Allegheny Trail

Section IV

Section 4 is incomplete, although two segments are open and available for backpacking. The trail is open from the southern terminus of section 3 to Interstate 64, where it breaks and picks up again at Laurel Branch in Monroe County, ending on Peters Mountain at a junction with the Appalachian Trail.

A major attraction in Section IV is the Hanging Rock Raptor Migration Observatory, reached via either of two intersections with a blue-blazed trail at  N-S MP 9.37 and 9.59 of the southermost disjunct section of the ALT. A visit to the observatory will yield, on a clear day, a 360-degree view of the Allegheny Mountains in West Virginia and Virginia.

Click here to see trail conditions as of June 2008.

Changes to the hiking guide

• North page 1
• South disjunct page 6

Shuttle service from I-64 to Laurel Branch is available by contacting tracy@outdooradventures.com or calling 1-888-PLAYWVA. You will need to make any shuttle arrangements in advance.

If you want to hike around the gap, see directions here.

The Boy Scouts of America and a private landowner have cooperated with WVSTA to erect a shelter on Smith Knob. The shelter was the product of an Eagle Scout project. Another Eagle Scout project produced quite an elegant outhouse, complete with stall type doors.

If you are interested in helping to complete the Allegheny Trail, or to work on any part of it, contact Doug Wood, coordinator for section 4. Doug can be reached at 304/466-2724 (HC 65, Box 182, Forest Hill, WV 24935-9261).