Photos of the Guest River Gorge

Located in the G.W/Jefferson Forest near Coeburn, Virginia.

The Trail was officially dedicated  in 1994, after the N-S Railroad had abandoned the railbed and donated the land to the Forest Service. The railway had originally hauled coal. Coal and saltpeter were mined near the gorge – coal for heating and smelting, and saltpeter for gunpowder manufacturing.

Native Americans occupied areas in and around the gorge for hunting, fishing and implement making from about 9000BC to the mid18th century.

The Forest Service manages the Guest River Gorge area as a Special Area. The 5.3 mile section of the Guest River is designated as a State Scenic River.

Bicyclists, hikers and runners are invited to use the trail. Along your walk, there are numbered signposts indicating points we think you’ll find interesting:

Swede Tunnel – constructed in 1922

Cliff line – Rocks in this and the other cliffs are about 300 million years old.

“Big Shot” – This section came to be called “by that name because it took a lot of explosives to get through the cliffline during constructing.

Vista – This is one of several scenic spots on the Guest River Gorge Trail.

The Culvert

Concrete retaining wall

The Guest river-Clinch River Confluence – The rivers join here

Information: The National Forest Service; Clinch Ranger District

Hikers, Fishermen, kayakers, canoeists and bicyclists are invited to the Gorge to enjoy the beauty of the scenery, and the seeming isolation from the rest of the world.

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