Hatfield-McCoy: the next mountain bike mecca

IMBA Trail News
Volume 12, Number 3
August 1999

By Matt Holter, IMBA Advocacy Intern

West Virginia has big plans for trails and mountain biking. The Hatfield-McCoy Recreation Area in southwestern West Virginia will soon offer 2,000 miles of shared-use trails, which will all be open to mountain bicycling. The White House has already recognized the project as one of America's 16 Millennium Trails.

"We believe this recognition is well justified because the Hatfield-McCoy Recreation Area is showing the way for trails and for rural economic development in the 21st century," said John English, a co-director of the project.

West Virginia is looking to tourism for income. The dwindling coal mining industry has brought West Virginia high unemployment and a lack of economic diversity. In 1994 the U.S. Congress funded a $400,000 feasibility study, which concluded that mountain biking and other trail-based recreation would bring 600,000 visitors to the area each year, adding over $100 million to the local economy and creating 4,200 new jobs.

Hatfield-McCoy is the only Millennium Trail open to motorized recreation. It's also unusual because virtually all of the trails will be on private property owned by corporations. The companies hold the land for coal, natural gas, and timber resource development, but use only small portions of their properties at any point in time. "Back East it's unusual to have even 10 percent of the land in public ownership," English observed. "But if there are few enough owners, we ought to be able to deal with them. There are counties where 80 to 90 percent of the land is owned by a handful of corporations."

The Hatfield McCoy Recreation Development Coalition has already signed memoranda of agreement with 20 landowners. "It took nine years to get their cooperation. We were real persistent and built up community support and got to the point where they would listen to us. We gradually convinced them it's a good idea," English said.

The coalition is receiving $3 million from the State of West Virginia and $448,000 from the National Recreational Trails Fund. The state legislature has created a public corporation that will assume all liability, charge fees for trail access, and hire staff, including rangers with full law enforcement authority. Within five years the project will expand to adjacent areas of eastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia. The system will ultimately run through five million acres.

The trails will be open to all kinds of trail users, but with an unusual arrangement: 4WD operators will be allowed on wide trails only in groups with licensed guides. Managers plan to restrict trail access only on the basis of appropriate tread width. Cyclists, hikers, equestrians and motorcyclists will be allowed on narrow trails; medium-width routes will also accommodate ATVs; doubletrack and jeep routes will be open to four-wheel drives, as well as all other users.

The Recreation Area's name stems from the famous feud between two families. Those violent events centered on the small coal-mining town of Matewan, WV located within the project boundaries. Matewan was later the scene of a violent confrontation between privately hired "detectives" and organized labor, dramatized in a movie named after the town. The trail system will provide access to a rich trove of historical, cultural and industrial sites.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will provide technical assistance and quality assurance. With significant funding involved, trail planners hope to ensure adequate maintenance, which will prevent sedimentation of streams. Soils in the area are relatively stable.

The Hatfield-McCoy is currently planning a series of pre-opening invitational events (including some for mountain bikes) starting this fall. The first 300 miles of trail are expected to open in fall 2000.

Mountain biking is an essential element of the Hatfield-McCoy Recreation Area. The developers are currently looking for a few mountain bikers to become part of the trail development committee. The directors are also looking to hire a person to promote events for all types of trail users. The position will pay $35,000 per year.

To receive updates on the progress of this project, send your name and address to Hatfield-McCoy Trail Scouts, P.O. Box 65, Charleston, WV 25321. If you have specific questions, contact John English at (703) 573-6656, or .

The West Virginia legislature has granted authority for Hatfield-McCoy trails in eight counties.