Hiking · signature loop

Craig Branch–Kaymoor Loop

A loop I keep coming back to.

A combination, not an official trail name: the Craig Branch Trail, the Kaymoor Trail and the upper Kaymoor Miners Trail, joined by short connectors. We walk it clockwise from the Craig Branch trailhead.

Walked by us

Access today

Upper Kaymoor Miners Trail: Access unknown

Current access evidence is missing. Check NPS before leaving.

NPS notice ↗ Kaymoor Miners access desk →

  1. Unknown
  2. Unknown
  3. Unknown
  4. Unknown
  5. Unknown
  6. Unknown
  7. Unknown
Distance · Our data
≈4.8 mi
base loop, without the lower stairs
Total ascent · Our data
690–730 ft
Every climb added up
Highest point · Our data
≈2,020 ft
At the trailhead, where the loop ends
Lowest point · Our data
≈1,505 ft
Kaymoor Trail, just past the mine site
Map file
Download GPX ↓
Trimmed to the trails; no times or sensor data.

Total ascent isn't the highest point minus the lowest (≈515 ft). It counts every climb, including the small ones along the Kaymoor Trail.

Route map

1234 Kaymoor TopMine siteCraig Branch trailhead
Base loop from our GPS. Markers match legs 1–4. Arrows show the direction we walk it. Square: trailhead parking. Dashed: other trails. For orientation, not navigation. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

The same route, in words

The loop, leg by leg

  1. Connector to Kaymoor Top

    Our data: ≈0.3 mi · nearly level

    A short stretch of Dalton Trail and Kaymoor Road between the Craig Branch trailhead and Kaymoor Top.

    Our GPS tracks

    – No active NPS notice

  2. Upper Kaymoor Miners Trail

    Our data: ≈0.5 mi · ≈445 ft down · hiking only

    The steep part, on rocky stairs and switchbacks down to the Kaymoor mine site. A gorge view opens on the right about 0.2 mi down (NPS).

    Our GPS tracks · NPS: Kaymoor Miners Trail

    Upper Kaymoor Miners Trail: Access unknown

    Access desk →

  3. Kaymoor Trail

    Our data: ≈1.8 mi · small ups and downs, ≈150 ft of climbing

    From the mine site, a forested trail along the middle of the gorge to the Craig Branch junction, 1.74 mi on (NPS). Don't enter the abandoned structures at Kaymoor.

    Our GPS tracks · NPS: Kaymoor Trail

    – No active NPS notice

  4. Craig Branch Trail

    Our data: ≈2.2 mi · ≈540 ft of climbing

    Most of the loop's climbing comes here, at the end: a gravel administrative road with several steep sections (NPS), back up to the trailhead.

    Our GPS tracks · NPS: Craig Branch Trail

    – No active NPS notice

Optional: the lower stairs

From the mine site, 821 wooden steps drop to the coal-processing ruins near river level, then you climb back up (NPS). Adds ≈0.4 mi and ≈400 ft in our data. The railroad at the bottom is active and private, and the trail doesn't reach the river.

Stairs and lower trail: access unknown. NPS: Kaymoor Miners Trail.

From our GPS

Elevation profile

Same vertical scale as every profile on the hiking pages, 1,000–2,100 ft, so it isn't stretched to look steeper.

High 2,018 ftLow 1,505 ft
0 mi4.7 mi of exported geometry
  1. Leg 1 · ≈0.3 mi
  2. Leg 2 · ≈0.5 mi
  3. Leg 3 · ≈1.8 mi
  4. Leg 4 · ≈2.2 mi
Our data · 1,000–2,100 ft on every profile. Route totals use recorded GPS distance. This profile measures straight lines between exported points; those distances differ, especially on the stairs. Leg boundaries are approximate.

In words. It starts near 1,995 ft and stays level for the first 0.3 mi, then drops about 445 ft in half a mile on upper Kaymoor Miners. The Kaymoor Trail rolls between about 1,505 and 1,610 ft. The Craig Branch Trail climbs the rest of the way, with a few dips, to about 2,020 ft.

Trailhead and access

Craig Branch trailhead

From US 19, follow WV 16 south through Fayetteville and turn left on Gatewood Road (park signs say Kaymoor and Cunard). After 2.0 mi, turn left at the Kaymoor sign onto Kaymoor No. 1 Road. Go about a mile to the T and turn right; trailhead parking is 0.25 mi on the right. Parking only.

NPS: Craig Branch Trail

Alternate start: Kaymoor Top (end of leg 1)

At the same T, turn left instead: parking is 50 yards on the right. Vault toilet.

NPS: Kaymoor Miners Trail

Who uses which trail

Craig Branch and Kaymoor Trail: hiking and biking. Kaymoor Miners Trail: hiking only.

NPS: Craig Branch Trail · NPS: Kaymoor Trail · NPS: Kaymoor Miners Trail

Route variants

Route Distance Total ascent Profile / evidence
Base loop 4.79–4.83 mi 690–730 ft Our GPS, shown above · Our data
With the lower stairs 5.26 mi 1,119 ft Not drawn · Our data

Where this comes from

Our GPS tracks
Track, distance, total ascent, high and low points, profile, GPX file. Collected on foot; altitude not terrain-corrected.
NPS road and trail closures
Access unknown. Check the NPS page.
NPS: Craig Branch Trail
Updated 2022-07-13. Handoff check: 2026-10-26.
NPS: Kaymoor Trail
Updated 2023-02-03. Handoff check: 2026-10-26.
NPS: Kaymoor Miners Trail
Updated 2025-07-23. Handoff check: 2026-10-26. Page still shows 2025 closure dates; the closures page is the current source.
OpenStreetMap contributors
Trail lines and names on the drawn maps. Credit required.Retrieved 2026-10-25.

This is our route, not a rating or a recommendation.