By LEE WARD / THE INDEPENDENT
As a place for trail riders to have fun, the Hatfield-McCoy Trails come highly recommended.
Last year, the trails were rated the Top ATV Trail System on the East Coast by Dirt Wheels Magazine.
There are more than 500 miles of trails at various skill levels open 365 days a year throughout southern West Virginia.
The trails bring business to the southern region of West Virginia, too. Last year’s Trail Fest attracted more than 2,000 visitors during one weekend. Visitors need lodging, gasoline and food, too, so communities along the trail benefit, too.
Six trail systems make up the riding territory — Rockhouse, Buffalo Mountain, Bearwallow, Indian Ridge, Little Coal River and Pinnacle Creek.
Rockhouse
This system consists of 92 miles of trail, found between the towns of Man and Gilbert in Mingo County. Both towns offer fuel, full service food and lodging. The trail’s single trailhead is near Man and the trail claims the largest total mileage of all the trails. It offers a wide variety of difficulty levels.
Buffalo Mountain
This trail system is found between Williamson, Delbarton and Matewan, all in Mingo County, with trails totalling 76.4 miles. There are two trailheads/ranger stations — one just south of Williamson on U.S. 52 and one in Matewan. This trail is considered the most historic in the Hatfield-McCoy Trail system and has the most single track mileage of the system’s trails. There are trailheads in Williamson, Delbarton and Matewan, where fuel, lodging and food are available.
Bearwallow
Near Logan, the Bearwallow trail is about 53.27 miles with one trailhead/ranger station. It is the most popular system and is known for its difficult single track and most difficult level trails. There is access to fuel, food and lodging from Bearwallow.
Indian Ridge
The newest addition to the Hatfield-McCoy system, Indian Ridge is near Ashland, W.Va., with about 63 miles of trail, one trailhead and a two-acre parking area with restrooms. There is a variety of difficulty on the trail, which has access to the towns of Northfork and Keystone, where there is fuel, food and lodging.
Little Coal River
The Little Coal River trail system is near Danville and Madison, just off U.S. 119. The trails total 41.1 miles with one trailhead/ranger station. The trail is known for its abundance of easy miles. There is direct access to lodging.
The Hatfield-McCoy Trail Visitors Center is found on this trail, just 20 miles south of Charleston on U.S. 119. The center offers user permits, merchandise, rental information, West Virginia-made crafts and novelties, maps, brochures and historical and cultural information.
Pinnacle Creek
Near Pineville, Pinnacle Creek trail offers about 70 miles of trail with one trailhead. The route is known for its beautiful views and is just less than one hour’s travel to whitewater rafting and a ski resort. In Pineville, fuel, food and lodging are available.
LEE WARD can be reached at lward@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2661.
