Southside Trail
in West Virginia
Labeled (2) on the Cunard, Thurmond and Stone Cliff Area Trails map Length 7.0 miles/11.27 km (One-way) Difficulty Easy Trail type Hiking and biking Trail Description This easy seven mile riverside trail provides great views of the New River and passes through several abandoned New River Gorge mining towns. Rush Run, Red Ash, and Brooklyn were all once bustling communities located along this abandoned railroad line. The first mile from Cunard River Access is open to motorized vehicles.
To reach the trailhead from Route 19 Follow Route 16 south through the town of Fayetteville. Take a left on Gateway Road (sign indicates Kaymoor and Cunard). Follow Gatewood Road for 4.6 miles and turn left at the sign for Cunard.
Go 1.8 miles and turn left at both of the signs indicating Cunard River Access Road. Follow this road to the river access point, where parking is available. The first mile from the Cunard River Access is open to motorized vehicles.
- States
- West Virginia
- Trail type
- National Park & Preserve trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Greensboro, NC · 149 mi · ~4 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 37.9839°, -81.0281°
About New River Gorge National Park & Preserve
This trail is inside New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, a national park & preserve managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/southside-trail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/neri/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Southside Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Other trails within 50 miles
Keeneys Creek Rail Trail
4 miles from this trail's centroid
Timber Ridge Trail
5 miles from this trail's centroid
Burnwood Trail Stop 3: Forest Succession
7 miles from this trail's centroid
Burnwood Trail Stop 10: Old-Growth Forest Network
7 miles from this trail's centroid
Burnwood Trail Stop 5: Characteristics of Old Trees
7 miles from this trail's centroid
Burnwood Trail Stop 6: How Tree Age is Determined
7 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.