Sure, it’s great to make a weekend trip to run the seemingly endless and spectacular trails of the Monongahela National Forest, but what do you do when you have kids, a time-consuming job, or limited funds? Where do you go mid-week to trail run, to obtain those therapeutic doses of nature? For residents of the greater Morgantown area, there are plenty of superb trail running options in and around the city.
Before diving into the list, I’d like to introduce you to one of the best resources available to any trail runner, hiker, mountain biker, and general outdoor enthusiast in the state: the WV Trail Inventory sponsored by the WV Division of Highways. Hundreds of trails adding up to hundreds of miles are found in the database with options to vary the basemap from satellite images, LIDAR hillshade, and topos. You’ll find trail data such as distance, surface, difficulty, and other worthwhile tidbits to consider when planning that next midweek (or weekend) adventure. It works well on a mobile device, and if you have cell signal, it can help keep you on the right trails.
If you want to discuss any of these local trails in more detail, please check out the Morgantown Area Trail and Ultra Runners Facebook group. Once you’ve hit every one of these trails, let me know and I’ll give you a secret password to a special club, a badge for your trail running sash, and a top-secret handshake. Even if you’ve lived in the Morgantown area for years or are a frequent visitor for work or play, there’s a good chance you haven’t experienced every one of these worthy routes.
White Park
Originally an oil tank field in the early 1900s, White Park is now the epitome of urban greenspace. The dirt piles that surrounded the oil tanks remain in several places, creating alien dirt circles and making it popular with mountain bikers and BMX riders. The trails surround Morgantown’s water reservoir and are not technical by way of rocks and roots but are made more difficult by the constant twisting, turning, and meandering that you must endure to stay within the confines of the 170-acre forest. The most popular Blue Diamond loop, which makes great use of the available space and connects the bnest trails in a logical way, is about four miles in length with minimal elevation fluctuation.
Great For: Beginner to intermediate trail runners who want to work on true trail skills but don’t love to climb just yet. The Blue Diamond loop should take most newer runners about an hour.
Remoteness: 1 out of 5
Trail Difficulty: 2 out of 5
Driving Time from Downtown: 6 minutes
WVU Core Arboretum
It’s impossible to talk about trails around Morgantown without giving recognition to the long-standing network of ‘The Arb.’ The surface of most trails in the Core Arboretum are about as forgiving as you can find and still be on real trails. Even trail-phobic road runners can occasionally be seen running the trails on the flood plain of the Monongahela River. The climb out of the ravine isn’t exactly forgiving no matter what trail you take, but there’s always the option to keep it entirely flat by hopping onto the Mon River Rail-Trail (though it’s paved on this portion) to start and end the run in Star City or downtown. The trails are always well-maintained and at 91 acres, it’s hard to get lost. Try to run the entire 3.5 miles of unique trail in a single bout or do them all in both directions for a lengthier mid-week effort. You’ll probably see some very tame white-tailed deer milling about and maybe even an occasional turtle.
Great For: Beginner runners who like wider, less technical trails or intermediate to advanced runners who want quicker workouts off-road. It’s perfect for a 30 to 60-minute effort.
Remoteness: 1 out of 5
Trail Difficulty: 2 out of 5
Driving Time from Downtown: 7 minutes
West Run/Baker’s Ridge/WVU Farm Trails
As a college student at WVU in the late 90s with no vehicle, I’d frequent two places to run and mountain bike: Baker’s Ridge and White Park. Baker’s continues to evolve as the years pass, and because of its location and university ownership, there’s no doubt it will continue to morph. Think of Baker’s as a hillier, larger, and wilder-west version of White Park with nearly six miles of winding singletrack trail. The trails aren’t marked and don’t boast perfectly maintained features, so it helps to have some basic navigational skills (or running partners that do). Fortunately for the directionally challenged, most trails tend to loop back onto themselves, hit the old main bisecting timber road, or exit onto one of the adjacent paved roads. Park along West Run Road in the corn field across from the blue gate for the easiest access. Although it will take a few minutes of climbing, my favorite section is accessible immediately to the right past the gate where you enter the woods.
