The HMT or Hatfeild Mcoy Trails is a rip off. You can ride all over WV for free,on land owned by land companies. With no stupid rules like the HMT has! The land that the HMT occupies used to be the same way. Just call 304-589-7116 or go to wvatv.org for more info. I have been riding all over WV my whole life,and never paid to ride. Places like the Wagon Wheel are out on the trail so you can stop and eat,fill up with gas,rent a place to sleep, or camp. There is other places in that same area to do the same. You can ride double,stop and talk,trail blaze,and do whatever you want!!! Screw them SOB'S at HMT. They charge to much money for something that used to be free. You will not have any problems at hilltop or where ever you go. Just show up and ask someone to show you around. Because there is a lot of riding there. Hundreds and hundreds of miles. You may get charged a couple of dollars to park,but if you go a couple of times, you can find a place to park for free if it is that big of deal. You can park at Hilltop,Windmill Gap, Pinnacle Creek Campground, or Black Dog Ranch. Call 304-589-7116 or www.atv.org No these places are not near Pineville,WV but you can ride to Pineville from there. You also can park at Herndon Mtn., Bud, Keystone,and other places. You can actually get to these places from the HMT trail in Pineville,WV but dont let them catch you crossing out of there boundaries or they will write you a ticket. If you have been to the HMT trail in Pineville you can get to these places from Pineville with out Paying for HMT. Park beside the same road you ride or drive up to get to the trail head! Wich is Pinnacle Creek Rd. Unload your ATV and just ride past the trail head, past the coal tipple and turn right after the gaurd shack. Stay straight on that road all the way to the top of the mtn.! You will come out in a strip mine.You will see places atv's have ridden. Hang around and wait for someone to show up for directions or just follow some trails. Or you can ride on out that road until it turns into asphalt,then about 1/2 mile or so you will see a place on your left that has a small camping area and serves atv'ers. There should be people there that will help with directions or go riding with ya. Would love to meet up with some of you people and show you around. GOOD LUCK ! ! !

 

free or not is it legal?

 

I agree 100%, And it keeps the drunks off the trails I am riding.

Wayne B

 

Like the fees or not, that trail system has generated a LOT of buzz for WV. Maybe there are tons of places you can ride free, but none of them were ever advertised like HMT is. Also I would be willing to bet that those trails don't have a budget for grooming either. If me and every other guy within a days drive hit up your free trails this summer, what kind of shape would they be in w/o maintenance? From what i have seen, the price is small relative to what you get. Certainly much better than what is publicly available here in the great state of New York.

 

The trails see hundreds of atv's a week,and they dont need no grooming. There in great shape. So why pay for nothing. It is legal to ride the other places. The trails at HMT were never groomed for years and years before they leased it and started charging admission. The locals there,and non-residents used to hunt,camp,and ride there atv's,trucks, or whatever they wanted for free,for years. Believe me,no one was complaining about trail grooming. But there is a lot of complaining now. The advertising I admit is a good idea. However, there has been out of state people going there and riding for free for years. Now you can't hunt or camp on any land the HMT has leased. Why, I ask! Never hurt anything before. I guess you wouldnt understand, since you never got to enjoy the freedom that there used to be there. So I will just keep riding in all the other places in WV that are bigger and better than the HMT anyways, and not worry about it to much. It just sux, because some of the places they took over. Others and I have been hunting and riding for over 20 years. If they would allow bow hunting and camping, I think they could sell even more permits than they are selling now. But oh well. You should try some of the other places though. Its great to be able to camp just off the side of the trail,stop and talk to others with out worring about getting in trouble. Oh,there is drunks on the highway. So dont think they dont do it on the HMT!!!

 

Trail grooming : ) hah! Thats for candy a$$'$

 

Yeah! :~) You gotta have NUTS to speed through them RUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wayne,Scooter or whoever! Did you want that tampon with wings or what. Its your panties, I dont give a flip! Just kidding. Really though. There is some great trails there. Hope you try them! GOOD LUCK ! ! ![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]

 

POLARISEATER, If you have so many free places to ride, then ride there instead!! As for me, I've been traveling down to HM each year for the last 7 years and I think its a great deal! I highly reccomend it to every ATV owner I meet. Good God Man, it's only $35 for a week pass. How cheap are you??? Those of us who live in the great state of "the Sierra Club" (nj) who have no place to ride can really appreciate what HM has set up. Maybe being from NC, you don't realize just how precious a few hundred miles of trails can seem.

What you have at HM is clear: A legal place to park where you KNOW its legal, you don't have to wonder if your going to be towed or if there's going to be a police car waiting to greet you when you return. You have a clearly marked trail system and free maps. You couldn't get lost even if you tried real hard. You have campgrounds with every level of facility right next to the trails. You have many welcomming communities eager for you vacation dollars offering bargain motel rates a good cheap meals and some towns even allowing ATVs on the streets. I go down there looking for a cheap vacation and they treat my like I'm rich.

Then there's the HM organized events. I usually try to aviod them because I like having the trails all to myself. But last year, coincidentally scheduled my trip the same week as one of their annual events, "Dirt Days". Turns out, it was awesome!


I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Maybe you have some great trails in NC I don't know about. When I look at Dirt Wheeles magazine and search online, all I see in NC is places with 23 miles and 15 miles of trails. When I ride, I want to go someplace and actually have it take some time to get there and not just go in circles all day long. So if you're holding out on some great hidden gem of a trails syste, please let me know. I love NC and have friends there. I'd like to come down. Show me where I can find 500 miles of trails.

 

ya, get over it. If you wanna ride on land for free thats fine. i do that at places but i think it is great that there is an organized trail system that is so good like h&m. they have riding events and provide a good and safe place to be. There should be more.

 

Cowsaki, you need to read the post better. Its all in there. The trails Im talking about surround the HMT. There is hundreds upon hundreds of miles of trails. However, I dont know if there is any trail maps though.