Gravel & Bikepacking

This beginner-friendly loop combines the quiet gravel of Forest Road 44 with scenic riding along the West Fork Rail Trail, offering a relaxed way to experience the forests and railroad history surrounding the town of Durbin.

The ride begins near Durbin, a small mountain community shaped by the timber and rail industries that once moved Appalachian hardwoods from these valleys to markets beyond the mountains. Today the town remains closely tied to its railroad heritage through the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, whose restored excursion trains depart from nearby stations and follow historic rail corridors through the high country of the Monongahela National Forest. From town, the route gradually transitions onto Forest Road 44, a quiet gravel road climbing gently through hardwood forests once heavily logged during the region’s early-20th-century timber boom. Remnants of that era still linger in place names like Burner and in the old rail grades that now host trails.

The return follows the West Fork Rail Trail, which traces the former rail line that once hauled timber and supplies through the valley. The trail passes through peaceful stretches of forest and open river bottom, offering glimpses of the clear waters of the West Fork of the Greenbrier River and connections to nearby rail-trail segments such as the Widney Park Rail Trail near town. In the future, this corridor could also play a key role in linking West Virginia’s growing rail-trail network — potentially connecting south to the Greenbrier River Trail at Cass and north toward the Allegheny Highlands Trail in Elkins — creating a much longer continuous car-free route across the highlands.

Conditions on the West Fork Rail Trail can vary — sections may be muddy, overgrown, or affected by equestrian use. If the trail isn’t riding well, it’s easy to convert the route into an out-and-back that sticks to Forest Road 44 instead. For a shorter loop, riders can start or reconnect at the Braucher Trailhead (see POI at mile 5.5), which links FR 44 directly to the West Fork Rail Trail.