All types of four-wheelers can be found on the 600 miles of the Hatfield-McCoy Trails. Photo courtesy Hatfield-McCoy Trails.
Oceana native's business rides on success of Hatfield-McCoy Trails
DANVILLE, W.Va. -- This isn't back-to-nature for the wimpy. Or for those who want a peaceful stroll through the woods. This is a rip-roaring, rear-end numbing, puddle-jumping, dust-kicking adventure.
The hardest part of the journey? I had to admit to my son, "I was wrong."
I couldn't believe I was shouting those words above the roar of the Honda Rincon, which I was straddling with my mud-splattered blue jeans and work boot-clad legs, with the West Virginia mountains soaring lush and green above my head and a muddy stream rolling by my side.
Our family was on the Hatfield-McCoy system of professionally managed trails somewhere near Danville, or maybe Madison. We were riding with the owner of West Virginia ATV Tours and two of the rangers, who patrol the trails daily, keeping the ride safe for all levels of riders.
I've always thought ATVs were too dangerous and I only listened to the bad news -- the accidents, the injuries, even the deaths. But on the Hatfield-McCoy trail, the danger is lessened through careful training and numerous safety measures.
Stephen Anderson, leader of the tour group, got us ready for the trip by running through the rules and regulations, as well as the intricacies of the vehicles we rode. Safety is first and foremost in the talk. The ATVs are fully automatic and easy to operate, even for beginners.
"Yes, people get killed riding these things," Anderson said. "But that's not going to happen if you follow the rules and take the right precautions."
We wore helmets and goggles, and long pants and boots are recommended. At first we tried to ride in just our sunglasses, but the goggles were much more efficient in keeping the dust out of our eyes.
There was only one time I wanted to bite my nails. And I couldn't have chewed them in anxiety, anyway, because my hands were gripping the handlebars so tightly.
It was early in the ride, and I didn't have my "trail legs" yet. The danger was mostly in my mind, but I swear when I looked to my right, it was a gazillion feet down to the bottom of the ravine next to the trail.
There were moments that were ethereal -- when I saw my 17-year-old daughter, Emma, up ahead of me on the trail, silhouetted in the dust cloud kicked up by her ATV, with the sun streaming through the dust motes. We passed beautiful mountain streams, we rode atop rock cliffs and through rhododendron-covered glens. We saw things in that area we would never have seen if we hadn't had the power of the colossal, liquid-cooled 675cc engine to haul us up the mountainsides.
My son, John, and his friend Dalton, both in their early 20s and experienced ATV riders, found the ride to be as exciting as my husband and I, who are anything but pros. Emma took the whole experience in stride -- fairly new to ATV riding, she had no problem keeping up with the boys, even "catching air" at one point near the end of the ride.
One family on our tour rode in a UTV, or a utility type vehicle. These look like souped-up dune buggies, with roll bars and seat belts rivaling a racecar. The two preteen girls were strapped safely into their seats, enjoying the frolicking ride.
The trail draws visitors from all over the country. On the August Saturday of our ride, there were trucks and cars from North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana and Maine in the parking lot.
The National Association of State Auditors and Treasurers offered trail rides as one of the featured events during its recent convention in Charleston. Mississippi comptroller Leila Malatesta, returning from her first ATV ride, was bubbling with enthusiasm.
"It was fabulous!" Malatesta said. A proud Mississippian, she added, "West Virginia is second only to Mississippi in hospitality! And that ride -- wow. It was fun and beautiful."
Daily permits are available for tour participants. (See accompanying story for details.) For those riders who own trail vehicles, annual permits are $24.50 for West Virginia residents and $50 for nonresidents.
The trails are well marked, and, in a way, well maintained, if you call huge boulders jaggedly leering out of the middle of the path, followed by potholes the size of a small foreign car, well-maintained.
But they cut away trees that have fallen across the trails, and it looks like they've put a bit of gravel here and there to fill in some "rough" spots.
Signs are posted everywhere, with trails marked easiest, more and most difficult, and numbers that correspond to the handy maps telling which trail you're on. Maps are available at the various trailheads along the system or can be downloaded at www.trailsheaven.com. GPS devices are popular out here -- the map has coordinates on a grid, allowing freewheeling riders to find their own way around the trails.
