Greenbrier River Trail Headed to Rail-Trail Hall of Fame - Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, Sports

The Greenbrier River Trail will join the ranks of one of the premier rail-trails in America. 

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is inducting the trail, a West Virginia State Park, into the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame on June 2.

"This celebration of the Greenbrier River Trail recognizes the importance of the trail to the residents and businesses of Greenbrier and Pocahontas counties," said Jake Lynch of the Conservancy.

The induction is scheduled to coincide with National Trails Day events across the country.

The public is invited to attend a short Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Marlinton, followed by a barbecue lunch with live local music and a guided ride and walk along the trail. 

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be at 1 p.m. at the Ninth Street Trailhead in Marlinton. The barbecue lunch will be at 1:30 p.m. at the Marlinton Park Gazebo on First Avenue for those attending the ceremonies. 

West Virginia State Parks will lead a guided ride and the Pocahontas Nature Club will lead a guided walk along the trail and will leave the Ninth Street Trailhead at 3 p.m. 

The event is a cooperative effort of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Friends of the Greenbrier River Trail, West Virginia State Parks, Greenbrier River Trail, the Greenbrier County Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Pocahontas County Convention & Visitors Bureau. 

To attend the event and lunch, or for information, contact Cara Rose, executive director of the Pocahontas County Convention & Visitors Bureau, at crose@pocahontascountywv.com or by phone at 304-799-4636.

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy began formally recognizing exemplary rail-trails around the country in 2007. Inductees are selected on merits such as scenic value, high use, trail and trailside amenities, historical significance, excellence in management and maintenance of facility, community connections and geographic distribution. 

Hall of Fame rail-trails are awarded special signage along the trail, are featured as a Trail of the Month on Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's website, and are highlighted in Rails to Trails magazine.

"I rode the Greenbrier River Trail when I was younger, and it was truly one of the formative experiences of my life," said Kelly Pack, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Director of Trail Development and a native West Virginian. "It is one of the great West Virginian adventures, and its accessibility for people of all ages is very important. It is tremendous to see that such a strong community has formed around the trail, brought together by a genuine affection for the trail and the river, but also an understanding of how important it is to the residents and businesses it connects."