Explore the best rated trails in Huntington, WV, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Elk River Trail (Coonskin Park) and Dawkins Line Rail Trail . With more than 5 trails covering 55 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
First bridge on trail from parking lot by Thomas do it center. Bridge is rotting on the edge on both sides of bridge. Its dangerous because weeds are growing hiding some of the rotten areas of bridge. Also the trail from thomas do it center to 4th avenue needs to repaved or repaired. I ride my bike on trail and it is a very bumpy ride. If I am riding from spring valley to town I usually ride 160 to town and bike trail back to spring valley. One trip riding on the trail is enough for me.
We rode 45 miles, out-and-back from Jenny's Creek TH to Tip Top Tunnel. Loved the newly-paved surface. Dogs were well-behaved, scenery gorgeous, and Gun Creek Tunnel always a treat. Only wish that Griffith Family Farm was open on Sundays (but we get that!). Did stop at the old general store in Royalton for cold drinks and ice cream. Hope they open Tip Top or do a re-route one day and pave the rest of the trail.
We had an extremely pleasant bike ride today from Swamp Branch to the Licking River (just past Jane Bashear parking area), and only saw one other being on the trail — a riderless horse! He seemed extremely trail savvy and just grunted and moved out of our way. The weather was perfect with on and off pop up showers. The pavement was nice. The Griffith Family farm at Swamp Branch supplied our picnic (and more!) and they had more kind of potato chips than I’ve ever seen.
Rode June 2024 on Tuesday, Wed. Saw very few people on trail. Did not see unrestrained dogs. Signage to call sheriff if see unrestrained dogs. The trail is paved and bridges are beautiful. Only 26 miles of trail are open because the second tunnel closed for repair. The only place on trail to purchase food and drink is Griffith Family Farm Store, but they are closed on Sunday. Jenny Wiley State Park is nearby and wonderful place to kayak, hike, and chill out at lodge, cabins, or camping.
Really beautiful trail for biking, with easy gradients. You just have to be careful with all the free roaming dogs that like to aggressively chase you. Ended up turning around half way through because dogs kept chasing me.
During a busy workweek this was my go-to ride. I ride it twice and add some riding around town in order to get at least 10 miles in. There is lots of shade on the trail. I would have two points of caution: The deer are heavy. I’ve had several cross in front of me and sustained a minor injury when I had to slam on my brakes. Secondly, there is a lack of trail etiquette from pedestrians. I put a bell on my bike but it hasn’t helped. Use caution on this trail, especially when crossing Route 93.
A very nice trail. Rode this in mid September on a Friday afternoon, on my way to see Sara Evans in the tiny little town of Clay, WV. (I know this has absolutely nothing to do with the Dawkins trail, but it is the reason I found myself in this part of the country).
I started my ride at the Jenny's Creek Trailhead, and ventured all the way to the shuttered Tip Top tunnel. The trail "ends" about 1/2 mile before the tunnel, but you can keep going to check it out. It is worth it....
The ride was pretty nice, with a great surface, and very empty. In the 45 miles or so I covered, I only encountered a few other riders.
As several others have stated, the gates are a huge problem. Not only are there too many, they are very difficult to notice. If you are accustomed to riding at a faster pace, be very careful as sometimes you can be right on top of these. The paint is faded on most of these gates, and they blend into the scenery. A couple of times I had to really stop quickly. These are in desperate need of high-visibility paint. Other than these dangerous gates, the trail is worthy of a visit.
25 miles of smooth, 9 ft wide pavement through eastern Ky landscape. Mostly shaded, Wildflowers, rocky bluffs, bridges, tunnels. Also has 44 3.5 foot wide vehicle gates to navigate, which ruined ride for me. Would love to see more historical markers on trail. Map shows locations but no obvious evidence when riding.
I love the trail! Gentle uphill & smooth ride down. The only good but bad thing is the gates are numerous to keep 4 wheelers out but they make it dangerous for we seniors whoes balance isn’t as good as it good be.
PLEASE OPEN JUST A LITTLE WIDER!!!!!
This trail is not bad but it could be so much better. It’s not in the best condition and the section from Bidwell to Kerr was completely unkept & unridable as far as I could tell. If they could fix that section and have it connect to the main trail and then somehow add some more trail along the river front, this would be a five star trail.
Rode the section from Royalton to the trail end at Hagerhill and back. 36 miles overall. Beautiful Tuesday summer day, fair amount of shade and a new asphalt surface that had us gliding along. For cyclists who don’t like to encounter other bikers, don’t care about scenic views and like a smooth well maintained trail, Dawkins is your trail. Over the 36 miles we encountered 4 cyclists, 3 wild turkeys, 1 deer and 1 squirrel. (All dogs were not near the trail and were mostly heard rather than seen.) The trail runs through a narrow valley mostly along country roads with lots modular homes and an occasional horse farm. No scenic views at all, the trestles mostly span the highways, not flowing rivers. There is more elevation change here than on most rail trails I’ve ridden which made for a fun more challenging ride. A highlight was stopping for refreshments at the Griffith Family Farm. Very friendly folks with just the pick me up we needed. One thing to note is that on the trail map Royalton is listed as a trail head. There is no trail head there. No signage, no parking area. We parked in the Dollar General lot which the manager graciously allowed. Overall we enjoyed our ride. If I lived in the area I would ride it regularly.
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