Great For: Beginner to advanced runners looking for a 30 to 90-minute run with moderate elevation changes and true singletrack with roots and rocks.
Remoteness: 2 out of 5
Trail Difficulty: 3 out of 5
Driving Time from Downtown: 10 minutes
West Virginia Botanic Garden at Tibbs Run Preserve
One of the newest additions to the local trail infrastructure is the WV Botanic Garden. With just over three miles of trail, it’s perfect for a nearby short excursion and undoubtedly provides many beautiful vistas with the combination of forest trails, wetland, and curated garden areas. The trails are excellently maintained, and range from wide, crushed gravel to narrow woodland singletrack with minor elevation change. There have been black bear sightings over the years, but you’re more likely to see songbirds and deer. If it’s warm enough, finish the run with a soak in the cold waters of Tibbs Run.
Great For: Beginner to intermediate runners looking for a 30 to 60-minute session with slight terrain variation or the ability to do faster workouts while still on trails.
Remoteness: 2 out of 5
Trail Difficulty: 2 out of 5
Driving Time from Downtown: 16 minutes
Falling Run Greenspace
A new project supported by West Virginia University, there are currently about 2.5 miles of meandering singletrack trails in Falling Run with plans for doubling that figure in the near future. The trails are well-marked with several access points from a variety of streets. The most useful loop utilizes the Outlook Trail and Vandalia Trail, but the expansion toward the WVU Dairy Farm should make the network more substantial.
Great For: Beginner to intermediate runners looking for something new to break up the routine or add in small doses of trail in the middle of a road run through the downtown WVU campus.
Remoteness: 1 out of 5
Trail Difficulty: 2 out of 5
Driving Time from Downtown: 5 minutes
Marilla Park, Whitmore Park, Decker’s Creek Rail Trail Combo
Whitmore and Marilla Park are too small to stand alone as trail running epicenters, but combine both of them together with a three-quarter-mile section of Decker’s Creek Rail Trail and you’ll have a three to four-mile run with plenty of distractions. Whitmore Park has three wooded trails consisting of wide gravel ascents with a loop on top. Marilla Park is more of a typical city park of fields, courts, and a pool, but the hill behind it has about three-quarters of a mile of singletrack.
Great For: Beginner to intermediate trail runners looking for quick 30 to 45-minute lunchtime escapes while working nearby as well as WVU students. Hill repeat intervals are nice up into Whitmore Park from the rail trail for any level of runner and the gravel surface is tame enough for road runners.
Remoteness: 1 out of 5
Trail Difficulty: 2 out of 5
Driving Time from Downtown: 6 minutes to Marilla Park or 4 minutes to the bottom access of Whitmore Park
Snake Hill Wildlife Management Area
Though the WMA designation of this property prevents the construction of new trails which discourages it from becoming a popular multiuse recreation area, Snake Hill is quickly accessible from town and a worthwhile trip for remote exploration. Some sections are gravel road, some are mown grass path, while others are true singletrack. Four overlooks offer a nice goal but keep in mind they do not have fencing at their edges if you bring pets or kiddos. There are no trail markings and there are a few unofficial trails, so it helps to be able to read a map and have a decent sense of direction. Be aware that in the fall and spring hunting seasons you’re more likely to encounter hunters, so be sure to dress in blaze orange to remain visible.
Great For: Intermediate to advanced runners with ability to navigate confidently in the woods. It’s easy to explore these trails for 60 to 90 minutes.
Remoteness: 4 out of 5
Trail Difficulty: 4 out of 5
Driving Time from Downtown: 20 minutes
Derek Clark is the owner of Mountain Ridge Physical Therapy in Morgantown. When he’s not fixing WV’s busted athletes, you can find him running on the trails listed in this article and hand-crafting those badges for your trail running sash.
