photo ©E. Belling
ENJOY THE MON RIVER / CAPERTON / DECKERS CREEK TRAILS
Currently, 48 miles of the Mon River / Caperton / Deckers Creek Rail-Trails are open for non-motorized use, primarily walking, cycling, jogging, and cross-country skiing with a smooth, durable surface for wheel-chair use and all types of bicycles. In Morgantown and Star City, eight miles of trail are paved, allowing for in-line skating. The rail-trail connects three counties, Marion, Monongalia, and Preston Counties in North Central West Virginia.
The Caperton Trail has an urban feel with neighboring city parks, restaurants, and shops. The relatively flat Mon River Trail meanders along the wooded river valley with occasional bottomland and field habitats. The Deckers Creek Trail is more of a challenge as it climbs at approximately a 2% grade 1,000 feet over 19 miles with rhododendron and hemlock groves, deciduous forests, into more open fields and farmlands in Preston County.
The entire trail network is designated a National Recreation Trail.
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Follow @monrailtrails
Currently, 48 miles of the Mon River / Caperton / Deckers Creek Rail-Trails are open for non-motorized use, primarily walking, cycling, jogging, and cross-country skiing with a smooth, durable surface for wheel-chair use and all types of bicycles. In Morgantown and Star City, eight miles of trail are paved, allowing for in-line skating. The rail-trail connects three counties, Marion, Monongalia, and Preston Counties in North Central West Virginia.
The Caperton Trail has an urban feel with neighboring city parks, restaurants, and shops. The relatively flat Mon River Trail meanders along the wooded river valley with occasional bottomland and field habitats. The Deckers Creek Trail is more of a challenge as it climbs at approximately a 2% grade 1,000 feet over 19 miles with rhododendron and hemlock groves, deciduous forests, into more open fields and farmlands in Preston County.
The entire trail network is designated a National Recreation Trail.
Follow MRTC on Facebook
.Follow @monrailtrails
15th Deckers Creek Trail Half Marathon
Morgantown, West Virginia
Saturday, June 6, 2015
8:30 AM / 8:45 AM
THE DOWNHILL COURSE
A mostly downhill course, the Deckers Creek Trail has an elevation drop of approximately 800 feet over the span of the 13.1 mile distance. The Deckers Creek Trail is a two-surface course, providing a challenging, yet enjoyable experience for runners. The trail surface is packed limestone for the first 10.4 miles and asphalt for the final 2.7 miles. The half-marathon begins in Masontown, WV and finishes at the Hazel Ruby McQuain Riverfront Park in Morgantown. There will be seven water stops along the way.
Registration must be received by May 26, 2015 Includes bus transportation to race start, t-shirt, finisher's medal, finishline refreshments, and live music.
Limited to 700 participants- reserve your spot now!
ENTRY
Participants must submit a completed registration form and pay a registration fee for qualification.
Fees are non-refundable. NO RACE DAY REGISTRATION (due to the increase # of runners, we can no longer allow same day registration and logistically ensure all runners have a bus ride to the start).
$50 before March 1
$55 before May 1
$60 May 1-26
Includes bus transportation to race start, t-shirt, finisher's medal, finishline refreshments, and live music.
Limited to 700 participants- reserve your spot now!
Register online.
Online Registration Powered by Tristateracer.com
To register by mail please print and fill out a race registration form in Adobe Acrobat pdf, make your check payable to MRTC, and return to:
MRTC, PO Box 282, Morgantown, WV 26507-0282
All proceeds benefit the Mon River Trails Conservancy to help manage and maintain the Mon River and Deckers Creek Trails.
Morgantown, West Virginia
Saturday, June 6, 2015
8:30 AM / 8:45 AM
THE DOWNHILL COURSE
A mostly downhill course, the Deckers Creek Trail has an elevation drop of approximately 800 feet over the span of the 13.1 mile distance. The Deckers Creek Trail is a two-surface course, providing a challenging, yet enjoyable experience for runners. The trail surface is packed limestone for the first 10.4 miles and asphalt for the final 2.7 miles. The half-marathon begins in Masontown, WV and finishes at the Hazel Ruby McQuain Riverfront Park in Morgantown. There will be seven water stops along the way.
Registration must be received by May 26, 2015 Includes bus transportation to race start, t-shirt, finisher's medal, finishline refreshments, and live music.
Limited to 700 participants- reserve your spot now!
