2026 WV Trail Conference
Sunday-Tuesday, November 8th-10th
Pipestem Resort State Park, Pipestem, WV
Deadline to Register is November 4th.
Details | Registration | Accommodations | Directions
Sponsorship Information | Resources
Thank you
2026 Conference Sponsors!
Thank you to our program partners below for the generous support of WV TRAIL and the 2026 WV Trail Conference!
Details/Agenda
This 3-day conference includes 1 day of presentations and networking sessions and 2 half-days of workshops/field trips
A light breakfast, drinks/snacks, lunch, Happy Hour light snacks, and 2 drink tickets on Monday are included in the ticket price.
Each conference attendee will receive a Welcome tote bag with conference information and a Klean Kanteen.
The registration fee is $125
Sunday, November 8th
Registration in Pipestem Lobby 11am- 5pm
Pre-Conference Tours 2PM - 4:30PM
Choose from one of several hands-on learning experiences:
Through our partnership with American Trails, participants also have the opportunity to earn valuable professional development credits. Conference sessions are eligible for APA Certification Maintenance (CM), LA CES credits through ASLA, and additional equivalency options, ensuring the experience delivers lasting value long after participants return to their communities.
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A mobile tour of the park led by the Pipestem Program Coordinator exploring the 50‑year-old development of Pipestem Resort State Park and President Kennedy’s EDA investment model. Participants will see how the area’s natural beauty was leveraged to create a public recreation facility
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A mobile tour to Bluestone Dam in Hinton, WV, highlighting post‑repair opportunities for Bellpoint Park, emerging trail connections linking Hinton to Virginia and the New River Gorge National Park, regional gravel route development, New River Conservancy’s water trail efforts, and the growing impact of the National Park and National Scenic River designations.
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Departure: 2PM
Explore how to read trails and how they interact with the landscape. Learn how to evaluate trail conditions, identify common issues, and apply maintenance techniques that improve safety and longevity. Leave from and return to the lodge. Dress for hiking on muddy trails
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Departure: 2PM
Lake Shore Hike: Join the park naturalist for an interpretive hike around Long Branch Lake! We will meet in the lobby of McKeever Lodge and walk to the trail. We will walk along the lake shore, around the back side of the lake over the hill and walk back to the Lodge. This hike will be approximately 3 miles long and take 1 ½ to 2 hours. Bring a water, hiking stick, and whatever questions you may have about the park.
Evening Social 5PM - 7PM
Join fellow attendees for an informal networking event at The Black Bear .
Monday, November 9th
Registration in Conference Room lobby 8AM - 9AM
Morning Plenary 9AM - 10:40AM
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A strategic discussion highlighting recent trail policy successes, emerging statewide priorities, and the next steps needed to strengthen West Virginia’s trail network. This session explores how coordinated planning, safety improvements, and agency partnerships can shape the future of trails and outdoor recreation across the state.
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The latest on West Virginia’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan and the status of Recreational Trails Program (RTP) and Transportation Alternatives (TA) grants
Breakout Session Round 1 10:55AM - 11:55AM
Lunch & Keynote Address 11:55AM - 1PM
Keynote Speaker: David Landis, V2V Trails
Connecting the Mountain State - Trails, Communities, and West Virginia’s Outdoor Future : West Virginia already has the core ingredients of a world-class outdoor recreation destination—mountains, rivers, forests, historic corridors, small towns, public lands, and a growing trail network. The real opportunity is to connect them. In this keynote, route developer and outdoor recreation consultant David Landis shows how trails do far more than offer places to recreate: they connect people, strengthen communities, support local businesses, attract visitors and new residents, and deepen our experience of the places that make West Virginia unique. The goal isn’t just to build more trails, but to recognize, improve, and link the remarkable assets the state already has—and to imagine what they can become together.
Breakout Sessions 2 1:15 pm - 2:15 pm
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A session examining the differing liability considerations for trails on public and private lands, including how West Virginia’s current statutes apply to commercial and non‑commercial operations. Participants will gain a clearer understanding of the legal frameworks that shape trail management across sectors.
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A more detailed overview of West Virginia’s Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan, along with updates on the current status of RTP and TA funding and grant applications.
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Start with the fundamentals. Learn how to design and build sustainable trails, including trail types, planning, sustainable design, erosion control, maintenance, safety, and hands-on building. This one-hour training is ideal for professionals, volunteers, and beginners.
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This session will walk participants through the practical steps of river access development, from identifying community needs and evaluating potential properties to choosing the right ramp design, navigating permits, and managing construction challenges.
We’ll cover permitting considerations, environmental constraints, site-specific construction challenges, and long-term maintenance needs.
Participants will leave with practical guidance for planning access improvements or developing new sites that meet recreational needs while protecting natural resources.
We’ll also explore how signage, education, and outreach help ensure access sites are well-used, understood, and cared for.
