Youâll find expansive interpretive signs along the way that describe the railroad historyâthe Panhandle Railroadâof this area. Once called the âWheeling Secondary Trackâ between Weirton Junction Tower and Benwood, West Virginia, the line opened in 1878. Serving freight (until 1981) and passengers (until 1951), the tracks were pulled in 1987, and it would be another decade before trail construction began.
In the north, the Brooke Pioneer Trail begins at a connection with the Wellsburg Yankee Trail, another rail-trail open on the same corridor in the communityâs downtown. Extending south from Wellsburg, the trail crosses Buffalo Creek on a restored railroad trestle paralleling State Route 2. This is how the route continues for its entire journey: wedged between the road and the Ohio River.
That doesnât mean the views are lacking. In fact, the road is often shielded from view by brush likely there since the days of the railroad. Looking to the west, trail users are treated to stunning vistas of the powerful Ohio River and the dramatic climbs and drops of the hills in Ohio just beyond.
Those looking for reminders of the areaâs industrial past wonât be disappointed, either. The trail skirts the edge of a handful of manufacturing properties between Wellsburg and Windsor Heights, and the large cooling tower and smokestack of Ohioâs Cardinal Power Plant interrupt the views of the rolling wooded landscape on the opposite shore.
Hightower Brewing Company, County Road 16, Rayland, OH, USA
Distance: 1.05 mi (straight line)
410 Hanover Street, Martins Ferry, OH 43935, USA
Distance: 6.71 mi (straight line)
Deluxe Toy & Hobby, Hanover Street, Martins Ferry, OH, USA
Distance: 6.72 mi (straight line)
Martins Ferry, OH, USA
Distance: 6.78 mi (straight line)
Festivals and Events Fun and Sports
View Listing
153R 23rd St, Wellsburg, WV 26070, USA
Distance: 7.76 mi (straight line)
Mount Wood Overlook, Mount Wood Road, Wheeling, WV, USA
Distance: 7.77 mi (straight line)
Outdoor Experiences Viewpoints
View Listing
Brooke Cemetery Co, 22nd Street, Wellsburg, WV, USA
Distance: 7.89 mi (straight line)
Wheeling Suspension Bridge, Wheeling, WV, USA
Distance: 8.48 mi (straight line)
Wheeling Suspension Bridge, Wheeling, WV, USA
Distance: 8.48 mi (straight line)
Heritage Port, Water Street, Wheeling, WV, USA
Distance: 8.64 mi (straight line)
Outdoor Experiences Viewpoints
View Listing
Victoria Theater, Market Street, Wheeling, WV, USA
Distance: 8.64 mi (straight line)
Wheeling Artisan Center Shop, Main Street, Wheeling, WV, USA
Distance: 8.75 mi (straight line)
West Virginia Independence Hall, Market Street, Wheeling, WV, USA
Distance: 8.79 mi (straight line)
Museums and Interpretive Centers
View Listing
Wheeling, West Virginia, USA
Distance: 8.80 mi (straight line)
Madonna of the Trail, Wheeling, WV, USA
Distance: 9.02 mi (straight line)
Our bi-weekly newsletter provides news, history, and information for those interested in traveling along along the Lewis & Clark Trail.