Hatfield McCoy ATV Trails
- Length: 700+ miles
- Difficulty: Mixed
- Access: Easy
- Open: Year round
Riding Permits
- WV Residents: $26.50
- Current Military ID (residency doesn’t matter): $26.50
- Non Residents: $50
To increase tourism and expand their economies south central West Virginia has embraced off roading in a big way with the Hatfield McCoy Trails.
What started with only 3 trails has now grown into an expansive trail system comprised of 9 different sections (and still growing).
In Spring 2019, the federal government awarded $678,000 to the Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreation Authority which operates and maintains the trails.
The money is going to be used to add 185 miles of new trails in Lincoln, McDowell and Wyoming counties.
Each section has it’s own difficulty rating, scenery, main trail town and overall vibe.
This amazing trail system is open all year with over 700+ miles of trails for riders of all skill levels.
Some trial sections stand alone while others connect to other trails within the Hatfield McCoy Trail system. If you wanted to ride all 8 trail segments, you would have to trailer to several different trailheads.
Pocahontas, Indian Ridge and Pinnacle Creek are all connected and have the most miles of continuous trails east of the Mississippi.
Hatfield McCoy Trails
Bearwallow
Trail Difficulty
- Easy: 34%
- Moderate: 39%
- Difficult: 14%
- Very Difficult: 10%
- Single Track: 3%
Overview
- Length : 70+ miles
- Towns: Logan, Ethel
- Vehicles Allowed: All (ATVs, UTVs, motorcycles, OHVs, Jeeps, Trucks, etc)
- Can I Buy A Permit At Trailhead: Yes
This trail is a mix of the most difficult rated single track mixed with easy trails. The easy and moderate sections of the trail can be enjoyed without having to navigate though the more advanced sections.
This is the only trail within the Hatfield McCoy Trail System that allows all types of off roading vehicles and because of this, it is also one of the most popular trail sections.
Bearwallow has direct trail access to gas, food and lodging.
Cabwaylingo State Forest Trails
Trail Difficulty
- Easy: 54%
- Moderate: 29%
- Difficult: 9%
- Very Difficult: 0%
- Single Track: 5%
Overview
- Length: 100 miles
- Towns: Dunlow
- Vehicles Allowed: ATVs, UTVs, Motorcycles, ORVs (Jeeps, Trucks, Dune Buggies)
- Can I Buy A Permit At Trailhead: Yes
One of the newer additions to the Hatfield McCoy Trail System, Cabwaylingo gets its name from the surrounding counties of Cabell, Wayne, Lincoln, and Mingo.
Located on 8,300 acres, Cabwaylingo Forest has 100 trail miles of mostly easy and moderate trails.
All services are available in nearby Dunlow.
Buffalo Mountain
Trail Difficulty
- Easy: 28%
- Moderate: 22%
- Difficult: 15%
- Very Difficult: 4%
- Single Track: 31%
Overview
- Length: 60 miles (+150 additional miles when combined with Devil Anse and Rockhouse)
- Towns: Matewan, Delbarton, Williamson
- Vehicles Allowed: ATVs, UTVs, Motorcycles
- Not Allowed: ORVs (Jeeps, Trucks, Dune Buggies)
- Can I Buy A Permit At Trailhead: Yes
This trail has the most single track which makes it a great option for dirt bikes.
The Buffalo Mountain trail system has trail connectors that link with the towns of Matewan, Delbarton and Williamson, all of which have gas, food and lodging.
Devil Anse
Trail Difficulty
- Easy: 26%
- Moderate: 53%
- Difficult: 7%
- Very Difficult: 1%
- Single Track: 13%
Overview
- Length: 50 miles (+150 additional miles when combined with Rockhouse and Buffalo Mountain)
- Towns: Matewan
- Vehicles Allowed: ATVs, UTVs, Motorcycles
- Not Allowed: ORVs (Jeeps, Trucks, Dune Buggies)
- Can I Buy A Permit At Trailhead: Yes
With over 79% easy and moderate trails, Devil Anse offers up plenty of easy riding. Plus, Devil Anse connects to Rockhouse and Buffalo Mountain for a combined 300+ miles of riding.
Direct access to gas, food and lodging.
Looking for a great play to stay and ride?
RockHouse
Trail Difficulty
- Easy: 31%
- Moderate: 29%
- Difficult: 16%
- Very Difficult: 8%
- Single Track: 16%
Overview
- Length: 100+ miles (+100 additional miles when combined with Devil Anse and Buffalo Mountain)
- Towns: Man, Gilbert
- Vehicles Allowed: ATVs, UTVs, Motorcycles
- Not Allowed: ORVs (Jeeps, Trucks, Dune Buggies)
- Can I Buy A Permit At Trailhead: Yes
With 30% of the trails rated Difficult, Very Difficult and Single Track, this section of the Hatfield McCoy Trails is a good choice for riders seeking a more aggressive ride.
Direct access to gas, food and lodging.
