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1.3 miles
Distance
203 ft
Climb
-143 ft
Descent
00:15:56
Avg time
60 ft
Altitude change
1,459 ft
Altitude min
1,604 ft
Altitude max
1,483 ft
Altitude start
1,542 ft
Altitude end
0.9%
Grade
-31.9%
Grade max
20.4%
Grade min
3,366 ft
Distance climb
2,146 ft
Distance down
1,188 ft
Distance flat
00:15:56
Avg time
Southern Exposure Details
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Activities
- Mountain Bike
- E-Bike
- Winter Fat Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
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Riding AreaKanawha State Forest
Charleston, West Virginia -
Difficulty Rating
-
Local Popularity60 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 5 in Trail Running
- 5 in Hiking
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Global Ranking
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Trail ExposureNormal
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Trail TypeSingletrack
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Bike TypeAM, XC, Fat
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Climb DifficultyBlue
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Physical RatingHard
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Trail VisibilityAlways easy to follow
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Dogs AllowedYes
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eBike AllowedYes up to Class 1
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TTFs on TrailRock Face
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LightingNo
Southern Exposure hugs the ridge and the border of KSF to the Southeast. It is rolling, tight, hand built singletrack with a rock roll off feature in the middle and a cliff face right before climbing up to 1600' and dropping back into the Forest across the street from Roller Coaster. This is a must do trail when going to Wallfork Trail. From many points, especially when the leaves are off you can see to the South the exposure of reclaimed Strip mining.
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
Recent Activity on Trail
Past Week
- 1 rides
- 137 miles average
6 Months
- 8 rides
- 31 miles avg distance
All
- 35 rides
- Last: Jun 26, 2026
| c1 | c2 | c3 | c4 |
|---|---|---|---|
January | February | March | April |
May | June | July | August |
September | October | November | December |
Southern Exposure Trail Reports
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Trail Conditions
- Unknown
- Snow Groomed
- Snow Packed
- Snow Covered
- Snow Cover Partial
- Freeze/thaw Cycle
- Icy
- Prevalent Mud
- Wet
- Variable
- Ideal
- Dry
- Very Dry
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- > 6 months
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- Uphill Only
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Directions to southern-exposure trailhead
(38.231440, -81.638430)
Photos
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Nearby Trails
- Wallfork Access Road 1,050 ft
- Middle Ridge Trail 3,035 ft
- Middle Ridge Downhill 3,035 ft
- Raw And Wriggling 3,228 ft
- Park Forest Rd 801 3,235 ft
Kanawha State Forest
- By todd
Trailforks & contributors - #147489 - 1,218 views
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Frequently Asked Questions About Southern Exposure
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Where is Southern Exposure located?
Southern Exposure is located in Kanawha State Forest, Charleston, West Virginia, United States. It is part of the Kanawha State Forest trail network. The trailhead is located at coordinates 38.23144, -81.63843.
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How hard is Southern Exposure?
Southern Exposure is rated as Black Diamond difficulty. The physical rating is Hard. The average grade is 0.9%. The climb difficulty is rated Blue.
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What is the elevation gain for Southern Exposure?
Southern Exposure has 203 ft of elevation gain. The trail has 143 ft of elevation descent. The elevation ranges from 1,459 ft to 1,604 ft.
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How long is Southern Exposure?
Southern Exposure is 1.3 miles long. The trail type is singletrack.
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