Brooke Pioneer Trail

Located in the northern panhandle of West Virginia, this trail is along the east bank of the Ohio River, very close to western Pennsylvania. The Brooke County Pioneer trail starts at Short Creek on the Brooke Country Line and goes northward for 6.9 miles to the town boundary of Wellsburg where it connect seamlessly with the Yankee Trail.

	Location	Short Creek on the Brooke Country Line, northward to south edge of Wellsburg
	Trailheads	Wellsburg, Pike Island Lock and Dam
	Length, Surface	6.9 miles paved
	Character	Uncrowded, rural, some sunny sections, some wooded, flat
	Usage restrictions	No motorized vehicles
	Amenities	None
	Driving time from Pittsburgh	0 hours 55 minutes

The Brooke trail’s mile post zero is at the southern end of the bridge at Short Creek where it connects to the Wheeling Trail. The trail is cut into the hillside on the bank of the Ohio River. Just up the bank a slight distance is another bench which used to have a trolley on it. Further up the bank is Route WV 2.

It starts out in the sun close to highway US2. Shortly after crossing the Short Ck Bridge there is a small park (MP 0.2) with a gazebo and an outhouse. Around MP 1.5 the trail transitonons to woods cut into the hillside on the bank of the Ohio River. Just up the bank a slight distance is another bench which used to have a trolley line on it. Further up the bank is Route WV 2 At MP 2.2 is Ruby Park, a very small park with access to the river and an outhouse. At MP 3.3 is the requisite sewer plant. The yellow circle painted on the trail at MP 3.9 is the start of an astronomical display; it represents Neptune. The display ends with the sun at MP 6.9 with the remaining planets painted at their appropriately scaled intervals. Some of them have bee paved over. Hopefully the trail group will repaint the missing ones.

Between MP 4.0 and 4.4 the trail is in the open again with some light industry alongside, include a large dog kennel operation, an RV Park and campground. At 4.4 WV 2 starts to climbs away from the trail and goes further up the bank leaving the trail to run through woods.

There is a new (2024) highway bridge across the Ohio River at mile marker 5.7. At 5.8 there is a ramp leading up to the bridge and the northern sidewalk across the bridge.

The Brooke trail ends at MP 6.9 and connects to the Yankee Trail that continues northward through the town of Wellsburg.

There are numerous benches and interpretive markers along the Brooke Trail.

Brooke Pioneer Trail - Oldest segment segment check 2024-Jun This page brought to you by the book