Rails to Trails Recommendations - Northeast US
06-20-19, 06:08 PM
#26
Bikes are okay, I guess.
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Greenbrier River Trail in WV, about 80 miles long from Lewisburg in the south to Cass in the north, basically just across and paralleling the VA state line.
06-20-19, 06:09 PM
#27
Every day a winding road
The Greenbrier Trail in West Virginia is very good. Plus you get a bonus of a very unique railway in Cass and the radio telescope center in nearby Green \bank. Allegheny River in western PA is very good. A bit short but a very nice ride if you are in the area. Two tunnels. Bring a good light.
Western PA has lots of good smaller trails like the Ghost Town Trail and the Pine Creek Trail.
Sorry but I have to give a thumbs down to the C&O. Worth a ride if you are in the are in the area.. Certainly the Paw Paw Tunnel and Great Falls is absolutely awesome. But the trail seems to be in a constant state of detour. But still worth a look if you happen to be riding the GAP which always seems to be in much better condition.
Western PA has lots of good smaller trails like the Ghost Town Trail and the Pine Creek Trail.
Sorry but I have to give a thumbs down to the C&O. Worth a ride if you are in the are in the area.. Certainly the Paw Paw Tunnel and Great Falls is absolutely awesome. But the trail seems to be in a constant state of detour. But still worth a look if you happen to be riding the GAP which always seems to be in much better condition.
06-20-19, 06:14 PM
#28
Every day a winding road
No reason why the paths can't be used for emergency access by motorized vehicle today.
Of course there are exceptions. The GAP for example. I could see a need for another rail line running through that path again. Would never want to see it go but still. There are a couple of trails in Washington State that I think might be able to be reverted to rail.
Last edited by spinnaker; 06-20-19 at 06:17 PM.
06-21-19, 04:00 AM
#30
Senior Member
We just did a 4 day inn-to-inn supported ride on the Delaware and Lehigh and Delaware and Raritan Rail Trails in NE PA and NJ. You can do about 150 miles on the D&L, we did 14 miles on the D&R as well, not sure how long it is. The D&L has a few well documented gaps.
You can see my CycleBlaze journal here. We've also done Pine Creek, the D&L is right up there with it on scenic beauty but lends itself to credit card style touring better - more towns with lodging choices on or very near to the trail.
You can see my CycleBlaze journal here. We've also done Pine Creek, the D&L is right up there with it on scenic beauty but lends itself to credit card style touring better - more towns with lodging choices on or very near to the trail.
06-21-19, 05:08 AM
#31
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I just rode a round trip on the eastern half of the 63 mile long Northern Rail Trail between Boscawen NH and Fall River VT. I rode from Boscawen (just north of Concord NH) to Danbury NH (about the midpoint). Very flat for the most part, really well-packed gravel. Very rural, and the old rail line was built on a very interesting narrow ridge, so in a lot of sections you have a really great view in either direction. Definitely wear bug spray or don't stop on the path. I haven't seen that many mosquitoes in decades. There's a really well-preserved train depot along the way complete with telegraph office that's a pretty nifty museum.
06-21-19, 12:57 PM
#32
Fredly Fredster
The Greenbrier Trail in West Virginia is very good. Plus you get a bonus of a very unique railway in Cass and the radio telescope center in nearby Green \bank. Allegheny River in western PA is very good. A bit short but a very nice ride if you are in the area. Two tunnels. Bring a good light.
Western PA has lots of good smaller trails like the Ghost Town Trail and the Pine Creek Trail.
Sorry but I have to give a thumbs down to the C&O. Worth a ride if you are in the are in the area.. Certainly the Paw Paw Tunnel and Great Falls is absolutely awesome. But the trail seems to be in a constant state of detour. But still worth a look if you happen to be riding the GAP which always seems to be in much better condition.
Western PA has lots of good smaller trails like the Ghost Town Trail and the Pine Creek Trail.
Sorry but I have to give a thumbs down to the C&O. Worth a ride if you are in the are in the area.. Certainly the Paw Paw Tunnel and Great Falls is absolutely awesome. But the trail seems to be in a constant state of detour. But still worth a look if you happen to be riding the GAP which always seems to be in much better condition.
06-22-19, 06:05 AM
#33
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06-22-19, 10:22 AM
#34
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GPS works, it’s cell service that doesn’t, due to the radio blackout area in effect for the radio astronomy facility in Greenbank. A stand-alone GPS works as do maps cached on a cell phone. Not sure if they make you shut your phone down in the valley anymore.
06-22-19, 11:57 AM
#35
Fredly Fredster
Greenbrier is the only rail trail I've had issues with GPS and service. There's parts of Creeper trail where cell service goes out...but GPS still works.
Last edited by DomaneS5; 06-22-19 at 12:07 PM.
06-22-19, 12:33 PM
#36
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I had a Verizon sim card on Samsung Galaxy with Straight Talk service through Walmart. The GPS went out about 2 miles into the ride (MapMyRide app).... Anthony trail head riding north.
Greenbrier is the only rail trail I've had issues with GPS and service. There's parts of Creeper trail where cell service goes out...but GPS still works.
Greenbrier is the only rail trail I've had issues with GPS and service. There's parts of Creeper trail where cell service goes out...but GPS still works.
A relevant test might be to see if the GPS works if you take the SIM card out and delete any wifi networks.
06-22-19, 12:42 PM
#37
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I had a Verizon sim card on Samsung Galaxy with Straight Talk service through Walmart. The GPS went out about 2 miles into the ride (MapMyRide app).... Anthony trail head riding north.
