Hitting the Trails: Dunmore, West Virginia

If you’re the trail rider who looks for places with hundreds and hundreds of miles to ride, this one is for you!

Dunmore, West Virginia is a little town nestled in Pocahontas County. Surrounding the small area is Seneca State Forest. Full of trails and neat sights, this place is a trail rider’s dream. If you’re thinking of making the trip, here are the ins and outs of the trip!

Photo by Marlee Fritz

Amenities

We stayed at EJ’s Lodging, Camping, and Stabling and were extremely pleased with the facility and access to trails. The owners were friendly, present and aided with any issues, questions or concerns. The lodging site accesses Seneca State Forest Trails and the Greenbrier River Trail. They offer full hook up campsites, primitive camping, 10 covered stalls, 13 paddocks, a bath house and laundry room, and a cabin.

The only con about this location is there is absolutely NO cell reception. The grounds have WiFi, which was a huge help, but anywhere within a 50 mile radius of the Green Bank Observatory is a dead zone. If you plan on working from your trailer, this is probably not the best trail trip.

Also worth mentioning, the road to get to the campground is narrow and windy. If you’re uncomfortable driving a bigger rig on that kind of path let your wife drive. Totally kidding! Just leave your monster rig at home, take the bumper pull, and rent out their cabin.

You can get more information on EJ’s here.

Trails

There are SO MANY trails you can ride from the campsite. We rode 40+ miles and didn’t even see a quarter of the sights we wanted to. It doesn’t matter which direction you ride, you’re bound to find a trail. You can take the Greenbrier River Trail in either direction for as long as you’d like to ride. One direction will take you into Cass, where you can see the train station and maybe even catch a train leaving. The other direction will take you to Sharp’s Tunnel. The trail is flat and easy for those that like a more laid back ride.

Photos by Marcella Gruchalak

Once into the Seneca State Forest trails, you get the steep hills and rocky terrain. These trails were still extremely well groomed, but they are for the rider who likes more of a challenge. However, I wouldn’t consider them difficult. On these trails, you’ll be able to ride to attractions such as Seneca Lake, the fire tower, different shelters, and scenic overlooks.

@_gru_crew_ Trail riding in Dunmore, WV #horsesoftiktok #western #westernliving #cowgirl #ottb #offthetrackthoroughbred #horses #aqha #aqhaproud #trailride #westvirginia ♬ sonido original – Pandemonium

Attractions

Cass Scenic Railroad

The town of Cass remains relatively unchanged since it was founded in 1901. Cass was originally built for loggers who were working in the mountains nearby. The railroad was used to haul the lumber to mills. Over the years, as the railroad was no longer needed to haul lumber, it was restored and became a tourist attraction.

From EJ’s you can ride your horse to the Cass Scenic Railroad to watch the train depart — or you can drive over and spend the day roaming around town and riding the train. The Company Store sits behind the railroad and houses a gift shop and restaurant. Locals told us the restaurant has extremely good food, however we didn’t have time to try it for ourselves.

You can also book a train ride from Cass. Get more information here.

@_gru_crew_ Cass Scenic Railroad, WV #western #westernliving #cowgirl #westvirginia #cass #train #railroad #travel #traveltiktok ♬ original sound – Marcella

Green Bank Observatory

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank West Virginia was established in 1956. It was the first national astronomy observatory as well as the first national laboratory open to all scientists from around the world. Many scientific discoveries have taken place at this observatory.

While it’s a cool place to visit — you have to go by automobile to get there — it does cause some inconveniences in the way of getting cellular service. The Green Bank Interference Protection Group is responsible for minimizing radio frequency interference to astronomical observations from equipment and activities in the West Virginia Radio Astronomy Zone and in the National Radio Quiet Zone. Locals say that there is a 50 mile radius around the observatory that prohibits the placement of cellular towers. They also stated that just recently they were granted access to buy and install microwaves in their homes.

You can get more information on visiting the observatory here.

Food

Cass Trading Company

Ride the horses and hitch them up at Cass Trading Company. Here they have amazing homestyle cooking and a friendly environment. Once there, you can sit inside at one of their many tables or outside under the trees. Depending on the day, they offer trivia and there are even some street events on the weekends. Missed breakfast? Don’t fret because Cass Trading Company serves it all day. It’s about an hour ride — three…ish miles — from EJs Campground.

@_gru_crew_ Cass Trading Company – You HAVE to try their breakfast if you visit Cass, WV! #western #westernliving #cowgirl #westvirginia #cass #restinpeace #food #foodie ♬ original sound – HyperRush

Overall, if you like to trail ride for hundreds of miles and visit historic towns nestled in the mountains, this is a must-add to your bucket list. There are so many fun things to do, such as watching the train take off and experiencing beautiful trails that made this adventure an unforgettable one. Enjoy the journey and don’t forget your western hat!

Photo by Marlee Fritz

Hit the trails, Horse Nation and go riding!