You know those old railroad tracks that just sit there rusting?
West Virginia took one of them and did something brilliant. They turned it into a railbike adventure.
Picture a bicycle built for two, but on train tracks, winding through a lush mountain gorge.
You pedal. The rails guide you.
The river runs right alongside you the whole way. No traffic.
No noise. Just green hills and that satisfying click click click of wheels on steel.
You roll through tunnels. You cross old bridges. Waterfalls pop out of nowhere like the gorge is showing off.
Here is the best part. It feels magical but also easy. You are not racing anyone.
You are just gliding through one of the most beautiful corners of West Virginia at your own pace.
Bring a friend to help pedal. And maybe a camera.
Actually, definitely a camera.
The Historic Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad
Opened in 1904, the Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad was not built for sightseers. It was a working steam line, hauling coal and lumber across 18 miles of rugged West Virginia terrain between Dundon and Widen.
For decades, this track was the economic heartbeat of Clay County.
When the trains stopped running, the land went quiet.
The West Virginia State Rail Authority acquired this 18.6-mile stretch in November 2020, and not long after, Rail Explorers transformed it into something nobody expected: a pedal-powered adventure trail that honors the past while welcoming everyone in the present.
Riding these tracks feels different knowing their history. You can almost sense the weight of all those old freight runs beneath your wheels.
The depot at Dundon still carries that working-railroad energy, grounded and real. Starting your journey here is like stepping into a living history lesson, except this one comes with fresh mountain air and the sound of a creek running alongside you the whole way.
The Railbike Experience and REX Propulsion System
Forget everything you think you know about how hard pedaling can be. The railbikes here use an electric motor assist system called the REX Propulsion System, which means the ride stays effortless even when the scenery gets steep.
One person on the right side pedals to keep momentum going, and the motor does most of the heavy lifting from there.
Top speed caps at 15 miles per hour, which turns out to be exactly fast enough to feel the breeze and slow enough to actually enjoy every twist in the gorge. Hydraulic disc brakes keep everything smooth and controlled.
You choose between a tandem two-person railbike or a quad four-person version that fits small kids too.
The whole 12-mile round trip takes roughly two hours. That pacing feels generous rather than rushed.
There is a basket between the seats for snacks, a small bag, or whatever you need within reach. Honestly, the setup is so well thought out that even first-timers feel comfortable within the first five minutes.
The Lush Mountain Gorge and Tree Canopy
Riding through this gorge feels like the forest is putting on a private show just for you. The tree canopy closes in overhead so completely that on hot days, the temperature drops noticeably the moment you enter.
That natural shade is one of the most talked-about features of the whole experience.
Fall transforms everything into something almost unreal. The changing colors stack up along the ridgeline and reflect off the creek below, creating a layered effect that no photograph fully captures.
Spring and summer bring their own kind of lush, deep green that feels almost tropical for West Virginia.
Even on overcast days, the gorge holds its beauty without any help from sunshine. The moss-covered rock walls, the dripping ferns, and the way sound travels differently under all that canopy make each section of the route feel distinct.
No two stretches look quite the same, which keeps the two-hour journey feeling fresh from start to finish. Bring a light jacket regardless of the season.
Devil’s Sawmill Waterfall and West Virginia Waterfall Trail
One of the genuine highlights along the route is the Devil’s Sawmill Waterfall, which is an official stop on the West Virginia Waterfall Trail.
Spotting it from your railbike as it appears through the trees carries a small thrill that never really gets old no matter how many times people say they have seen waterfalls before.
The waterfall sits in a natural rock setting that frames it beautifully. The surrounding vegetation keeps it looking wild and untouched, which is part of what makes it feel like a discovery rather than a tourist attraction.
It is the kind of thing you want to photograph but also just want to sit and look at for a while.
Being part of the larger West Virginia Waterfall Trail gives this stop some serious credibility among outdoor enthusiasts. The state has no shortage of stunning water features, and making this one accessible by railbike rather than a long hike makes it approachable for a much wider range of visitors.
It earns its place on the route without any exaggeration needed.
The 1980 Train Wreck Coal Car Remnant
History has a funny way of showing up when you least expect it. Somewhere along the route, a coal car from a 1980 derailment sits right where it landed, slowly being reclaimed by the forest around it.
