I have tons of questions..I've never been there before but plan on going this year..

1~Do they hold a us national atv jamboree there were like 20000 people go each year??( I heard this, but on there web site the only events I saw that looked good was the atv and dirt bike jamboree April 28th to May 2nd...and the dirt days late June) I thought the national one was like a week long..could be mistaken though...If they don't hold it..which is the best event??
2~If you know...what are some of the best trailheads to ride on for atv's???? I know there are like two were you can get town access real easy.
3~its about a 6or 7 hour drive for me.....is it worth it???
4~What do you recomend to a first timer??? (things to take down there...events to go to..trails to ride...other things to do...places to eat....anything..

Now I've already been through there website but I want the info coming from people that have been there..so if you could give me your own input I would appreciate it greatly!! thanks!!!

 

1. The DirtDays and the Jamboree draw a rather large crowd from what I understand. I think both events are at least 5 days long each.

2. Rockhouse is lots of fun, rocky as the name implies. Bear Wallow is usually good from some mud. Waterways is probably the most beginner friendly.

3. Yes, if you like riding hundreds of miles of trails or varying difficulty and terrain with some of the best scenery in the world.....and the best people.

4. Definitely take tire plug kit and a pump of some sort....a camelback is pretty handy....

 

ya I plan on going this year with some buddies of mine..I want to go to dirt days..it sounds funner...but here is the riding I want to do...I want some hilly terain..I love hill climbing...and a little bit of mud...not swampy or anything but I mostly like hilly terrain and something with some good scenery..so which trailhead should I hit??? I don't want no slow baby trail head...I want something thats a little bit tough and difficult something for the bigger boys and not the little kids...

 

Quadracer,

I went last year with my father, brother, and a cousin. Best trip I have ever taken. I believe we rode the rockhouse system. We stayed in gilbert. We would ride into town in the morning grab some breakfast and hit the trails from there. We would ride the trails we wanted and ride to the next town called mann I believe, and get lunch and fuel there. From there we would ride the trails we wanted next and finish off back at gilbert in the evening. It all depends on how fast you want to travel as to how many trails you get to see. Unfortunetly we only got to ride two days and did not ride all the trails in the system. We made some stops along the way to enjoy some of the most beautiful scenery you could ask for. I think you won't be disappointed. You can ride as difficult of trail as you want to. It pretty much has everything you could ask for. The people were great and I want to make it an annual event. Were having a new baby this summer, so I'm not sure if I will be able to make it this year or not but will definelty do my best. Give it a try, I think its were I'm going to retire to. I love it.

 

If you want difficult trails, hit the black trails on any of the trail heads. Parts of the blues can get a bit hairy in places.

Hilly terrain you say? Have you ever seen a relief map of southern WV? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

Hey HOSPORTSMAN,,,ya I am defenetly going to have to go this year..it sounds like its a blast...I just want to say congrats on the new addition to the family!! and for Rook WV..I take it that the trails are rated from coler..black as bad *** and blue as mild,,or something like that..and I guess your right...hilly is an understatement for southern wv!!! I can't wait to go..I'm thinking about going during the dirt days in late june..that sounds the funnest...and I figured I would defenetly try the rockhouse trail system and maybe one more if we have time...one more question..we were planning on taking an rv but we might not be able to..is there plenty of places to pitch a tent or would it be better to stay in a hotel..I do know that a shower would defenetly be nice after riding each day! Thanks for your guys info..helping me to make a great first experience at Hatfield McCoy!!!

 

I’d recommend that first timers go to Hatfield McCoy during a “non event” time because it would be less crowded and you can concentrate on discovering the trails rather than attending the various functions associated with the event. If you go on your own on a regular day you may travel for miles without seeing anybody else. You can really concentrate on the trail riding this way. All trails there handle “two way” traffic so you have to keep this in mind as you navigate the trails, so keep your quad under enough control where you can deal with someone coming the other way on the trail at any given moment.

I’ve been down there 9 times so far and have attended two events (Trail Fest on 2 different years). There might have been 1000 or so people there total for each event (certainly not 20000). After you’ve had a chance to run the trails and know what’s out there, then plan another trip down to one of these events if some of the scheduled activities interest you. I’d suggest planning your trip so you will have at least 3 riding days. It takes us about 7 ½ hours to get there (including gas / food stops) so we generally allocate two days strictly for traveling and at least 3 days for riding. Now that there are 4 trail heads open (and soon to be 5) you might want to think about having a ride day for each trail system. I’d recommend starting with WaterWays, then Bear Wallow, then Rockhouse and finally Buffalo Mtn (although right at this very moment the Buffalo Mtn trail system is temporarily closed). I’d recommend staying in the vicinity of the WaterWays trail head on the first night, then check out of your lodging the next day and drive to the trail head (WaterWays). After returning from your day one ride, travel to lodging in the area of Man for the rest of your stay. On riding day two, trailer your quads to the Bear Wallow trail head and spend the day riding there. Also take note as you are driving to Bear Wallow, right after you get on 17 from 10 there is a nightclub called “Tops” (on the right) and they serve an excellent steak so keep that place in mind for one of your dinner stops (no cover charge if you are only going to eat). On riding day three just ride your quads from your lodging area in Man to the Cliffside Restaurant for breakfast and then ride to the Rockhouse trail head. Plan your ride so you can drop down into Gilbert for refueling and lunch. On riding day 4 trailer your way to the Buffalo Mtn trail head (if it has reopened)... The easiest way to go is up to Logan then get on 117 and work your way south to Williamson (on Rt 52). Make a run to Matewan for lunch & gas, then ride back to the trail head, refuel (from gas cans that you brought) and cross Rt 52 to take on the north loop.

As to what to bring; gas cans (for refueling at Waterways and at Buffalo Mtn if you plan to do the north loop). There is a little gas station near the Bear Wallow Trail head and you can ride into the towns of Man and Gilbert (at opposite ends of the Rockhouse system) for gas. Bring drink (gator aid, water, etc.), snacks, layers of clothing, rain gear, plenty of tire plugs (even if you are running slime), a portable 12V air compressor, a means to wash your equipment (at least at the end of the day) although you may have access to a hose where you are staying, or a local car wash. I’d recommend a couple pairs of gloves and boots (so you have a spare if one gets wet as you can give the wet ones a day to dry out so you can alternate).

I’d say Rockhouse is the favorite of our group (when comparing WaterWays, Bear Wallow and Buffalo Mtn) but they are all a lot of fun. I tend to prefer uphills to downhills and with this in mind here are some trail recommendations at Rockhouse; From Man, take 14 from 10, 29 from 14 (or just stay on 14 if you don’t want to do black trails), 28 from either 14 or 29, 31 from 13, 93 from 10. Trail 12 (especially between 31 and 10) makes a great speed run with lots of turns and puddles. Trail 16 is the same but is a little tighter and rougher. Black trail 94 I’ve heard is the roughest trail in the entire Hatfield McCoy system (I’ve never tried this one).

Bear Wallow has a coal pile playground in the back end between trails 16 and 33. Also some creek crossings in the area of trail 10 where it crosses Rt 17.

Black trail 98 on the Buffalo Mtn system has some rough sections and a wicked hill with a rock outcropping on it that spans the width of the trail. I’ve done this trail twice in the direction of going towards Matewan (this takes you up the previously mentioned hill). I wouldn’t want to attempt this trail in the other direction (because of the rough, severely washed out downhill section (with a large gas line running through the trail) which would in the return direction become an uphill section that may be very hard to navigate.

Mud can be found in all systems (there are detours around the nasty sections for those that do not want to take them head-on)…