Greenbrier is the only rail trail I've had issues with GPS and service. There's parts of Creeper trail where cell service goes out...but GPS still works.
Greenbrier is the only rail trail I've had issues with GPS and service. There's parts of Creeper trail where cell service goes out...but GPS still works.
The whole length of the Greenbrier Trail is lit up brightly on Stava Heat Map. That can only happen if people have recorded the ride as they were using Strava and had GPS reception.
Last edited by Kapusta; 06-22-19 at 01:17 PM.
06-22-19, 01:36 PM
#38
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I had a Verizon sim card on Samsung Galaxy with Straight Talk service through Walmart. The GPS went out about 2 miles into the ride (MapMyRide app).... Anthony trail head riding north.
Greenbrier is the only rail trail I've had issues with GPS and service. There's parts of Creeper trail where cell service goes out...but GPS still works.
Greenbrier is the only rail trail I've had issues with GPS and service. There's parts of Creeper trail where cell service goes out...but GPS still works.
06-22-19, 10:05 PM
#39
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Pine Creek FTW! Saw a young bear when I did it in 2017 as part of a cross-PA tour. Wellsboro has streets lit with gas mantle lamps. Ludwig’s B&B looked cute.
07-05-19, 08:42 AM
#40
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I did a couple of day rides on the New River trail. Like the GAP trail, it's crushed stone, which is different from gravel. Crushed stone packs down solid --maintained trails can be fast and smooth. But there's always a few sections where it's looser, so wider tires let you ride without having to keep a sharp lookout all the time on the trail surface.
I rode 38mm smooth tread tires on the GAP trail, and that was very nice, fast rolling and good grip. I think knobs just slow the bike down a little -- they are okay, but not needed on crushed stone rail trails.
New River Trail
I like the GAP trail more -- the scenery along the GAP trail is more varied and the towns are interesting. The New River Trail was an easy, enjoyable ride, with only occasional other riders passing by. I rode it in the fall, that was nice. I'm remembering riding through a lot of shady wooded sections, with the river in view most of the time. There's a few interesting remnants of the old railroad equipment, a few small towns with limited amenities, and a section where the river cuts through a mountain ridge with interesting rock formations. A pleasant ride.
GAP trail
There's also other short trails nearby to the GAP trail that can make nice out-and-back day rides. I plan to visit the GAP trail again, I really liked it.
VA Creeper Trail
I really like climbing it on a weekday. The slower climbing speeds give me time to see all the great scenery, and I stop along the way quite a bit to check out rocky whitewater scenes, and views from the bridges. Descending, I need to pay attention to the trail surface.
A couple of years ago, I did a round trip and the downhill part to Damascus from Whitetop had some washboard sections and quite a few larger rounded rocks embedded in the trail. My arms and shoulders were quite beat up from the rough surfaces. Perhaps that was just a late season deterioration?
I rode 38mm smooth tread tires on the GAP trail, and that was very nice, fast rolling and good grip. I think knobs just slow the bike down a little -- they are okay, but not needed on crushed stone rail trails.
New River Trail
I like the GAP trail more -- the scenery along the GAP trail is more varied and the towns are interesting. The New River Trail was an easy, enjoyable ride, with only occasional other riders passing by. I rode it in the fall, that was nice. I'm remembering riding through a lot of shady wooded sections, with the river in view most of the time. There's a few interesting remnants of the old railroad equipment, a few small towns with limited amenities, and a section where the river cuts through a mountain ridge with interesting rock formations. A pleasant ride.
GAP trail
There's also other short trails nearby to the GAP trail that can make nice out-and-back day rides. I plan to visit the GAP trail again, I really liked it.
VA Creeper Trail
I really like climbing it on a weekday. The slower climbing speeds give me time to see all the great scenery, and I stop along the way quite a bit to check out rocky whitewater scenes, and views from the bridges. Descending, I need to pay attention to the trail surface.
A couple of years ago, I did a round trip and the downhill part to Damascus from Whitetop had some washboard sections and quite a few larger rounded rocks embedded in the trail. My arms and shoulders were quite beat up from the rough surfaces. Perhaps that was just a late season deterioration?
I def want to get back up there and ride the Creeper, I've run a small section of it and it was really nice.
Hope it wasn't one of you guys that had the KOM.
07-05-19, 10:16 AM
#41
Full Member
Greenbrier river trail
No has mentioned the greenbrier river trail, runs from Lewisburg WV to Cass WV, which is a few miles from Snowshoe. 89 miles of rails to trails, good places to stay in Marlinton
07-05-19, 10:52 AM
#42
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How would you propose addressing the property rights issues? For example: A railroad has only an easement for a portion of right of way. Upon abandonment of the railroad’s common carrier obligation, the easement is extinguished, allowing the successor in title to use the section of property formerly subject to the easement. You would prevent the property owner from using its property permanently?
07-08-19, 09:38 PM
#43
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We actually chose the Greenbrier River Trail, mainly because we chose to stay a little closer to home. It was an amazing 80 mile trail with about a 1% grade, and Marlinton has a wonderful B&B called Locust Hill that offers shuttle service. I highly recommend both!
Thanks again for all the recommendations, hopefully we all discovered a new trail within this conversation...and I'll be referring back to it in the future!
Thanks again for all the recommendations, hopefully we all discovered a new trail within this conversation...and I'll be referring back to it in the future!
