The centerpiece
Highland Scenic Highway
The Highland Scenic Highway and the forest roads hanging off it. Over 4,500 feet of elevation, four major overlooks, and long stretches with no cars and no services.
Full guide to Highland Scenic Highway →Gravel Biking
The Monongahela National Forest road system and the county gravel network across the Allegheny front provide thousands of miles of unpaved riding with very low traffic volume. Climbs are long and sustained, and flat sections are rare. The Greenbrier River Trail runs 78 miles at under one percent grade and serves as a low-traffic connector between steeper side roads.
There are thousands of miles of forest road here, essentially no traffic, and almost no flat ground. If that sounds good, this is one of the best gravel states in the country.
The Monongahela National Forest road network carries most of the mileage, with rail-trails serving as flatter connectors.
Our recommendations
Where we'd send you
The connector
Greenbrier River Trail
The Greenbrier River Trail as a flat spine, with steep gravel side roads climbing off it whenever you want to suffer.
Full guide to Greenbrier River Trail →The best descent
Blackwater Canyon Trail
The Blackwater Canyon Trail from Thomas down to Hendricks. Ten miles of old railroad grade dropping through hemlock past waterfalls.
Full guide to Blackwater Canyon Trail →Practical note
Cell coverage across the highlands is effectively zero and forest roads close seasonally without much notice. Download offline maps, carry more food than the ride needs, and tell someone your route.
What to know before you go
- Forest service roads close seasonally — check Monongahela National Forest status
- Cell coverage is minimal across the highlands; download offline maps
- Ride with GPS and Komoot both have strong West Virginia route libraries
Regions that do it best
Rail-trails, limestone caves, gentle river paddling
Greenbrier Valley
The Greenbrier Valley sits on Greenbrier limestone, producing karst topography: sinkholes, springs, sinking streams and extensive cave systems, several with more than forty miles of surveyed passage.
Highest terrain, ski areas, wilderness backpackingPotomac Highlands
All terrain in West Virginia above 4,000 feet lies in this region, including Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet.
Ohio River islands and the North Bend Rail TrailMid-Ohio Valley
The Ohio River corridor and the counties inland from it.
Every place we cover for gravel biking
Trail · Greenbrier Valley
Greenbrier River Trail
Seventy-eight miles from Cass to Caldwell on a former Chesapeake & Ohio logging grade, crossing 35 bridges and passing through 2 tunnels, following the Greenbrier River the entire way.
78 mi length35 bridges
National Forest · Greenbrier Valley
Highland Scenic Highway
A 43-mile National Scenic Byway climbing over 4,500 feet across the Allegheny plateau between Richwood and US 219, with four major overlooks and access to Cranberry Glades, the Falls of Hills Creek and the Cranberry Wilderness.
43 mi byway4,500+ ft high point
Ski Area · Potomac Highlands
Snowshoe Mountain
The largest ski resort in the mid-Atlantic, built upside-down: the village sits at 4,848 feet on the summit ridge of Cheat Mountain and you ski down from it.
4,848 ft summit1,500 ft cupp run vertical
Trail · Potomac Highlands
Blackwater Canyon Trail
Ten miles of former railroad grade from Thomas down the Blackwater Canyon to Hendricks, dropping through hemlock and past waterfalls with the river below.
10 mi lengthDownhill north to south
Trail · Mountaineer Country
Mon River Rail-Trail System
About 48 miles of connected crushed-limestone rail-trail through Morgantown: the Caperton Trail along the riverfront downtown, the Mon River Trail running north to the Pennsylvania line and south toward Prickett's Fort, and the Deckers Creek Trail climbing 19 miles east to Reedsville.
48+ mi connected19 mi deckers creek trail
Trail · Mountain Lakes
Elk River Rail Trail
A developing rail-trail on the former Buffalo Creek & Gauley and Elk River Railroad grades, opening a long, remote corridor along the Elk between Gassaway and Clendenin.
73 mi planned corridorDeveloping status
Trail · Mid-Ohio Valley
North Bend Rail Trail
Seventy-two miles on the old Baltimore & Ohio grade from Wolf Summit to Parkersburg, passing through 13 tunnels and over dozens of bridges — the longest tunnel run of any rail-trail in the region and part of the coast-to-coast American Discovery Trail.
72 mi length13 tunnels
Trips built around it
AdvertiseThis space is available
Guides and rentals for gravel biking
Reserved for a West Virginia operator serving this activity. Everything above and below it is unpaid editorial.
List your business hereQuestions people ask
Where is the best gravel riding in West Virginia?
The Monongahela National Forest road network in Pocahontas, Randolph and Greenbrier counties, with the Greenbrier River Trail as a flat connector.
Organizations, agencies and resources · 10
The groups doing the actual work — access, maintenance, licensing and data. Starred entries are worth following continuously.
Trailforks
Platform
The most current source for West Virginia mountain bike trail status, conditions, difficulty and closures.
Visit
Snowshoe Highlands Area Recreation Collaborative (SHARC)
Nonprofit
Regional trail development around Snowshoe and Pocahontas County, home to an IMBA Ride Center designation effort.
Visit
Ride with GPS
Platform
Route planning and navigation with a strong West Virginia gravel and road route library.
Visit
Komoot
Platform
Multi-sport route planning with surface-type data useful for West Virginia gravel and mixed-terrain riding.
Visit
Greenbrier River Trail
Government
78 miles, 35 bridges and 2 tunnels along the Greenbrier River — the state's flagship rail-trail.
Visit
Strava
Platform
Useful for identifying popular running, cycling and trail routes through segment and heatmap data.
Visit
U.S. Forest Service — Monongahela National Forest
Federal
919,000 acres of public land open to hunting, dispersed camping, hiking and backcountry use.
Visit
Monongahela National Forest
Federal
919,000 acres including Dolly Sods, Otter Creek, Cranberry and Roaring Plains wilderness areas, Seneca Rocks and Spruce Knob.
Visit
North Bend Rail Trail
Government
72 miles through 13 tunnels on a former B&O grade — part of the American Discovery Trail.
Visit
Elkins–Randolph County Tourism
Government
Gateway to the central Monongahela National Forest, Otter Creek and the Cheat Mountain corridor.
Visit