The Greenbrier River Trail (GRT), is a lineal

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

comprising a

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetc ...

between North Caldwell and

Cass Cass may refer to: People and fictional characters * Cass (surname), a list of people * Cass (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Big Cass, ring name of wrestler William Morrissey * Cass, in British band Skunk Anansie * Ca ...

in eastern

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...

.Greenbrier River Trail State Park web site, accessed April 19 2008
/ref> The GRT route and its contours were originally engineered by the

Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P. Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Richmond t ...

, serving as a passenger and freight line before becoming unviable after the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. The right of way was gifted to the State of West Virginia in the late 1970s and the former railbed reopened in 1980 as a recreational multi-use trail. The wheelchair-accessible trail features a hard-packed crushed-limestone surface accommodating

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

bicycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

, ski-touring and horseback-riding. Access is provided at 14 trailheads. The route features 16 primitive campsites (several with three-sided camping shelters), 50 to 60 picnic tables, and passes three state parks and two state forests. As it follows the

Greenbrier River The Greenbrier River is a tributary of the New River, long,McNeel, William P. "Greenbrier River." ''The West Virginia Encyclopedia''. Ken Sullivan, editor. Charleston, WV: West Virginia Humanities Council. 2006. . in southeastern West Virgin ...

, the trail drops (north to south) along its route, crossing 35 trestles and traversing two tunnelsDroop Mountain Tunnel with a length of and Sharps Tunnel with a length of .McNeel, William P. "Greenbrier River." ''The West Virginia Encyclopedia''. Ken Sullivan, editor. Charleston, WV: West Virginia Humanities Council. 2006. In 1999, the GRT was one of 50 trails in the United States designated a ''Millennium Legacy Trail''. In 2012, the trail was elected to the National Rail Trail Hall of Fame and was named by Backpacker magazine as "one of the Top 10 hiking trails in the United States."

Background

The GRT follows portions of the

'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 The Western Maryland Railway was an American Class I railroad (1852–1983) which operated in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. It was primarily a coal hauling and freight railroad, with a small passenger train operation. The WM beca ...

at Durbin, serving quarries, sawmills and tanneries as well as agricultural and livestock operations. The line hit its peak peacetime tonnage in 1926. By the 1930s rail traffic waned, with the coming of improved roads and the depletion of timber tracts. Passenger service ended January 8, 1958, and freight service ended in December 1978, with the line being officially abandoned December 29, 1978. 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. 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. Image:G R T 2004 Marlinton Trailhead.JPG, Marlinton trailhead Image:G R T 2004 Trail Long Straight.JPG, Straight shady section of trail File:Greenbrier River Trail - Sharps Tunnel Southern Entrance.jpg, Southern entrance to Sharps Tunnel

Trailheads

References

External links

*
Greenbrier River Trail Association web pageWest Virginia Rails-to-Trails pageHiking and Biking Map of the Greenbrier River TrailGreenbrier River Watershed AssociationGreenbrier River Trail at Trailink
{{authority control Protected areas of Greenbrier County, West Virginia Protected areas of Pocahontas County, West Virginia Rail trails in West Virginia State parks of West Virginia Transportation in Greenbrier County, West Virginia Transportation in Pocahontas County, West Virginia Long-distance trails in the United States

Background

Trailheads

See also

References

External links