What???????? you have insluted me i feel like i have commited a crime ,well i dont think so ,you on the other hand have taken over trails you didn't make and the property owners didnt mind letting you ride on and put rules on them ,my family is from welch and we made these trails long before hatfield mccoy group came together and as for tresspassing ,it must not have been that bad we the only game warden in the area (sam) inlisted our help in searching for some poachers he nor the sheriff that i talked to never not once made a commit about us tresspassing by the way he also (the sheriff) told us to come back anytime ,so ill will never pay to ride your trails and then be given rules like no after dark or camping when there are too many other places in the area to ride and by the way could you make your signs glow in the dark for better viewing at night i almost missed one

 

Chris, Nice to here from you. Looking forward to the trip to your facility. What type of weather can we expect for November 3?

 

hmitc52683
The trails you say you made, were mostly made by the land owners not you. The old logging roads and coal roads are just that. If you don't want to be part of the Hatfield McCoy Trail system stay off it. And just remember the Rangers will have all the authority a State Trooper Has. This includes Arresting you for trespassing or drinking and riding on the trail system. I hear they are going to be lenient at first but frequent offenders will be delt with. So please buy a permit and live with the few rules there are. Don't jeopardize this for everyone else.
I live in Va. and there is no good riding around hear. I drive seven hours to ride this trail system and do not want to lose it. So please think of the others not just your self. This includes the Businesses that are going to prosper from this trail system.
You drive from NC so you most be in the same boat no good riding.
And believe me the land owners will put thier foot down someday if you do not comply. I have seen this in PA. An area can be made so you can not get to it.

Edit
Just after making this post I recieved an email stating the Allahgany Nat'l Forest and the Pa State Forest have decided NOT to expand the ATV trail system like previously stated by the Pa DNR.
The land managers say they can not handle any more ATV trails.
Well I guess I will be in WVa a lot in the near future. Even though it is a seven plus hour drive for me.
Wayne B

 

Ididnt mean to be hostile or let anybody lose a riding area but i have been riding these trails for years and i dont like the thought of losing a little of my freedoms while riding,i love to ride at night and camp both are not allowed to happen on the hatfield trails and my kin people in the area relly dont want the trails in there area some have been riding and making new trails thru the area for many years and yes i have helped make a few new trails in the area ,not all are logging roads and again in as many years as i've rode there i hav'nt once been told not to ride in any area and have been always welcome,this may change one day till then i will enjoy using the non hatfield trails and hope that they never take over the land we ride Mitch

 

WC27......well, the weather around here is sometimes hard to call. so far, we've enjoyed an unseasonably warm fall season....it's been in the 70's nearly every day for the last 3 weeks. don't be fooled though....the bottom could drop out anytime. if i were you....i'd plan for anything from the 30's to the 60's, wet or dry. i know that doesn't give you much (except for an extra suitcase) but it's just too hard to call!!! always better to be prepared than to be wet and cold!!

hope you enjoy it.......chris evans.

 

Hey Mitch,

Sorry to have insulted you.....I assure you that wasn't my intent. We are in the recreation business...which is fun. Let's keep it that way!!

Wayne makes a good point that I'd like to expand on just a little bit.....and that is the point that we all need to consider the bigger picture when dealing with the changes that Hatfield-McCoy is bringing to southern WV.

On a national level....legal, managed OHV use is on a very sharp decline. Land managers in the Forest Service, BLM, State Parks, and basically all other State and Federal agencies are being forced to close OHV trails due to Clinton's roadless initiative, pressure from environmental groups, and a hundred other reasons...or should I say excuses. Basically, the bottom line is that trails are being closed everywhere, and quickly. I receive emails everyday from around the country regarding trail closures, but very few regarding new trail openings. What this means is that we in WV are one of the few groups fortunate enough to be working against this unfavorable curve. So what if we open new trails?? What does it matter?? Believe me, I've heard these questions a thousand times....and the answer is always the same....It matters.

