By Allen Hamrick
The Elk River Trail Foundation, Inc. is celebrating their fourth anniversary and has a new trailhead map available in the most recent issue of Elk River Living Magazine for all who want a guide to adventure when they hit the trail.
The Elk River Trail Foundation has made many strides in advancing the Elk River trail’s popularity as well as the many opportunities to ride, hike, sightsee and just enjoy the day on one of the best trails in the state that follows along the Elk River. The trail is an opportunity to get out and enjoy the great outdoors and challenges you to get out and experience something more than work, politics and the daily grind.
West Virginia is the place to be with all of its wide open space, untamed rivers and streams, mountainous beauty with all the charm and grace of a kingdom, forgotten wilderness and trails to be rediscovered while teeming with the rich history of our state, and this Elk River Trail is no exception. If you look close enough, one can see the remnants of a time passed and hear echoes in the wind of sounds that reverberated through the hollows that once were heard regularly but are now nearly forgotten.
The trail is breath taking, to say the least. The majesty is not just the Elk, its tributaries and mountains, but nature itself wraps her arms around you and fills your lungs with a renewed passion for the outdoors. There are now benches spaced along the trail that now stretches from the trail head in Gassaway to the trail head in Hartland, a total of 73 miles. Another three and one half miles have been finished from Queen Shoals to Clendenin. The remaining trail is still in development, some 20 miles of the most scenic part of the trail. In some of the older writings it was said that when the train passed up through Elkhurst there was an abundance of breathtaking scenery. Restrooms, bicycle stations, and benches have been installed to make life a little easier for the traveler.
The company Rail Excursions plans on operating the 18 mile shunt line from Dundon this spring. It will be an added opportunity for the people who want to try their legs on a pedal car. There are some river access points along the trail if you have your fishing pole handy, which is just another one of the many opportunities to get out and enjoy. The Elk River Foundation has done a great job and will continue to do so for the folks who love to live and breathe the mountain air. The trail is waiting to be explored and the sun is coming up on a new season; don’t miss out!
