. From Parsons, the trail covers a few more miles on paved surface along the Blackfork River. It reaches Hendricks where the trail ends.

However, once you reach Hendricks, there is another trail called the Blackwater Canyon Trail. This is a 10 mile trek for bikers up a hilly terrain. It is a huff and puff climb to an elevation of 1300 feet and reaches the small town of Thomas. No matter how you get there, the town of Thomas is a trip worth making. Thomas specializes in Appalachian arts and crafts. It also has a coffeehouse called the Purple Fiddle. There on weekend evenings, they feature music.

Mountain Trail Rides provide horses for horseback riding as well. There are also canoing, tubing, and rafting available for the many different rivers and streams.

A new sport that has been gaining in popularity is geocaching. The game involves using GPS units to find caches within 20 feet. the caches are hidden but, never buried. Visit geocaching.com and type in the zip code 26241. That is the zip code for the Allegheny Highlands Trail. You can also type in the ID code of GC1C9YW in the "View a Cache listing" box. This will bring up a list of caches along the trail.

However, you won't need a GPS to catch the scenic views along the trail. They are so numerous that you will find yourself looking at the scenery instead of the trail. some individuals like to use their GPS units to keep their minds sharp. If do geocaching on the trail, a rule of thumb is that you take something from a cache, you leave something in return.

You can locate a map of the trail and more information about the Allegheny Highlands Trail by going to their web site at www.highlandstrail.org . The trail is well maintained. However, there are times when an abundance of leaves can cause small inconveniences.

So pack your backpacks, checkout your gear, and hit the trail of the Allegheny Highlands.

Sources:

http://www.railtrails.org/newsandpubs/trailofthemonth/index.html
http://www.highlandstrail.org/
http://www.geocaching.com/
http://www.mountaintrailrides.com/
http://www.monongahela.worldweb.com/