Three rangers patrol the 600 miles of trails, including Jeremy Collins, who said the system is the biggest in the Eastern United States.
"There are six different trails," Collins, 30, said, "and they are working on connecting several more sections." Different people own the land. While they make no money for being included in the trail system, they benefit from the blanket insurance policy and the watchful eyes of the rangers.
Ranger Noah Lombardo, 57, said the officers trained at the West Virginia State Police Academy, and they look for riders not wearing helmets ($100 fine), for poachers and for littering. Of course, drinking alcohol while riding is prohibited.
"If you're on your ATV and a bit tipsy, I'm getting you," Lombardo said. "That's DUI. This is the safest trail system in the country."
"I've watched a black bear, seen so many deer, turkeys, it's amazing," Collins said of his travels on the trail. "And on my days off, I'm usually here just riding the trails."
The Hatfield-McCoy Trail system will celebrate its 10th anniversary with Trail Fest, Oct. 7-11, at the Larry Joe Harless Center in Gilbert. Music, drag racing, a mud pit, a tug-of-war, casino night, parade and cake and ice cream will be part of the festivities, and 1,200 riders are expected.
At the end of the ride, we made the obligatory trip to the gift shop to pick up T-shirts to commemorate our adventure. My husband's shirt reads, "HMT H2O = MUD" and mine, of course, says, "Four-wheeling Chick." Enough said.
Hatfield-McCoy Trail Rules and Regulations
Obey all user rules.
All trail users must have a valid Hatfield-McCoy Trail permit. The user permit is to be affixed to the left side of user's helmet below the goggle line at all times. Users who wish to transfer permit to another helmet may do so in person at the administrative office, Route 10 South, Rich Creek Road, Lyburn, WV 25632.
Everyone must wear a DOT, SNELL or other approved helmet and protective eyewear.
Oceana native's business rides on success of Hatfield-McCoy Trails
DANVILLE, W.Va. -- This isn't back-to-nature for the wimpy. Or for those who want a peaceful stroll through the woods. This is a rip-roaring, rear-end numbing, puddle-jumping, dust-kicking adventure.
The hardest part of the journey? I had to admit to my son, "I was wrong."
I couldn't believe I was shouting those words above the roar of the Honda Rincon, which I was straddling with my mud-splattered blue jeans and work boot-clad legs, with the West Virginia mountains soaring lush and green above my head and a muddy stream rolling by my side.
Our family was on the Hatfield-McCoy system of professionally managed trails somewhere near Danville, or maybe Madison. We were riding with the owner of West Virginia ATV Tours and two of the rangers, who patrol the trails daily, keeping the ride safe for all levels of riders.
I've always thought ATVs were too dangerous and I only listened to the bad news -- the accidents, the injuries, even the deaths. But on the Hatfield-McCoy trail, the danger is lessened through careful training and numerous safety measures.
Stephen Anderson, leader of the tour group, got us ready for the trip by running through the rules and regulations, as well as the intricacies of the vehicles we rode. Safety is first and foremost in the talk. The ATVs are fully automatic and easy to operate, even for beginners.
"Yes, people get killed riding these things," Anderson said. "But that's not going to happen if you follow the rules and take the right precautions."
We wore helmets and goggles, and long pants and boots are recommended. At first we tried to ride in just our sunglasses, but the goggles were much more efficient in keeping the dust out of our eyes.
There was only one time I wanted to bite my nails. And I couldn't have chewed them in anxiety, anyway, because my hands were gripping the handlebars so tightly.
It was early in the ride, and I didn't have my "trail legs" yet. The danger was mostly in my mind, but I swear when I looked to my right, it was a gazillion feet down to the bottom of the ravine next to the trail.
There were moments that were ethereal -- when I saw my 17-year-old daughter, Emma, up ahead of me on the trail, silhouetted in the dust cloud kicked up by her ATV, with the sun streaming through the dust motes. We passed beautiful mountain streams, we rode atop rock cliffs and through rhododendron-covered glens. We saw things in that area we would never have seen if we hadn't had the power of the colossal, liquid-cooled 675cc engine to haul us up the mountainsides.
My son, John, and his friend Dalton, both in their early 20s and experienced ATV riders, found the ride to be as exciting as my husband and I, who are anything but pros. Emma took the whole experience in stride -- fairly new to ATV riding, she had no problem keeping up with the boys, even "catching air" at one point near the end of the ride.