It is one of those details that stops you mid-pedal and makes the whole journey feel more layered.
The wreck is not staged or cleaned up for visitors. It just exists there, rusting quietly alongside the tracks where it came to rest decades ago.
Vines have started working their way across the metal, and the surrounding trees have grown up around it like the forest decided to keep it company.
Seeing it puts the age of this railroad in sharp perspective. The BC&G line has its own long story, and the coal car is a physical chapter of that story still sitting in place.
For anyone interested in industrial history or just the passage of time, this is one of the most memorable stops on the entire route. It is eerie in the best possible way.
The Sandfork Bridge Turnaround and Snack Stop
The turnaround point at Sandfork Bridge is one of those spots where everyone slows down without being asked. The bridge has its own dramatic history, having been destroyed during a 1952 coal miners strike and again in a 2016 flood before being rebuilt each time.
That kind of stubborn resilience feels very on-brand for this part of West Virginia.
The sandbar along Buffalo Creek right at the turnaround is perfect for stretching legs and pulling out whatever snacks you packed in the railbike basket. Chairs are set up nearby, and the whole atmosphere shifts from active adventure to relaxed creek-side break.
It is a natural pause that the route genuinely earns.
Staff members manage the turnaround smoothly, rotating railbikes around for the return trip while riders take their time. Arriving at the front of the group means more time at the sandbar before heading back.
Either way, the stop feels generous and unhurried. Eating a snack by that creek with the bridge overhead and the gorge walls rising on both sides is a moment worth savoring slowly.
Unique Rock Formations and Honeycomb Cliffs
The geology along this route deserves its own category of appreciation. High rock cliffs rise up along sections of the gorge, and the honeycomb formations carved into some of those walls look like something an artist spent years designing.
They are completely natural, shaped by water and time in ways that feel almost too precise to be accidental.
Riding past them slowly enough to actually study the surface patterns is one of the quiet rewards of the railbike pace. A faster vehicle would blur all of this into background noise.
At 15 miles per hour or less, every textured wall and mossy overhang gets its moment.
The cliffs also change the light in interesting ways. Some sections of the trail run so close to the rock face that the gorge narrows and the sky shrinks to a thin ribbon above you.
Then the trail opens back up and the full canopy returns. That rhythm of tight and open, shadowed and bright, gives the route a natural sense of drama that keeps the whole experience feeling alive from beginning to end.
The Gift Shop, Pepperoni Rolls, and Snack Culture
West Virginia pepperoni rolls have a devoted following, and the small gift shop at the Rail Explorers depot sells them. Grabbing one before the ride has become something of a ritual for returning visitors.
They are soft, a little salty, and genuinely satisfying in the way that simple regional food almost always is.
The gift shop also stocks seat cushions, which multiple riders describe as essential rather than optional. The railbike seats are firm and the tracks are bumpy, so ten dollars for a cushion is money well spent before the first mile.
Phone lanyards and other practical items are available there too.
Bringing your own snacks in the railbike basket is fully encouraged. The turnaround stop at the creek is purpose-built for eating something good while sitting somewhere beautiful.
Packing a small spread of local snacks, fruit, or a sandwich turns that rest stop into a proper picnic. Food always tastes better when you have earned it by riding through a mountain gorge to get there.
That is just a fact.
Family Accessibility, Wildlife, and the Elk River Trail System
One of the most genuinely impressive things about this experience is how accessible it is across ages and physical abilities. Visitors ranging from young children to people in their late seventies have completed the full 12-mile round trip without issue.
The electric assist does the hard work so that everyone can focus on the scenery instead of the effort.
Wildlife sightings happen regularly along the route. The gorge corridor is quiet enough that animals do not always scatter before riders arrive.
Deer, birds, and other creatures turn up in ways that feel unscripted and genuinely exciting, especially for younger riders who might not otherwise spend much time in wild spaces.
The broader Elk River Trail System State Park, of which this rail trail is a part, will eventually offer 72 miles of connected trails. That larger vision makes the railbike experience feel like the beginning of something rather than a standalone attraction.
Rail Explorers has drawn visitors from all 50 states and 25 countries in its first partial season alone, which says something real about what Clay County has quietly built here.
Address: 874 Buffalo Creek Rd, Clay, WV
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