DURBIN, W.Va. (WCHS) — The Allegheny Trail is the longest trail in West Virginia. It stretches 311 miles from the Pennsylvania border all the way down to Peters Mountain on the Virginia border where it connects with the famed Appalachian Trail.

To keep it safe for hikers, there's a lot of hard work that goes into keeping it clear.

"Not all of it needs to be manicured and maintained, but a large portion of that runs through three national forests. What that looks like is a lot of chain sawing, a lot of trimming and a lot of actual tread, right? Improvement whether it's winter, wind, snow, rain, that type of thing, year-round maintenance," said Nicolle Flood-Sawczyszyn, publications representative of the West Virginia Scenic Trails Association.

And it's all volunteer work.

"We have some great stakeholders, some great partners, like the state parks, like the national forest, who come and help. At the same time, this is all organized on trail and off trail. We have a very stringent safety ethic and code we stay up with. It's our responsibility. If we take a volunteer into the woods we make sure they're safe and they come home right, all in one piece but they have a good time. They understand conservation elements. We're cutting this. We're not cutting that, that type of thing, too. We speak very much about the flora and the fauna around us," Flood-Sawczyszyn said.

Recently, volunteers pitched in near Durbin in Pocahontas County. A crippling ice storm caused quite the scene last winter.

"It was very intense, very dangerous and very methodical. We had people coming from all over to help, but it was just one of these things that you see the need in order for people to get out and enjoy it, it's got to be safe. It wasn't a Helene, but it was sort of a mini-Helene for West Virginia and this trail. We had all hands on deck,"Flood-Sawczyszyn said.

Other notable stops along the Allegheny trail include Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory, Watoga State Park, Cass Scenic Railroad, Green Bank Observatory and Gaudineer Knob.

These sections can be broken up into day hikes for any skill level.

"People could come to hikethealleghenytrail.org and learn more about becoming a member, learn more about coming to volunteer, because all our members are volunteers. We have some of the most unique and less populated mountains where people can come and decompress and walk away with a gift that only nature can give. I invite everybody to come out, whether it's for a couple hours a weekend, but truly, the lesson is personal growth across the board on that," Flood-Sawczyszyn added.