Recap: Greenbrier River Trail Bikepacking Adventure
What we planned for 8-12 people
Lunch in Lewisburg before starting. Either at a restaurant (Last time we ate at https://bellacinos.com/ or bring something from home/takeout at the trailhead.
Day 1 - Ride to camp at MM 28. There is water at this campsite. If its full, there is a smaller site at mile 32 and a huge one at mile 34 (the one we will use on the ride back). Those are dry, so we would pick up water at the previous site. Dinner in camp.
Day 2 - Breakfast in camp. Ride 52 miles to Cass. Lunch stop in Marlinton (several restaurant choices). Last time we ate at Dirtbean on the way up and Greenbrier Grill on the way back. There is also a convenience store about half way between camp and lunch. After lunch there is pretty much nothing until Cass. There is one good water pump in that stretch. Dinner at Last Run restaurant in Cass.
Day 3 - Breakfast at Last Run restaurant in Cass. Ride 46 miles to campsite, with a lunch stop at Marlinton. The campsite is dry, so we will stop at Jack Horner's corner in Seebert about 11 miles before camp to get water. Dinner in camp.
Day 4 - Breakfast in camp. Ride 34 miles back to the start. Lunch in Lewisburg, or just hit the highway.
What transpired (the highlights)
We rented a company house in Cass through WV State Parks for 12 people but only 6 people could make it. Group consisted of Amy D, Nick T, Pete D, Tim C, Mark L, and Ray G. Trail note: The southern trailhead starts at mile 3 of the trail so the mile markers along the way are inconsistent from the actual mileage ridden, i.e. mile marker 6 is roughly at 3 miles of riding.
Pack list is at the bottom of the page.
Gear note: Tim rode his Orbea e-bike and was able to power the whole trip with an extra battery and stops along the way to charge. This is no way slowed us or him down on the trip.
Day 1 - 25.4 miles. Overnight parking is available at the southern trailhead. Within a few miles of the start Pete tried to bunnyhop a washout and grabbed a loose brake lever instead of the handlebar and slid out without any injury. We saw a lots of herons along the river as we headed north. It was sunny and in the 80’s with some humidity. As we neared our campsite at mile 25.4 (marked as 28.5 on map) we got hit by a rainstorm with hail. The lower campsite was occupied by horseman so we huddled under the eaves of the pit toilet waiting for the rain to end. We cracked open the bourbon to stay warm. Rain stopped after 30 minutes and we setup camp in upper campsite. After dinner in camp some of the group played cards at the picnic table. I heard some complaints about rules changing during game play. Animal sightings included egrets, herons and deer hanging out across the river. As the sun set we hung our food in the tree but quickly realized that the paracord cut through branch stranding our bags. We learned how much paracord can hold when Mark decided to grab the stick holding the bags, yank downward and ended up swinging out over the hill and landing at the bottom of the hill while successfully dislodging one set of bags. He ended up having the paracord wrapped around his leg. That was the good news. The bad news was the second set of bear bags that ended up being stuck. We left them hanging to deal with in the morning.
Day 2 - 53.1 miles. Mark repeated his performance from the prior evening by falling down the hill while dislodging the second set of bear bags. No injuries for either episode. We ate breakfast in camp and noticed a beaver swimming along the shore next to our camp. We broke camp and headed out. Over the next few miles we encountered a downed tree, Droop Mountain Tunnel and a juvenile bear ran across the trail in from of us. In Marlinton we stopped at Dirtbean for lunch and coffee. Most of us tried their mahi-mahi and ahi tuna tacos. Pete got two pizzas and the chef claimed they were overcooked so he ended up with two extra pizzas. The extra pizzas ended up being carried along for snacks. The food and drinks at Dirtbean are really good and are worth the stop. Sharp’s Tunnel was our next stop before Clover Lick Depot. At the depot we parked our bikes and walked down to the river and sat under the bridge. A big bald eagle flew over us as we relaxed with our feet in the water. A thunderstorm passed north of us and Peter challenged a pair of fawns to a duel before we headed out. Both deer declined. At Cass we checked in at the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park building and picked up some ice cream before heading to the house. For dinner we ordered pizza and walked the short distance over to the Route 66 Restaurant across the bridge. The restaurant is also a convenience store so we picked up drinks for dinner. Pizza and drinks on the porch ended a nice day. Route note: The Green Bank Observatory is nearby for those inclined for more adventure.
