I first discovered the Allegheny Trail through one of my friends. I was telling him about my goal of thru-hiking (a term used for long-distance backpacking) the Pacific Crest Trail, and he shared with me that he had recently thru-hiked the Allegheny Trail. As a native Californian, I had never heard of the Allegheny Trail until this conversation, and there are not many places that were “unknown” to me. While hiking other trails, I noticed that many in West Virginia seem to be untouched and cleaner than in California; the trails here make you feel like you are truly in nature, away from civilization.
The Allegheny Trail is about 288 miles, and it goes from Bruceton Hills, WV (near the Pennsylvania border) to the Southern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail (near the Virginia border). Unlike most long-distance trails, construction on the Allegheny Trail started in 1975, whereas construction on the Appalachian Trail started in 1925. The Allegheny Trail is still in the process of being built, and when it is finished it will be a total of 330 miles. This trail passes through 3 state parks, 4 state forests, 2 national wilderness areas, 2 national forests, and 6 counties. Here in Elkins, West Virginia, our closest access point to the Allegheny Trail is in Bowden, WV off US-33, about 20 minutes from town.
To learn more about the trail, I interviewed my friend, a local high schooler who hiked it over the summer.
- How did you find out about the trail?
- He first learned about the trail from one of his friends in late May of 2020, and he quickly became interested in hiking a majority of the trail later that summer. Both him and his friend had attended the same summer backpacking camp a few years earlier, so when he was asked if he wanted to join him, he couldn’t turn down the offer.
- What inspired you to hike it?
- He has been a Cub/Boy Scout for most of his life, which has led him on many camping and backpacking trips. One of those trips was a week-long backpacking camp near Spruce Knob—a trail that is about 35 miles away from Elkins. This trip spiked his interest in long-distance backpacking trips, like the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail.
- How long did it take you?
- It took them a total of 25 days to hike from the Virginia border near White Sulphur Springs to the Pennsylvania Border near Bruceton Mills. While on the trail they took one “zero day,” which is where backpackers don’t make any progress on the trail and just take a day to rest and hang out. They averaged just a little over 11 miles per day.
- What was the hardest part?
- The first four days were the hardest mentally and physically due to non-stop rain. By the time they reached Watoga State Park everything they had brought was soaked. Anyone who’s ever been backpacking will tell you that there are very few things that are worse than hiking for multiple days in soaked clothes and boots.
- What was your favorite part?
- He had made so many great memories during the trip, from watching fighter jets perform maneuvers near the town of Durbin to winning his first game of Yahtzee. The closing days of their trip were some of his favorite memories. When he was near the end of the hike, he had mixed emotions: He didn’t want his trip to be over, but at the same time he accepted that it was time to move on. On their second-to-last night, they passed through the town of Albright and purchased several snacks to celebrate the closing of their trip. They stayed at a campground and talked late into the night about their trip, life, and future plans. The conversation and the journey they shared is something that he will remember for the rest of his life.
Prior to talking to my friend about long-distance hiking, I had no idea that West Virginia had its own long-distance trail. I have spent many hours researching trails, but the Allegheny Trail never came up. After interviewing my friend, I feel more confident and prepared to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. I am also excited to use the Allegheny Trail to help me prepare for my thru-hike, and I would like to come back to West Virginia after college to complete the whole trail as well.
Written by: Becca Smith
Bio: Becca Smith is a transport from Los Angeles, CA, and she is currently a senior at Davis & Elkins College. She was recruited to D&E for Acrobatics and Tumbling, and she will be graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Sustainability, with minors in Math and Writing.
Becca, this is so well written and informative! Being born and raised in West Virginia, I wasn’t even aware of those trail, let alone how far it reached throughout the state. You were able to write in such a way to reach both native West Virginians and people from other states. Especially when interviewing your friend, it’s amazing that people outside the state know about it when it’s not common knowledge for locals. The only constructive criticism I have is to write the interview from his point of view. I think it would help your audience see it from someone else’s view point and not just yours. Other than that, you did great! Keep up the good work!
I believe the way that the layout of this blog was displayed beautifully. Giving information on the Alleghany trail what it is, what it consists of, and its location of it is a useful guide to anyone looking to travel this trail. The interview of the student from Elkins high school was also another part of the writing I found to be useful. It was really cool to learn what thru-hiking was, as I was not previously aware of what the term meant. As a lover of the outdoors, it was interesting to read about a trail that I have not even considered traveling on by now that I’ve read about it more, sounds like the perfect thing to add to my growing summer bucket list.
Minor edit: The ATL goes to its southern terminus where it connects to the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. The southern terminus of the AT is at Springer Mountain in Georgia. Other than that, thank you for the wonderful article and inspiration. I live in the eastern panhandle (thirty miles from the ATC which is in Harpers Ferry) and learned about the Allegheny just a few months ago, also from a friend. Both are on my bucket list. After I finish section hiking the Tuscarora Trail (AT bypass when it was under construction) to shakedown my gear, I plan to tackle the ATL in preparation for doing the Appalachian.