Sunrise Carriage Trail

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Section of Carriage Trail in Spring. Photo by Kenny Williams

Even on a chilly February day, the Trail is busy.

Joggers with dog near the top of the Trail

Near the top of the Carriage Trail

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A short walk across the Southside Bridge from downtown Charleston, WV leads to the Sunrise Carriage Trail, a meandering 0.65 gravel trail that rises gently through a beautiful forest. The Trail is a welcome respite, offering a walker a cool breeze, abundant bird song, numerous varieties of wildflowers, and fragrant and flowering shrubs and trees. Huge cut stones serve as benches and offer places to rest. There are two noteworthy monuments. The first is a short distance from the Justice Row entrance and reads: "In the second year of the Civil War, two women convicted as spies by drumhead court martial were brought to this spot, shot, and here buried. In 1905 when building this road to Sunrise, their remains were disinterred and reburied opposite this stone." Further up the trail is a shrine erected by former Governor William A. MacCorkle in memory of his daughter, Isabelle. A statue of a compassionate figure with outstretched arms belongs in the shrine's niche and will be restored in the future. The Carriage Trail is one small part of an extensive trail system linking nearly all neighborhoods in the City of Charleston.

Allowed Uses:

Other Activities

• Heritage and history
• Wildlife viewing / observation

• Certified as an NRT
  May 29, 2012