Day 3 - 47.5 miles. Once again we walked over to Route 66 and grabbed breakfast sandwiches and coffee to go. Before we left the house we cleaned our chains and for some reason Mark handed out his old underwear for wiping off the chain. I politely declined. The temps had dropped overnight and the valley was foggy as we rolled but through the morning the sun emerged and we had beautiful weather. We passed Clover Lick Depot and Sharp’s Tunnel before stopping in Marlinton for lunch. DirtBean is closed on Sunday so we headed to Greenbrier Grill. It was packed to the gills with people so we called in our order and sat outside next to the river. The food is nowhere near as good as DirtBean which is closed on Sundays. When we ride this again we plan to grab snacks in Marlinton and stick it out until Jack Horners Corner Store in Seebert.
We stopped for bulk water at Jack Horners before heading to the campsite and sat on the porch and lawn while we ate ice cream. The store sells sandwiches, pizza, bicycle repair items and the people are really nice. Outside of the store a local offered us some beer for the trail and we talked about fishing, his dog and moonshine. We stopped for a break in the shade and drank our beer. During this stop Amy told a joke to me and I sincerely thought I was having a stroke. I didn’t understand that the joke was on me as there was no punchline, but we rode that laugh for miles.
Back on the trail we passed Watoga which is a ghost town where we climbed through the weeds to see old vault ruin. The sun was out when we got to camp and we setup up camp quickly so that we could jump in the river to cool off. An osprey flew overhead and Nick and Amy climbed up to look inside a cave. Dinner in camp included more card playing and we had a failed attempt at a campfire due to a faulty firepit installation and that’s the story we are sticking to. After the sun set we waited for the Sturgeon Moon and headed to the river to see it rise. I slipped and ended up standing in the river. Overnight the chipmunks were chirping and throwing nuts from the trees. The screech owl caused even more chatter amongst the rodents.
Day 4 - 30.4 miles. Breakfast in camp before breaking down gear. It was again foggy as we rolled out and it soon cleared up. We passed through the Droop Mountain Tunnel and kept rolling south. Around 12 miles to the end we stopped and climbed down to the river to put our feet in the water while we sat in the sun. An osprey flew overhead as we talked. We returned to the trailhead and after packing we bid farewell to the group before heading to Lewisburg for lunch. Thunderbird Tacos and Wild Bean Coffee are in the same building and worth the stop. Really good food and drink.
Select photos from Amy
Packlist for my Salsa Fargo
Arkel Handlebar Bag
Nemo Equipment 45-degree quilt in stuff sack
Bag – Hiking Shorts/Wool Shirt/Wool underwear/Swimsuit/Extra wool socks
Food in Ursack (in Odor Free Bag) inside drybag
(2) Dinner meal
(2) Dehydrated breakfast packs
(8) Coffee packs
Arkel Front Pocket
Hand Cleaner/dry soap
Long spoon in bag
Camp headlamp (check batteries)
Wallet/Cash/ID/Med card/Debit Card
Electronics in bag
Battery
cables for iPhone and Garmin
charging plug
Porcelain Rocket Frame Bag
Tent Poles & (11) Stakes
Hygiene – in Orange dry bag
Camp wipes (3 packs)
Tylenol/Imodium/Sleeping pill/Med Pills/Ear plugs
Toothbrush&paste/Deodorant
Camp towel/camp soap
First aid kit
Flask with Bourbon
Pump
Extra tube
Lock
Feedbag L
Bottle (three bottles total including bottles on forks)
Feedbag R
Camera/cellphone
J-paks top tube bar – snacks
Snacks - honey stinger products/bars/gels - 1 per 10 miles of riding was too much.
Left Fork - Front
Salsa Anything Bag
Sea to Summit X-set 11 kit in mesh bag
Soto stove inside Ti double walled mug
Sea to Summit Clothesline
Paracord
Hook
Left/Right Fork - Back
Water bottle (total of 2 bottles)
Right Fork - Front
Salsa Anything Bag
Klymit Static V2 Sleeping pad
Big Agnes Pillow
Sea to Summit silk liner
Seat to Summit Inflatable seat
SKS Toolbox - Under BB bottle cage
Muc-Off Bottle(s) of lube
Tools in bag
Derailleur hanger
Chain links
Multitool
Park boot
Zip ties
Velcro strap
Rear Blinkie Light (charge it)
Ortlieb Saddle Bag – 16L
Big Agnes Fly Creek HV 2 Platinum Tent & Footprint
Outdoor Research Helium II
Sandals in dry bag
Floating
Bike shoes
Gloves/ Dew rag
Helmet
GPS
Olympus TG-5 Camera
