Carriage Trail

The .65-mile Carriage Trail ascends 180 feet from MacCorkle Avenue and the banks of the Kanawha River in Charleston, West Virginia, to Sunrise, the former home of William MacCorkle, the ninth governor of West Virginia. Opened in 1905 to allow stone to be carted to the site of the MacCorkle mansion, the trail afterward became a private drive to the residence. In 1961 the drive and the MacCorkle estate were transferred to a private foundation, and the drive was developed as a recreational thoroughfare. Sunrise has since been purchased by a private firm, but ownership of the trail has been transferred to the City of Charleston. Stone walls, monuments and benches -- relics of the trail's historical past are ever-present.

Rail station near Carriage Trail

Lower end of Carriage Trail

Spy monument on Carriage Trail

MacCorkle Monument on Carriage Trail

Lone column on the Carriage Trail

Rock walls along the Carriage Trail

Walking the Carriage Trail

Retreat on Carriage Trail

Oaks line the upper Carriage Trail

Sunrise, the MacCorkle Mansion

Map showing the Sunrise Carriage Trail