Caperton Trail: paved Ruby Park south return
West Virginia · Greenway
Walk from lawful Hazel Ruby McQuain Park parking to the main paved river rail trail. Follow Caperton south toward Mountaineer Heritage Park, keeping to the river route rather than the Deckers Creek branch. Turn after half a mile outward or before the first road crossing, work barrier or uncertain pavement, whichever comes first; retrace.
Plan your ride
- Location
- Morgantown · West Virginia
- Ride length
- Up to 1 mile return
- Ride format
- Out and back
- Surface
- Paved Caperton urban rail trail
- Road crossings
- Designated separated shared path only. Stop at street/driveway crossings; no ordinary-road detour.
- Elevation
- Generally flat river rail-trail riding with local lot ramps and junctions; no surveyed maximum grade. Crowds, winter ice and high water can affect suitability.
- Starting location
- Hazel Ruby McQuain Park public Caperton Trail access, 185 Garrett Street, Morgantown, WV 26501
Conservative selected distance cap; turn at half the listed return distance or earlier. Not a GPS measurement; parking walks are extra.
Named Hazel Ruby McQuain Park map-center coordinate from the venue’s embedded public map. Not a surveyed parking stall or driving entrance. The separately published street address remains the Directions target.
Trailhead
Hazel Ruby McQuain Park public Caperton Trail access185 Garrett Street, Morgantown, WV 26501
The city venue publishes this park address and identifies a public lot at Walnut Street Landing; BOPARC also confirms park parking. Follow signed ordinary public spaces and event/payment restrictions, then walk to the river trail. No private business parking, particular available stall or exact driveway is guaranteed. Census returned no address match, so it was not used to invent an entrance.
Address source ↗Caperton Trail: paved Ruby Park south return — detailed guide
Source review: 2026-11-07. A dated source review does not guarantee current-day conditions.
The paved Caperton section through Morgantown is a distinct urban ride between the Mon River north and south guides. This outing starts at a public riverfront park and heads south away from the posted WVU utility-work section.
Start and parking
Start: Hazel Ruby McQuain Park public Caperton Trail access, 185 Garrett Street, Morgantown, WV 26501.
The city venue publishes this park address and identifies a public lot at Walnut Street Landing; BOPARC also confirms park parking. Follow signed ordinary public spaces and event/payment restrictions, then walk to the river trail. No private business parking, particular available stall or exact driveway is guaranteed. Census returned no address match, so it was not used to invent an entrance.
Ride and distance
Selected ride: Up to 1 mile return. Format: Out and back.
Ride: Walk from lawful Hazel Ruby McQuain Park parking to the main paved river rail trail. Follow Caperton south toward Mountaineer Heritage Park, keeping to the river route rather than the Deckers Creek branch. Turn after half a mile outward or before the first road crossing, work barrier or uncertain pavement, whichever comes first; retrace.
The trail conservancy supports ordinary bicycles and describes the paved urban section. A university-hosted trail map places Ruby Park at mile 9.8 and Mountaineer Heritage Park at 10.5, separate from the posted Reynolds Hall utility-work area at miles 8–9 north of the start. The current annual archive still carries the Monday–Thursday work notice; no reopening is inferred from a missing sidebar. Winter trail snow is not plowed.
Conservative selected distance cap; turn at half the listed return distance or earlier. Not a GPS measurement; parking walks are extra. Parking walks are extra.
Surface and effort
Paved Caperton urban rail trail. Generally flat river rail-trail riding with local lot ramps and junctions; no surveyed maximum grade. Crowds, winter ice and high water can affect suitability.
Yield to walkers, slow for blind bends and stop at every street, driveway and parking crossing. Wet boardwalks, loose gravel, flooding, debris and ice can change suitability. Turn back rather than bypass a closure or enter motor traffic.
Hours, costs and access
City rules keep the rail trail open for public travel, while the amphitheater and landing are dawn to dusk. Choose daylight and follow event controls and parking signs. No ordinary trail-use tariff established; follow current visitor parking terms. Reserved activities, rentals and events are separate.
Reviewed November 7, 2026. Public path access and bicycle use are supported by the cited sources. No same-day condition clearance or universal e-bike class permission is claimed. Follow current signs and manager notices.
Map and Directions
The map is a published facility or corridor reference, not a surveyed parking entrance. Directions use the named public street destination above. The parking entrance and individual stalls have not been independently checked.