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What does it take to become a Bicycle Friendly Community? Join representatives from the League of American Bicyclists to learn about how the Bicycle Friendly America program helps communities create safer, healthier, and more vibrant places to live and visit. Learn about the Bicycle Friendly Community municipal report card; how businesses, universities, and states participate in the Bicycle Friendly America program; and practical ways to advance local bicycling initiatives. The session will conclude with an open conversation about opportunities to convene a statewide bike summit and strengthen collaboration across West Virginia
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A session exploring how trails and public spaces can transform brownfield sites into community assets. Presenters will highlight successful examples from Morgantown and the Meadow River Rail Trail to illustrate how reclamation, recreation, and economic development intersect.
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Building on the foundations of sustainable design this session explores triaging trail problems, maintenance solutions, and basic crew management.
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New River Water Trail: Headwaters to Confluence will set the stage for the New River Water Trail action planning process currently underway.
A three-state New River Water Trail has been in the works for decades across the watershed and, in 2025, NRC kicked off the first formal planning process to bring these efforts together. The presentation will reflect on the long history of the project and highlight the partnerships, goals and strategies that will help guide the future implementation of 360-miles of trail.
Participants will learn from the project’s lessons, partnerships, data, and impacts—and how to apply these lessons to water trail and outdoor recreation efforts in West Virginia.
Breakout Sessions 3 2:30PM - 3:30PM
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This session will take a practical look at how communities can identify, evaluate, develop, and promote gravel cycling routes. Drawing on projects from across West Virginia and the broader region, the session will explore route selection and field verification, safety and surface considerations, connections to communities and public lands, mapping and navigation, local partnerships, tourism infrastructure, and strategies for turning individual routes into larger regional networks. Case studies will illustrate both the opportunities and challenges of gravel route development- and how relatively modest investments can leverage roads and community assets that already exist.
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A session exploring the trail town concept and the ways West Virginia communities are leveraging trails to support small businesses, strengthen community pride, improve quality of life and public health, and grow tourism. Presenters will highlight successful examples and practical strategies for communities along trail corridors.
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Charlie Dundas and John Gibson will provide an in-depth dive into practical trail bridge solutions and share stories of trail bridge installs that both inspire and inform. At national trail conferences this is a standing room only session.
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Learn from experienced American Rivers staff how Pennsylvania’s Water Trails are established, where they are located, and how dam removal can make these recreational waterways safer and more accessible.
This session will explore the benefits of dam-free Water Trails, approaches to measuring their impacts, and strategies for engaging communities in dam removal. Presenters will also discuss how American Rivers provides technical expertise and financial resources to support these efforts, as well as interim portage solutions where dam removal is not feasible.
Finally, we’ll consider a proactive approach: identifying promising rivers for Water Trail development, removing barriers, and establishing safer, barrier-free recreational corridors.
Closing Plenary 3:45 pm - 5:00 pm
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A session highlighting trail successes across West Virginia, showcasing the creative vision, construction approaches, management strategies, and community support that have brought these projects to life. Participants will hear examples of how local leadership and collaboration have transformed trail concepts into lasting assets.
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Remarks by Senator Woodrum
Evening Social 5 pm - 8 pm
Continue the conversation with conference attendees, presenters, and partners during our networking social featuring live music. Light Hors d'oeuvres and drinks will be available.
Featuring live music by the Holler Generals Band.
The Holler Generals are three West Virginia musicians who have been making music together, in one form or another, for a whole lot of years. Matt Mullins, Randy Gilkey, and Alex Bair bring together Appalachian roots, old-school country, bluegrass, rock & roll, soul, and whatever else feels right in the moment. Two acoustic guitars, a mandolin, a keyboard, three voices, and absolutely no telling where the set might go.
At the heart of it is West Virginia music legend Randy Gilkey. Blind since infancy and playing piano since he was two years old, Randy has spent a lifetime making music. He’s a singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who has appeared on NPR’s Mountain Stage, shared the stage with everyone from West Virginia heroes to rock & roll royalty, and spent years fronting the acclaimed Appalachian band The Boatmen. If there’s an instrument laying around, there’s a pretty good chance Randy can play it.
Matt Mullins brings his own catalog of Appalachian country and rock & roll after years of touring and recording with Matt Mullins & The Bringdowns, while Alex Bair ties it all together with mandolin, vocals, and the kind of harmony that makes three guys sound like they’ve been singing together forever.
The Holler Generals aren’t trying to reinvent Appalachian music. We’re just playing the songs we love, singing the hell out of them, having a good time, and taking everybody in the room along for the ride.
Tuesday, November 10th
Workshops
Trail Assessment & Maintenance Workshop 9am-3pm
A workday to build skills and move projects forward. A hands-on session, taking the lessons learned from the past 2 days and partnering with experienced trail stewards. Participants learn basic techniques while contributing to real trail work that benefits the community. There will be some classroom along with as much field time and work as weather allows.
Keeping Rail Trails Rolling: A Working Session for Rail Trail Managers 9am-11am
A hands-on working session for West Virginia rail-trail managers focused on the practical challenges of maintaining, assessing, and improving trails. Facilitated by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, the session will explore assessment tools, maintenance strategies, creative approaches to opening and managing new trails, and the questions and challenges trail managers are facing today—with plenty of time for peer discussion and problem-solving.
Accommodations
If you would like to make reservations for overnight accommodations,
please call Pipestem Resort State Park at 304-466-1800
A variety of room types are available including ADA Accommodations
Directions