One family on our tour rode in a UTV, or a utility type vehicle. These look like souped-up dune buggies, with roll bars and seat belts rivaling a racecar. The two preteen girls were strapped safely into their seats, enjoying the frolicking ride.
The trail draws visitors from all over the country. On the August Saturday of our ride, there were trucks and cars from North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana and Maine in the parking lot.
The National Association of State Auditors and Treasurers offered trail rides as one of the featured events during its recent convention in Charleston. Mississippi comptroller Leila Malatesta, returning from her first ATV ride, was bubbling with enthusiasm.
"It was fabulous!" Malatesta said. A proud Mississippian, she added, "West Virginia is second only to Mississippi in hospitality! And that ride -- wow. It was fun and beautiful."
Daily permits are available for tour participants. (See accompanying story for details.) For those riders who own trail vehicles, annual permits are $24.50 for West Virginia residents and $50 for nonresidents.
The trails are well marked, and, in a way, well maintained, if you call huge boulders jaggedly leering out of the middle of the path, followed by potholes the size of a small foreign car, well-maintained.
But they cut away trees that have fallen across the trails, and it looks like they've put a bit of gravel here and there to fill in some "rough" spots.
Signs are posted everywhere, with trails marked easiest, more and most difficult, and numbers that correspond to the handy maps telling which trail you're on. Maps are available at the various trailheads along the system or can be downloaded at www.trailsheaven.com. GPS devices are popular out here -- the map has coordinates on a grid, allowing freewheeling riders to find their own way around the trails.
Three rangers patrol the 600 miles of trails, including Jeremy Collins, who said the system is the biggest in the Eastern United States.
"There are six different trails," Collins, 30, said, "and they are working on connecting several more sections." Different people own the land. While they make no money for being included in the trail system, they benefit from the blanket insurance policy and the watchful eyes of the rangers.
Ranger Noah Lombardo, 57, said the officers trained at the West Virginia State Police Academy, and they look for riders not wearing helmets ($100 fine), for poachers and for littering. Of course, drinking alcohol while riding is prohibited.
"If you're on your ATV and a bit tipsy, I'm getting you," Lombardo said. "That's DUI. This is the safest trail system in the country."
"I've watched a black bear, seen so many deer, turkeys, it's amazing," Collins said of his travels on the trail. "And on my days off, I'm usually here just riding the trails."
The Hatfield-McCoy Trail system will celebrate its 10th anniversary with Trail Fest, Oct. 7-11, at the Larry Joe Harless Center in Gilbert. Music, drag racing, a mud pit, a tug-of-war, casino night, parade and cake and ice cream will be part of the festivities, and 1,200 riders are expected.
At the end of the ride, we made the obligatory trip to the gift shop to pick up T-shirts to commemorate our adventure. My husband's shirt reads, "HMT H2O = MUD" and mine, of course, says, "Four-wheeling Chick." Enough said.
Hatfield-McCoy Trail Rules and Regulations
Obey all user rules.
All trail users must have a valid Hatfield-McCoy Trail permit. The user permit is to be affixed to the left side of user's helmet below the goggle line at all times. Users who wish to transfer permit to another helmet may do so in person at the administrative office, Route 10 South, Rich Creek Road, Lyburn, WV 25632.
Everyone must wear a DOT, SNELL or other approved helmet and protective eyewear.
No passengers on any ATV unless the ATV is manufactured for the driver and a passenger.
No alcoholic beverages may be consumed or carried.
No firearms.
Obey all signs, gates and barriers.
Stay on marked trails.
Only enter and exit the trail systems at a trailhead, community or other approved connectors.
Do not enter a "no trail," "no entry" or gated area.
Drive or ride at a speed reasonable for conditions.
No person shall drive an ATV/UTV unless that person meets the minimum age recommendation specified by the ATV/UTV manufacturer for the ATV/UTV that is being driven.
Stop when signaled by a ranger.
Carry photo identification at all times.
Adult supervision is required for those under age 18.
Do not litter.
No fires.
No camping on the trails.
Trail system is open from sunrise to sunset.
Reach Sara Busse at sara.bu...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1249.
