Thank You for Caring for the Greenbrier River Trail
With Deepest Gratitude to Our Supporters
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all donors, trail users, federal, state and local
government entities, and foundations whose generosity and vision sustain the
Greenbrier River Trail. Maintaining a Rail Trail requires ongoing commitment and
resources far beyond what government funding alone can provide. We are deeply
grateful that individuals, private donors, and charitable foundations step forward to
make a tangible difference.
Your support—both large and small—has enabled us to accomplish vital projects: from
major undertakings like bridge re-decking and new trail aggregate, to critical amenities
like Trail to River Steps, interpretative signage, and improved parking lots. Significant
matching funds for these projects have come from the James F. B. Peyton Fund, the
Seneca Charitable Foundation, Hollowell Dawkins Foundation, Dominion Energy
Charitable Foundation, the Louise R. Lester Foundation, the Marie Leist and Pyles
Turner Foundations, the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area, and the WV State
Parks Foundation. Local donors and trail users have consistently contributed the
essential support needed for all our work, including funding from Heal the Trail, and
specific project management, labor and generosity from Lynch Construction, Tom
Cullen, Garrett O’Dell, Kevin Anderson, Orders Construction, Matt Faulknier and RBS,
Inc.
We acknowledge the crucial role of federal Transportation Alternatives
grants—administered by the WV Department of Transportation and Department of
Highways—which have provided 80% of the dollars needed for bridge re-decking, trail
aggregate, and expanded parking. These government resources, however, are only part
of the story. It is your matching gifts that make these efforts possible, turn dreams into
reality, and help us meet the needs of the trail now and for generations to come.
Because of your caring, partnership, and commitment, the Greenbrier River Trail
continues to thrive as a source of beauty, recreation, and community. We are deeply
blessed and profoundly grateful for all you do to keep the trail vibrant and accessible to
all.
See links below for more information about critical maintenance, infrastructure, and
amenities projects the GRTA/F Board have undertaken.
Re-Decking of Trail Bridges
By a considerable measure, our most critical and costly project is our current effort: the Bridge
Decking Project. GRT has 37 bridges of varying sizes. They include three bridges
greater than 250 feet in length and six greater than 100 feet. In total, there are
approximately 34,503 square feet of bridge surface. Stakeholders seek to replace
bridge decking on these bridge superstructures. The structures themselves maintain
integrity, but the decking is worn and has reached life expectancy. Experts assert this
critical maintenance will extend the life of the bridges for 20-25 years.
Started in 2022 with grant applications, project costs will exceed $1,500,000 (80%
Federal funding/20% match). Raising the 20% (more than $300,000) has been a
challenge made possible by grants from these Foundations: James F.B. Peyton,
Seneca Trail Charitable, Hollowell Dawkins, and WV State Parks Foundation. Donors and GRTA’s
Great Greenbrier River Race have also made significant donations to the efforts.
Caldwell Trailhead
In 2014, Lorrie Sprague, then a Board member, noticed a 5.5-acre of property adjacent
to the Trail (close to the Southern trailhead) for sale. The Greenbrier River Trail
Association (GRTA) Board found a way to purchase the property and then deed the
property to the WV Department of Natural Resources/State Parks (for reimbursement).
Next came how to convert the property to a parking lot. More complications ensued
than you can imagine, including the requirement to conduct an archeological dig before
building the parking lot. Federal grants via WV DOT/Division of Highways and
generous match donations from GRTA and Trail users resulted in the parking lot
completion in 2023. Additionally, in 2023, the James F. B. Peyton Foundation and the
Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area funded landscaping and materials for a
picnic shelter, invasive species boot brush station, signage, bike repair station, and
kiosk for the new parking area, which was constructed and installed by volunteers.
Former Board member, Dale McCutcheon installed a pollinator
garden adjacent to the picnic area in 2024. The Greenbrier River Watershed
Association provided the rain barrel to catch and store rainwater from the shelter roof to
water the garden plants!
Please Consider Supporting the Greenbrier River Trail for Future Generations!
Trail Interpretive Signs
In 2020, Rob Gronan, Board member, secured a $40,000 USDA Forest Service grant
for informational signage and began extensive historic research with interested Board
members and Trail users. In total, thirty interpretive panels documenting historical
events and naturalistic features were installed on pedestal frames along the entire 78-
mile length of the Trail between Caldwell and Cass, WV. An additional 21 panels
showing a map of the Trail were erected on upright frames at parking areas. Volunteers
provided 100% of the labor for the project.
Resurface the Trail
In 2017, GRTA locked in a Federal Recreation Trails Program grant to resurface the
Trail. There are many steps to execute a federal grant. In 2021, the $150,000 grant
(along with our 20% match) provided new aggregate on the Trail from Cass to MM 16 in
the South. Faulknier Enterprises, Inc. did remarkable work under difficult weather conditions in record time. We continue to apply for grants for the remainder of the Trail.
Please Consider Supporting the Greenbrier River Trail for Future Generations!
Trail to River Steps at MM 4.5 and MM 15.
Thanks to a generous grant from the Louise R. Lester Foundation and donations from
friends and family of the late Dr. Ray Morehead, the GRTF completed concrete steps
from the Greenbrier River Trail to a beautiful flat rock location on the Greenbrier River
close to mile marker 15 in 2022.
In 2023, a second Trail to River Steps project was completed at MM 4.5. Funding was
provided from “Heal the Trail”, and 2023 grant awards from the Marie Leist and the
Pyles and Turner Foundations.
Many members of our community helped make this possible. Local resident and master
stone mason, Tom Cullen, assumed lead responsibility for the concept, design, defining
the specifications, overseeing contract award and execution. Garrett O’Dell and his
team (G.02 Builders) did the hard work.
This improves Trail and River recreation opportunities for many more Trail users. Steps
make it possible, easier, and safer for small children, parents carrying infants, the
elderly, and people with mobility impairments to access the Greenbrier River. The
handrail also adds immeasurably to accessibility for folks with mobility issues.
Routine Maintenance
Over the last decade, the Board has secured grant funds for critical maintenance on the Trail. Volunteers have built shelters, picnic areas, repaired roofing, cleaned and painted mile markers, kiosks and more. The Board also targeted funds for new water wells (and repairs), vault toilets and clearing of drainage areas. There is always something to do on the Trail, including counting Trail traffic!
Please Consider Supporting the Greenbrier River Trail for Future Generations!
Occasionally, we have emergencies (the historic 2016 West Virginia Flood and the less
consequential 2018 flooding are two examples). The 2016 Flood created severe
damage on the southern portion of the Trail; two years later there was less impact but
still major damage to a seven-mile stretch of the Trail. FEMA covered the costs of the
majority of the 2016 damage. GRTA, Lewisburg Rotary, and Lynch Construction
covered the costs of the 2018 repairs.