While we live in Shenandoah Junction, West Virginia, we live in the country (Shenandoah Junction is a place with platted streets, homes, churches, and an ancient, er, historical, post office—it is where two rail lines cross, one over the other, but has no stores). We sit between there and the historic town of Shepherdstown, which is above the Potomac River, and across the river is Maryland. I am far more often in Shepherdstown because it has shopping. Most times I drive to town, I take a connector road that bypasses the historical town because traffic in the old town can be just awful when college is in session or tourists have invaded. When we first moved here, Kirk mentioned that the road didn’t exist when he was in college or in the years following. I did research and found Alt 45 (Potomac Farms Drive) was built between 1998 and 2003. By the time it was finished, he was living in Washington State. We drove through Shepherdstown in the fall of 2003 on a trip to the East Coast, but my memories of it are hazy. We may not have even gone by it.
Every trip I take to town, I think to myself, I need to walk the paved path that goes alongside this short section of road. The road is only about a mile long, but it was designed to keep all the big trucks out of the historical district. It spans between 45 (Martinsburg Pike) and 480 (Kearneysville Pike). Route 45 starts in historical Shepherdstown (originally German Street) and extends all the way to Virginia, crossing the Allegheny Mountains (the Appalachian Mountains). Potomac Farms Nursery, after which the road was named, sold out this year, sadly, but the road remains.
But there is a paved path – and it is glorious prime pavement. Wide, smooth, and made for walking. Strolling dogs, kids in strollers, bicycles. The trail is about .83 of a mile end to end.
Being dark asphalt, I saved this walk for a cold morning. It was 44°. The sun was coming up. We were having an actual fall day and a break from the heat.
We parked at a stub near the public library. The library’s new location was built and opened in the summer of 2022. The area along Alt 45 was prepared for future building with several road stubs, just outside of the historical area.
Near the end, it touches 480. Across the street (behind me) is Morgan’s Grove Park. I’d say there is one major issue: You cannot cross 480 on foot. While there are lights at the intersection, they never put in crosswalks. A brand new housing development is going in, with houses that will be home to families trying to escape Virginia’s expensive housing. Yet, they cannot cross the road and walk to the library. Dating back to 2014, money was acquired to build a bike/walking path (including crosswalks!) going from this new path up 480 to the Shepherdstown Middle School (across from the historic cemetery). An existing path exists from there into the historical town. Eleven years later…and nothing has happened. It would be interesting to know why it piffled out. It was literally for half a mile, and the land for it was already in the West Virginia Division of Highways right-of-way.
My mind ponders these things, of what could have been. Walking paths that connect neighborhoods and places are so essential to building a healthier state.
The electric lines cross through this land. In the far distance to the left, the twin water towers come into view (they are painted with Shepherdstown and Shepherd University in blue lettering).
But I digress.
Once we walked from the library to 480, I started my GPS tracking as we turned to walk the entire path. The walk is pleasant enough. There isn’t a ton of traffic at that time of day, and there is a buffer between the trail and the road. In the morning, much of the trail is shaded by the now adult trees.
Looking back as we left 480.
The trail crosses the library road and continues.
The end of the path is just a bit before Alt 45 ends. The corner is home to a Subway, Dollar General (the Dollar Holler), and a pharmacy. Anything even resembling pedestrian-friendly ends here. The sad truth is I may love my new state in many ways, but its lack of “alternative transportation” options is a real issue. It comes down to money, and I fully realize just how hard it is. The Eastern Panhandle is far different than the rest of the state. There are many roads that need to be fixed first before one talks about fanciful walking paths to town. Even if it would make so much sense, being in a college town.
There was a comprehensive plan held in 2021 about fixing the section of 45 between here and where the road ends at German Street. I really hope that happens. If all that happened, there would literally be a loop through Shepherdstown for pedestrians. What a walk that would be!
But since it isn’t the future, I turned my back on the Dollar Holler and headed back to the bollards there. One lost its fight long ago.
I remind myself that I must not come to a new state and spew my “alternative transportation” theories too loudly. I have often found that states and towns love to talk about their ideas, but they rarely happen promptly. No matter where you live. Back on the island, in the PNW, the local county couldn’t get its act together to build a trail the length of the island – and only three sections had been done…in 30 years. In an area that touted how progressive it was with alternative transportation. It was as reliant on cars as my current home is.
We had a leisurely walk, and there is that. We got outside and had fresh air and sun on us. And it was OK for what we have, and I should be appreciative that back in 1998, someone made them build a walking/bike path. 27 years ago.
And let’s be real….the elevation profile was pretty good 😉
~Sarah