ENTRY
Participants must submit a completed registration form and pay a registration fee for qualification.
Fees are non-refundable. NO RACE DAY REGISTRATION (due to the increase # of runners, we can no longer allow same day registration and logistically ensure all runners have a bus ride to the start).
$50 before March 1
$55 before May 1
$60 May 1-26
Includes bus transportation to race start, t-shirt, finisher's medal, finishline refreshments, and live music.
Limited to 700 participants- reserve your spot now!
Register online.
Online Registration Powered by Tristateracer.com
To register by mail please print and fill out a race registration form in Adobe Acrobat pdf, make your check payable to MRTC, and return to:
MRTC, PO Box 282, Morgantown, WV 26507-0282
All proceeds benefit the Mon River Trails Conservancy to help manage and maintain the Mon River and Deckers Creek Trails.
The Mon River Trails Conservancy has partnered with the West Virginia Land Trust to raise awareness and funds to support the land protection of public recreational green space in the Mon Valley. In addition to benefiting our current local residents, green space bolsters our economy by boosting the housing market, increasing tourism, and attracting new businesses.
Guests are invited to dress up on March 7, 2015 in their favorite blue jeans for a fun evening enjoying a southern meal, an open bar, dancing to a live band, and bidding on silent auction items. Proceeds from this event will benefit a green space project in Morgantown.
Tickets to attend are available for $50 per person.
About our partner:
The West Virginia Land Trust's mission is to protect our state's scenic landscapes, water quality, and recreational resources.
For more information, visit them on the web at: www.wvlandtrust.org.
Nearly Done and Open for Use!
Gravel Lot Parking and Restroom
Mon River Rail-Trail at Van Voorhis Trailhead (Mile 4)
The Van Voorhis Trailhead on the Mon River Trail (near mile 4) has the first Sweet Smelling Toilet along the trail and double the rail-trail parking on the former Quality Glass Company site. Though the project is not yet finished, it is close enough to complete that MRTC opened both the parking lot and restroom. The parking is located on the gravel road after you cross the rail-trail at the bottom of Van Voorhis Road. Directional signs are coming soon.
This project has been a collaboration of many community partners including the Town of Star City, Monongalia County Commission, North Central Brownfield Center, and the Mon River Trails Conservancy. Thank you MRTC members for your donations, which enabled MRTC to provide the 20% local match to the Van Voorhis Trailhead Recreational Grant! Thank you to AllStar Ecology, our contractor, for working hard and in cold weather, to get it ready for trail use by the end of the year.
The Mon River Trail Van Voorhis Trailhead project is partially funded by a grant from the Federal Highway Administration's Recreational Trails Program administered by the West Virginia Department of Transportation, Division of Highways.
Gravel Lot Parking and Restroom
Mon River Rail-Trail at Van Voorhis Trailhead (Mile 4)
The Van Voorhis Trailhead on the Mon River Trail (near mile 4) has the first Sweet Smelling Toilet along the trail and double the rail-trail parking on the former Quality Glass Company site. Though the project is not yet finished, it is close enough to complete that MRTC opened both the parking lot and restroom. The parking is located on the gravel road after you cross the rail-trail at the bottom of Van Voorhis Road. Directional signs are coming soon.
This project has been a collaboration of many community partners including the Town of Star City, Monongalia County Commission, North Central Brownfield Center, and the Mon River Trails Conservancy. Thank you MRTC members for your donations, which enabled MRTC to provide the 20% local match to the Van Voorhis Trailhead Recreational Grant! Thank you to AllStar Ecology, our contractor, for working hard and in cold weather, to get it ready for trail use by the end of the year.
The Mon River Trail Van Voorhis Trailhead project is partially funded by a grant from the Federal Highway Administration's Recreational Trails Program administered by the West Virginia Department of Transportation, Division of Highways.
Greenmont Bridge Funded
WVDOH Awards Grant for Deckers Creek Pedestrian Bridge
The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) has awarded the City of Morgantown a grant that will allow residents in the South Park and Greenmont areas to more easily access the Deckers Creek Trail. The new pedestrian / bike bridge will be built on old bridge foundations. The City hopes that the project can begin in early 2015.
The site of the proposed project – the end of Kingwood Street - was once the site of a vehicular bridge that carried traffic over Deckers Creek. This bridge was demolished in the 1960s, and the abutments still remain. By repairing these abutments, the project saves money and reconnects the South Park and Greenmont Neighborhoods to the Deckers Creek Trail.
