West Fork River Rail-Trail ride report

[ERT - Mike Breiding]

Greetings,
Yesterday, as Phil Yeager suggested, I started my West Fork River Rail-Trail ride in Monongah.
I got rolling at 7:30 and headed north to check out the slip, which has closed the trail. It is quite substantial, and there is no way around it.

I then headed south, with my turnaround point being Shinnston. My ride total was 22 miles.
The trail is very scenic, as most of it is wooded, and there are some nice views of the West Fork River.

The surface is variable and mixed. I have to say I have never ridden on an asphalt trail that was as rough and uneven as this one. The asphalt mix used large aggregates, which makes the surface very course. The surface is very irregular, and it appears that no grading or very rough grading was done before the asphalt was put down.
There were actually some packed limestone sections which were smoother and flatter than the paved sections.

Except for mowing, the trail shows many signs of neglect.
Some of the crossings have missing bollards that expose large holes, which are ankle breakers, and surely would throw and rider.

The crossing at Enterprise is a mess. It is washed out with debris and trash.
There are some sections where the trail has slipped and not been repaired. There are ditches that have filled in level with the trail.

There are some interpretive signs along the trail that recount the history of the once thriving communities and the industries that supported them. This was mostly coal mining related and there are a number of Acid Mine Drainage outflows that cross the trail.

I had hoped to find a bench or picnic table at Shinnston for my lunch but found none.  There is now a repair stand and restroom at Shinnston.

There are some photos here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZSQT3G8aJy8NL4Cn6

The route is here: AllTrails: West Fork River Rail-Trail

-Mike