A Mountain Biking Movement

Photo by Snowshoe Mountain.

With prime topography in the mountains of Appalachia, mountain biking is growing exponentially in West Virginia as it becomes an international destination for the sport. There are miles of trails throughout the state and new ones continuously popping up to meet the increasing demand. The diverse mountain biking trails allow novices and experts alike to find their perfect ride. Compiled here are some of the best trail systems in the state.

Situated within the 6,000-plus acres of Cacapon Resort State Park in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle are 30 miles of mountain biking trails that are quickly becoming known as one of the top mountain biking destinations on the East Coast.

The park itself is marked by unique elevation changes and sandstone-bedded trails sought after by mountain bikers for their high level of grip, even in wet conditions. The entrance of the park sits at 800 feet and the highest peak measures 2,400 feet, offering opportunities for gravity trails and great views of the surrounding area.

The Rock & Roll trail is a National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) racecourse that forms a 2.2-mile, figure-eight trail with the very short connector trail, Crossroad. The trail is built so beginners can ride, enjoy and progress their skills while simultaneously being fun for advanced riders.

Thanks to a new $3.5 million U.S. Economic Development Administration grant, Cacapon Resort State Park will see another 30 miles of trails built in the next four years.

The growth and large investment in mountain biking trails are being seen in other parts of the state too, mostly spearheaded by grassroots groups of dedicated mountain bikers. The Meeks Mountain Trail Alliance in Hurricane, WV, has built 25.5 miles of trails in just four years. By the end of April 2023, the town will have a total of 29 miles of hand-crafted, mixed-use mountain biking, hiking and running trails.

The two-way traffic cross country style trail system features a good mix of techy trails, climbing, downhill and scenic nuggets to enjoy along the way. There are four main loops in Meeks Mountain: the blue/gold blaze trail is 10.15 miles; the green/white blaze trail is 3.5 miles; the red/white blaze is 3.2 miles; and the newest addition, the purple/pink blaze trail, will be approximately 8 miles.

There has certainly been a recent boom in the popularity of mountain biking in West Virginia, but the Mountain State has been involved with the sport since its earliest decades. Mountwood Park, located 12 miles east of Parkersburg, joined this trend in the early 1990s.

Mountwood Park’s extensive singletrack trail system is open to mountain bikers and hikers all year long. With assistance from the Mountwood Park administration and staff, these trails have been designed, developed and maintained according to International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) standards for over 30 years by a dedicated group of volunteers from the River Valley Mountain Bike Association nonprofit.

Mountwood Park has what is known as a stacked-loop trail system, and these trails can range in difficulty from beginner to advanced. This singletrack network is renowned for its fun, flowy and, at times, challenging nature that draws return visitors from across the region and even nationally.

The park currently has 36 miles of mountain biking trails with more in the process of development and construction. They also have nine miles of West Virginia Division of Highways-signed scenic backroad routes that link to two separate North Bend Rail Trail trailheads, which connect Mountwood Park to the full 72 miles of this rail trail and also to North Bend State Park’s singletrack trail system.

Snowshoe Mountain Resort was another early adopter of mountain biking in West Virginia. Since the early 1990s, Snowshoe Mountain Bike Park has expanded to include over 50 miles of trails between the park and the Monongahela National Forest backcountry. Snowshoe Mountain is the epicenter of the mid-Atlantic’s bike culture and the host of several mountain biking world cups.

The lift-accessed Bike Park at Snowshoe is nationally recognized as one of the best in the U.S. and offers one of the largest trail systems in the East. The backcountry trail system and local trails in the Monongahela National Forest are quickly gaining popularity thanks to the recent designation as an IMBA Ride Center.

If you are looking for a place to beat the heat in the summertime and cruise through the soft mossy floor of red spruce forests, temperatures at Snowshoe rarely exceed the upper 70s, even in the middle of summer. For riders in the mid-Atlantic and Southeast, there is nothing else like it.

“West Virginia is the perfect place for mountain biking to thrive and expand,” says Audy Perry, executive director of the Heritage Farm Foundation.

Mountain Rim Bike Park at Heritage Farm in Huntington is well-suited for beginners looking to hop on a bike for the first time. Visitors can either rent a bike on-site or bring their own. The park takes one of the most difficult parts out of mountain biking by taking you up the mountain in a six-seater side-by-side known as the Holler Hauler.

Photo by Tracy A. Toler Photography.

From there, riders can make their start at the practice and training loop and then choose their own adventure down the mountain on beginner, intermediate and expert trails. New trails and expanded features are coming in the spring of 2023. Visitors can purchase an annual adventure pass that allows them unlimited access to the farm and the adventure park every day when they are open to the public.

Residents of the Morgantown area who are eager to have trails close to home have exciting things to look forward to with the creation of West Run Woods—a project led by the Brad and Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative. West Run Woods is currently in phase one of a multi-purpose, human-powered trail system. Three miles of trails were built in phase one using a combination of volunteers and professional trail builders and include the area’s first gravity flow trail, allowing riders of all ability levels to learn and experience mountain biking in a new way.

The trail system is built on post-agriculture, undevelopable, residual property that is in town and close to commercial and residential development. The system helps the city reach its goal of a trail within a mile of every house in the city limits of Morgantown.

The recent rapid growth in mountain biking in West Virginia represents the beginning of a larger initiative to capitalize on the state’s outdoor recreation. Leaders of the renewed mountain biking movement hope to spread the positive benefits of the sport like improved well-being, mental and physical health and community across the state.