Morgantown is receiving $280,000 in federal funds, which will cover 80 percent of the $350,000 project. MRTC is partnering with the South Park and Greenmont Neighborhood Associations to further fund raise for this project. If you would like to donate to this project, please make a note on your check and specify Greenmont Bridge Project and send to MRTC at P.O. Box 282, Morgantown, WV 26501 or contact one of the neighborhood associations.
Your donations are always needed and get put to good use: http://montrails.org/join.shtml
WVDOH Awards Grant for Deckers Creek Pedestrian Bridge
The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) has awarded the City of Morgantown a grant that will allow residents in the South Park and Greenmont areas to more easily access the Deckers Creek Trail. The new pedestrian / bike bridge will be built on old bridge foundations. The City hopes that the project can begin in early 2015.
The site of the proposed project – the end of Kingwood Street - was once the site of a vehicular bridge that carried traffic over Deckers Creek. This bridge was demolished in the 1960s, and the abutments still remain. By repairing these abutments, the project saves money and reconnects the South Park and Greenmont Neighborhoods to the Deckers Creek Trail.
Morgantown is receiving $280,000 in federal funds, which will cover 80 percent of the $350,000 project. MRTC is partnering with the South Park and Greenmont Neighborhood Associations to further fund raise for this project. If you would like to donate to this project, please make a note on your check and specify Greenmont Bridge Project and send to MRTC at P.O. Box 282, Morgantown, WV 26501 or contact one of the neighborhood associations.
Your donations are always needed and get put to good use: http://montrails.org/join.shtml
Annual Report
Our annual report for 2012 is now available online. Find out more about our current projects, mission, and goals. 2012 Annual Report
Your donations are always needed and get put to good use: http://montrails.org/join.shtml
Our annual report for 2012 is now available online. Find out more about our current projects, mission, and goals. 2012 Annual Report
Your donations are always needed and get put to good use: http://montrails.org/join.shtml
Masontown Elkins Coal and Coke Building Receives Federal and Local Funding for ReUse
MRTC was awarded $92,000 in federal funding from the WV Division of Highways (WVDOH) to transform the Elkins Coal & Coke Building, a 1907 industrial facility, into an information center and restroom facility for rail-trail and scenic by-way travelers. Located near mile 13 of the Deckers Creek Trail, it will be the first public restroom facility for the 19-mile rail-trail. For rail-trail users, the next closest facility is at mile 0 at Hazel Ruby McQuain Park in Morgantown.
MRTC is matching this funding with $23,000, the 20% local match that is required to make this project a reality. With the $115,000 total project cost, the 1907 Elkins Coal and Coke Building will be engineered and rehabbed as bathroom facilities and visitor information center for the Deckers Creek Trail and the Old Route 7 Scenic Byway.
The City of Masontown, in Preston County, owns the building and property and will maintain the facility once construction is complete. As a friend of the rail-trail, they have already rebuilt a bridge that connects the trail with the building and constructed a picnic weather shelter next to the trail. By 2016, the Masontown Trailhead will be transformed with great new amenities.
Your donations are always needed and get put to good use: http://montrails.org/join.shtml
MRTC was awarded $92,000 in federal funding from the WV Division of Highways (WVDOH) to transform the Elkins Coal & Coke Building, a 1907 industrial facility, into an information center and restroom facility for rail-trail and scenic by-way travelers. Located near mile 13 of the Deckers Creek Trail, it will be the first public restroom facility for the 19-mile rail-trail. For rail-trail users, the next closest facility is at mile 0 at Hazel Ruby McQuain Park in Morgantown.
MRTC is matching this funding with $23,000, the 20% local match that is required to make this project a reality. With the $115,000 total project cost, the 1907 Elkins Coal and Coke Building will be engineered and rehabbed as bathroom facilities and visitor information center for the Deckers Creek Trail and the Old Route 7 Scenic Byway.
The City of Masontown, in Preston County, owns the building and property and will maintain the facility once construction is complete. As a friend of the rail-trail, they have already rebuilt a bridge that connects the trail with the building and constructed a picnic weather shelter next to the trail. By 2016, the Masontown Trailhead will be transformed with great new amenities.
Your donations are always needed and get put to good use: http://montrails.org/join.shtml