Cheat River Byway
Cheat River Byway is a State Scenic Byway in West Virginia. Within West Virginia it covers roughly 14 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Cheat River Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
West Virginia's Cheat River Byway follows State Route 72 for 14.3 miles between State Route 7 and US 50, tracing the Cheat River Canyon in near-isolation. For nearly six miles the river runs close to its primitive state, with little development besides the small town of Rowlesburg, and numerous pull-offs give views of the rugged canyon, Buckhorn Run Waterfall, and the Tray Run Viaduct, one of the first modern iron railroad bridges built in the United States. Historic Rowlesburg and the Jones-Imboden Civil War Trail anchor the route's history, alongside sites like Cannon Hill and the Szilagyi Center for the Performing Arts. The region built its early economy on rail lines and mineral extraction serving the surrounding mountains, and in recent decades it has become equally known for whitewater rafting on the Cheat's churning rapids. Isolated pull-offs and long stretches without cell service or development give the drive a genuinely remote feel rare this close to major East Coast cities.
- Cheat River Canyon
- Tray Run Viaduct
- 14.3 miles
- Rowlesburg
- Buckhorn Run Waterfall
- whitewater rafting
- Jones-Imboden Civil War Trail
Plan a drive on Cheat River Byway →
What is a State Scenic Byway?
State Scenic Byways are roads a state has formally recognized for their scenic, natural, historic or cultural value — each state's own curated collection of drives worth taking slowly.
Where to Stay along Cheat River Byway
No campgrounds are listed close to Cheat River Byway yet, but there are rooms near the route.
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