This may seem a bit off the topic.....but have any of you ever visited the Smokey Mountains...If you have you'll appreciate this. About 40 years ago, what is now the Gatlinburg / Pigeon Forge area looked a lot like southern WV does now. It was a beautiful resource that very few people got the chance to enjoy. Look at it now....it is the most visited National Park in the country. Tens of millions of people enjoy it every year, and the local economies prosper by the tens of millions as well. Just as the Smokey Mountains are a great tourism resource, so are the Hatfield-McCoy trails. As other trail systems around the country close, which is happening quickly, people are being forced to go other places to ride. Why not here?????

Do any of you have children?? Do any of your relatives in WV have children?? Well....when Hatfield-McCoy becomes the great success that it is soon to be, your children, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren will have an opportunity to live and work in an economy much stronger and more diverse that the current economy of southern West Virginia. This recreation area is projected to draw 600,000 visitors a year, and generate $100 million in economic growth for southern WV. How can you not support that?? How can you not support an opportunity to provide our future generations, our kids, a chance to live in a stronger economy; one with more jobs, more diversity, and millions of out-of-state dollars to support a better quality of life??

I understand that many of you feel like something is being taken away....but on the bigger picture, if you think about it, that's just not the case.
Small changes which we may have to accept today can and will culminate in great changes for southern WV in the future.


As always, I ask that you all please come and visit, and enjoy the Hatfield-McCoy Trails. Information and permits are available by calling (304)752-3255, or on our website at www.trailsheaven.com.

Thank you all!!!

Chris Evans

 

Chris, I tend to agree with the fella that doesn't want to begin paying for the freedom of riding. Only because I see a trend starting in places like W.V., Ind. and now one indiviual says Pa. isn't going to open trails that were planned on, assumming, State owned land. I'd hate to see all our trails go this way or worse yet, close them down entirely for the sake of having privatized riding only. Most of us pay for permits in the States where we live. Now we'll also be purchasing a permit, not to ride in W.V., but to ride only these private trails in W.V. I hope other State's Governments, don't follow W.Virginia's lead. Of couse, riding illegal isn't the answer either. That hurts us all. Use common sense, don't go on the trail if you can't afford it. There still are other places to ride in N.C., Pa., OH., Ind. and Mich. Make sure your Congressman knows you want them to stay open and maintained. Hi to April and Kathy...
Chuck, Suzuki KQ 300, GPS & lunch...

 

hey chuck,

thanks for your input........this is always a good discussion topic.

in the big scheme of things......i agree with you. i am not a fan of "privatized" riding areas....but i am a fan of managed riding areas.....there's a big difference!!!!

hatfield-mccoy is a public recreation area....but is quite uniquely developed ENTIRELY on private land. what we have done is developed a managed trail program on lands that would otherwise not be legally open for any recreational use...particularly ohv use. so basically.....we have not "privatized" a riding area, but we have made available to the public a riding area which would otherwise would not exist. the user fees are used to manage the trails......every penny goes back into the trail system itself...so those who pay win by way of better and more trails....

i'll explain more later..........gotta run!!

thanks......chris evans.

 

Chris, thanks for the compliment but I think you have a very good system, not knocking it. We know we have to pay to play, just want it fair for all. There are families that ride together and it's not cheap to spend a weekend with a couple kids, parents, gas for the car, rooms and food. How long do you expect to hold your fee at the current price? Will there ever be any nite riding allowed?
Thanks,
Chuck, Suzuki KQ 300, GPS & lunch...

 

I just found this, this is a great dialog between rednecks who have never understood the HM system and why it exists, and the HM Director. I hear the same things in this part of the country, when areas are getting shut down by the feds and states, people say, I built those trails, well, maybe you did, but you shouldn't have because it wasn't your property. Morons. Thanks to all of them, OHV gets a bad rap and more and more places are getting shut down. The HM system is a God send. I only hope it lasts. This is entertaining stuff, people say they don't want to pay. DO you pay when you go to Bush Gardens? That's recreation. Idiots. When will people educate themselves as to the law and begen to OHV in a responsible way so that our riding areas quit getting taken away? There was a riding area near my house, shut down, a riding area south of me in Fumulton - gone. Keep up the mentality that these people have and watch HM and every other place get shut down. The people near the system better respect it, because I've seen the reality in my own back yeard, if you think there is no way the goverment or others can shut it down, you are way wrong.