Ride 9: West Virginia
The Mountain State
State: West Virginia (#9)
Area: Morgantown
Route: Deckers Creek Trail, Capteron Trail, (South) Mon River Trail
Final Mileage: 50.13
Date: October 17, 2021
It took until our ninth ride to finally visit a state that is only within an hour’s drive of both of us: West Virginia. And the timing couldn’t have worked out better. As part of his medical residency, Alex did two, 4-month stints at one of the state’s VA hospitals, including in fall 2021, when the weather and scenery were perfect for doing a ride there.
Because of our proximity to the state, we had the luxury of not only taking our time to find the perfect destination for this ride but also waiting for the best time of year to do it: peak fall. We ultimately landed on Morgantown, a scenic, northern mountain town that is home to West Virginia University and an abundance of tasty eats and drinks. Most importantly, it has nearly 50 miles of (mostly) paved trails that extend outward from the town center, which we used to construct our route for this ride.
Our time in Morgantown was shorter than we’d have liked—we arrived on a Saturday afternoon, set out for our ride early Sunday morning, and were on our way home by Sunday afternoon. But we still managed to squeeze a lot out of it while there, starting with a round of disc golf at Dorsey’s Knob Park.
Afterward, we headed to town to check into our room at the swanky $60/night Econo Lodge (we only shell out for top-tier accommodations on these trips). We then spent the rest of the afternoon and evening exploring Morgantown, including having drinks at two hip breweries—Chestnut Brewery Works and Morgantown Brewing Company—and dinner at a quaint riverside restaurant called Table 9 in the Wharf District. As we explored this area and the town’s Main Street in the afternoon and evening, the place was hopping, with a beer festival in the downtown area, a thriving bar scene, and live music on the riverfront that continued into Sunday.
The next morning, we ventured back down to the Wharf area, where we kicked off our ride on the Caperton Trail.
What followed on this crisp fall day was a mix of mountainside views and vast stretches of farmland (with some occasional strip-mining mixed in) that provided the backdrop for this gorgeous ride.
The bulk of the route—nearly 40 miles—was on Deckers Creek Trail, which wound its way eastward toward the town of Reedsville and offered some of the prettiest views of the day. Here’s a look at some of the sights on the way out:
And on the way back to Morgantown:
As always, we love having friends join us on these adventures wherever possible. This time, one of Alex’s med school buddies, Anthony, drove down from Pittsburgh (only about 1.5 hours away) and rode with us for the final 10 miles.
After we hit the 50-mile mark and packed up our gear, we went out to Mountain State Brewing for celebratory food and drinks. Before we knew it, we were back on the country roads, taking us home. (You didn’t think we’d get through this whole post without a John Denver reference, did you?)
West Virginia was hands down one of the prettiest rides we have done to date. And, after our epic adventure in New York earlier in the year, this one thankfully came with far less drama! Morgantown is a gem of a town, and West Virginia is stunningly beautiful. In fact, you might say it’s...almost heaven.
