Terry Top Trail

Terry Top Trail is a 3.4-mile out-and-back from a gate off Mill Creek Road to a nineteenth-century family cemetery. It drops through dense forest, opens onto a ridge where the New River Gorge comes into view, passes a vernal pool, and returns along the same corridor. Allow about two hours. This is a quiet walk for people who like a wooded route with a modest historical endpoint. It is moderate, with one steeper stretch.

The first stretch descends through thick woods before the ridgeline opens. The broad, well-defined track continues through more open meadow-like ground, with the pool and cemetery farther along. The gorge first appears at the ridge; leaving trees at the edge of a photo helps show how the walk moves from forest into open country.

The walk ends at a family cemetery described as dating to the nineteenth century. Yucca plants have been reported among the graves, but their proposed use as grave markers is unverified, and the family’s identity and history were not established. The cemetery is the endpoint; its family history and the story behind the planting have not been established.

Use the gate on Mill Creek Road about 0.4 miles inside the park boundary; it is also the return point. Directions describe room to park beside the gate, but not a formal lot or capacity. There are no restrooms at the gate and no drinking water at the trailhead; bring what you need. Dogs are allowed on park trails on a physical leash no longer than six feet; bring water for yourself and your dog.