General Info:

Cass, WV, about four hours from NoVa, is an old railroad and logging town on the Greenbrier River.  It's home to Cass Scenic Railroad and is at the north end of the 80 mile Greenbrier River Trail.  Between Cass Scenic Railroad State Park and other state parks located along the Greenbrier, there are opportunities for cycling, hiking, fishing, and dips in the river. For those science minded types, the Green Bank radio telescope observatory, about 13 miles away, offers tours Thursday through Monday.   

As of now, eight of us are planning on taking part in this little adventure. Michele and I are in a house on Front Street. Richard, Nancy, Peter and Cindy are sharing a house on Front Street. And, Don and Sharon have reserved a house, although I don’t know the location. But, not to worry about that. The town isn’t very big.

Cycling and Greenbrier River Trail Info:

The plan, as of early July, is for the cyclists in the group to bike a day or two on the trail - probably Friday and Sunday. The Greenbrier River Trail a rail trail that slowly drops in elevation as it goes south from Cass. More info on the trail can be found here: https://wvstateparks.com/park/greenbrier-river-trail/ The first half of the video below has a good overview of the Greenbrier River Trail.

Train Information:

Michele and I, Richard and Nancy, and Peter and Cindy have tickets for the Saturday train ride to Bald Knob. The tickets are sold by car. These six tickets are in Car I (the letter). More info on Cass Scenic Railroad can be found here: https://mountainrailwv.com/

A documentary, made about ten years ago. is linked just below. It was shot just before the state turned management of the scenic railroad over to the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad after it being managed by the WV Department of Parks since its inception in the 1960s.

Other Info:

Now for the caveats.  Cass is located in a relatively remote part of Pocahontas County, WV.   There is no cell service for miles around because the area is located inside the radio free zone of the observatory.   There also few stores and places to eat in the area.   There are two restaurants in town that cater to railroad tourists, but you wouldn't want to eat all your meals there.  All the houes have kitchens and there are grills located near most of them.   So, we really need to take our own food and beverages with us. (Technically, there is no alcohol allowed in the houses, but it's not really enforced.   I had a ladies quilting party staying next to me once and they were definitely drinking more than quilting.) 

Links to Other (Relatively) Close Parks and Attractions:

Watoga State Park - https://wvstateparks.com/park/watoga-state-park/

Green Bank Observatory - https://greenbankobservatory.org/

Snowshoe - Is a twisty-turny eleven mile drive that takes upwards of half an hour. https://www.snowshoemtn.com/discover-snowshoe/discover-the-resort-summer