Indian Ridge
Trail Difficulty
- Easy: 28%
- Moderate: 36%
- Difficult: 25%
- Very Difficult: 2%
- Single Track: 9%
Overview
- Length: 60 miles (+110 additional miles when combined with Pocahontas and Pinnacle Trails)
- Towns: Ashland, Northfork, Keystone
- Vehicles Allowed: ATVs, UTVs, Motorcycles
- Not Allowed: ORVs (Jeeps, Trucks, Dune Buggies)
- Can I Buy A Permit At Trailhead: No
Indian Ridge connects with both the Pocahontas Trail and the Pinnacle Trail for 300 miles of riding. These three combined trails have the most miles of continuous trails east of the Mississippi.
The best place to stay for easy access to all the trails is the Ashland Resort in Ashland West Virgina.
Ashland Resort is a full service ATV vacation resort offering everything you need for a quick comfortable ATV trail riding vacation – RV sites, tent camping, WIFI, cable, cabin rentals, bath house, gas, camp store and Polaris RZR rentals. They also sell Hatfield McCoy Trail permits at the Camp Store.
The Indian Ridge Trail passes through the campground, plus the campground also connects to Pocahontas and Pinnacle Trails making it a perfect location for a few days of trail riding.
Ashland, Northfork and Keystone are all fairly small towns with limited amenities, but there are also plenty of other small towns in the region so you will be able to find what you need in the way of gas, supplies, food and lodging.
This is a top rated ATV resort that has everything you need:
- Northfork has a couple local restaurants, gas and a 2 star motel, the Elkhorn Inn & Theatre.
- Ashland has gas and rooms available at the Ashland Resort, but no restaurants.
- Keystone is next to Northfork and has no amenities.
Pinnacle Creek
Trail Difficulty
- Easy: 41%
- Moderate: 33%
- Difficult: 8%
- Very Difficult: 10%
- Single Track: 8%
Overview
- Length: 60 miles (+110 additional miles when combined with Pocahontas and Indian Ridge)
- Towns: Mullens, Pineville
- Vehicles Allowed: ATVs, UTVs, Motorcycles
- Not Allowed: ORVs (Jeeps, Trucks, Dune Buggies)
- Can I Buy A Permit At Trailhead: Yes
Pinnacle Creek offers scenic mountain views and connects to Indian Ridge and Pocahontas. These three combined trails have the most miles of continuous trails east of the Mississippi.
There is direct trail access to Mullens and Pineville for access to gas, food and lodging.
Pocahontas
Trail Difficulty
- Easy: 47%
- Moderate: 27%
- Difficult: 17%
- Very Difficult: 3%
- Single Track: 6%
Overview
- Length: 50 (+120 additional miles when combined with Pinnacle Creek and Indian Ridge)
- Towns: Coaldale
- Vehicles Allowed: ATVs, UTVs, Motorcycles
- Not Allowed: ORVs (Jeeps, Trucks, Dune Buggies)
- Can I Buy A Permit At Trailhead: Yes
Pocahontas connects with Indian Ridge and Pinnacle Creek. These three combined trails have the most miles of continuous trails east of the Mississippi.
There is direct trail access to gas, food and lodging.
Coaldale is centrally located for easy access to several trails of the Hatfield McCoy ATV Trails including Pocahontas, Indian Ridge, Pinnacle Creek and Warrior. In addition to these trails there is also easy access to the the Spearhead Trails “Original Pocahontas” Trail.
The Spearhead Trails are Virginia’s version of the HMT – it’s 7 multi-use trails with the “Original Pocahontas” being just across the border near Coaldale.
Spearhead Trails Original Pocahontas:
Here’s a great ATV resort in Coaldale:
Coaldale is located a few miles outside of Bramwell, one of the most charming towns in the region. Bramwell used to have one of the highest concentrations of millionaires in the early 1900s and has preserved many beautiful Victorian mansions from this era.
Check out the Bramwell ATV Resort for a good place to stay. Clean and casual, this resort is well outfitted for families and groups as most of the rooms have bunk beds.
Warrior
Trail Difficulty
- Easy: 52%
- Moderate: 34%
- Difficult: 8%
- Very Difficult: 3%
- Single Track: 3%
Overview
- Length: 65 miles
- Towns: War, Gary
- Vehicles Allowed: ATVs, UTVs, Motorcycles
- Not Allowed: ORVs (Jeeps, Trucks, Dune Buggies)
- Can I Buy A Permit At Trailhead: Yes
The Warrior Trail offers scenic views and direct access to gas, restaurants and lodging.
Ivy Branch
Trail Difficulty
- Easy: 33%
- Moderate: 28%
- Difficult: 27%
- Very Difficult: 8%
- Single Track: 4%
Overview
- Length: 50 miles
- Towns: Julian WV
- Vehicles Allowed: ATVs, UTVs, Motorcycles, ORVs, Jeeps, Trucks, Dune Buggies
- Can I Buy A Permit At Trailhead: Yes