This summer’s flooding in Greenbrier County took a heavy toll on the Greenbrier River Trail from Anthony to Caldwell. Several slides and washouts have rendered parts of the lower portion of the trail below Anthony impassable. The Greenbrier River Trail Association (GRTA,) a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization in existence for 35 years, is raising funds to help with repairs to the trail.
The group is perhaps best known for its sponsorship of the Great Greenbrier River Race, held in Marlinton in April, and it has bought and restored the old Clover Lick Depot, helped get water and restrooms on the trail, matched funds for trailhead and trail surfacing, placed interpretive signs on the trail and helped with advertising the trail over the years. This past year, the group bought 5.5 acres,which it sold to the state for a much-needed new parking lot at Caldwell.
Recent studies by the trail’s manager, the West Virginia DNR, and State Parks, show an economic impact of the trail of $4 million to the local community. And just before the floods, it was named the best trail in the region by readers of Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine.
A special account has been set up by GRTA for the reconstruction fund. Coordination with the state to determine the best use of the funds to get the trail open as soon as possible will be a major focus. To make a tax-deductible contribution to help with trail repairs, donors may send a check made to Greenbrier River Trail Association (GRTA) Reconstruction Fund to P.O. Box 1, Lewisburg, West Virginia, 24901 or use Paypal from the www.greenbrierrivertrail.com website.
