produce. It’s even helped her ex- pand her business; she now offers packed lunches—full of locally grown fruits and veggies—to trail users who call ahead. Next door, expansion is top of mind for Scott Guyette, owner of Greenbrier Bikes. This summer, he’s relocating the business to a former grocery store around the block and across from a new trailhead the city is developing that will feature 60 parking spaces, two shelters and a food truck plaza. The move will effectively triple his floor space. Greenbrier Bikes sells and repairs bikes but relies heavily on renting bikes to visitors to the area. “That’s our bread and butter,” he told me. “Without the trail, this business would not be here.” In short, my time in Marlinton revealed how integral the trail is to the economic health of the residents there. But Superintendent Spencer thinks the “true benefit of the trail is so large and varied that it’s hard to grasp the scope of it.” For the well-being of residents, of nearby communities and of locally owned businesses, “those benefits are so big that we may not fully understand them,” he said. “In my mind, it’s underappreciated.” “Trails in general, they connect people, unite people, and remind them of what they have in common. Politics, differences— all that stuff just falls by the wayside.” — Nancy Harris, Greenbrier River Trail Association
Fact: Much of the Greenbrier River Trail is in the National Radio Quiet Zone—a Wi-Fi-free area around the world’s largest radio telescope at Green Bank Observatory. Preplanning is a must for all visitors. For detailed information on waypoints along the trail, including parking, water and restrooms, go to rtc.li/ greenbrier-river-trail on TrailLink.
“That’s our bread and butter. Without the trail, this business would not be here.”
— Scott Guyette, owner of Greenbrier Bikes
informal survey to learn how the Greenbrier River Trail impacts livelihoods in the largest town (at fewer than 1,000 residents, “large” is a relative term) on the trail. “We’re so grateful it exists,” my host at the Moore House Inn told me. In the year since Caley Gonyea and her husband bought the inn, they’ve hosted countless trail users from surrounding states—and farther afield. In fact, Gonyea said, the season’s first guests were bike riders from Alabama. Down the street at the recently opened Dari Land, a server named Patrick took a break from dishing out hamburgers and ice cream to explain that the owners chose this location specifically for its proximity to the Greenbrier River Trail. “We get lots of people coming in off the trail,” he said. So many that the restaurant recently invested in a large bike rack to contend with the constant pileup of bikes out front. At the nearby HandMade WV Market, owner Anne Walker said that the trail provides a “constant flow” of customers to her shop, which sells local art, crafts and
PHOTOS: This page: Greenbrier River Trail in Green- brier County | Courtesy West Virginia Department of Tourism; Greenbrier River Trail in Marlinton, the largest town along the trail | Courtesy Greenbrier River Trail Association; signage along the trail | Courtesy Green- brier River Trail Association. Opposite page: The rural trail is abundant with wildlife. | Courtesy Greenbrier River Trail Association.
Rails to Trails MAGAZINE | SPRING/SUMMER 2025
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