Davis/Thomas WV bikepack route?

[disconnected]

Id be interest in a possbile route,

im familier with the area, but have NEVER bikepacked before.

Id like to start around Davis or Thomas,

Im aware that the AML loop goes through there, but Id prefer not to do and out and back.

Thanks,

Greg.


p.s., I have a gravel bike and a mountain bike, so a gravel loop is fun too.

[munky]

Hi Disconnected,
If you are dead set on the Davis/Thomas area then I would encourage you to bring a mountain bike for your tour. You could incorporate all the classic mtn bike trails into your tour, including Blackwater State Park and then venture into the Dolly Sods. A one way tour from Blackwater Falls St. Park to Seneca Rocks could be a fun route. Mileage would depend on how many mtn bike trails you used vs. just sticking to road and gravel. IMHO, a road and gravel tour would be missing the best stuff.

A better suited area for your first bikepacking tour is the Cranberry Wilderness. You could easily do a 100-150 mile tour of just gravel, double track, and road and feel like you were truly in the wild the whole time. No resupplies though unless you want to leave the Cranberries and head into Richwood or Marlington which are both a bit out of the way. Also in the Cranberries, you could incorporate some classic singletrack like the Fork Mtn. Trail, Pocahontas Trail, Kennison Mtn. Trail, Cow Pasture Trail, among others. This area would be a good place for a loop.

Another great area would be the New River Gorge region. I live there and ride there regularly and it would make a good first tour destination. You could incorporate the NRG region from Fayetteville to Thurmond, Babcock St. Park, and the Meadow River Gorge.

Let me know if you have any questions. I know all these areas really well.

Joe

[swampboy62]

Dolly Sods and Cranberry Wilderness are both National Forest Wilderness Areas, and as such do not allow mountain biking.

I'd suggest looking at the longer bits of legal singletrack, and try linking them together with gravel roads.  The Blackwater Canyon trails, North Fork Mountain, Spruce Knob down to Seneca Creek - all have some mileage.  I'd say Allegheny Trail, but I hear that the maintenance is still very spotty.

Another thing I've noticed is that a number of backpacking trails that were open to mtb are no longer maintained.  Not sure how widespread this is in MNF, but several in my old backpacking trail guidebook are not shown on the trail inventory.

You can check the WV trail inventory map to get some idea of what is available, though I'm not convinced that it is totally up to date as to open trails, and allowed usages.

http://www.mapwv.gov/trails/

Good luck.  IMO you're looking at one of the nicest areas in the eastern US to get out in the woods.

Steve Z

[munky]

Those trails I mentioned above are all open to mountain biking .

[swampboy62]

So you say, but the MNF rules state differently.  I'm not trying to start an argument, and if you know something that's differs from what MNF says, please let me know.

Cranberry Wilderness:

Motor vehicles are restricted to roads and parking areas. Mechanical transportation, such as bicycles, wagons, wheelbarrows and carts are prohibited.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mnf/recreation/recarea/?recid=12368

So you can ride the roads around the area, but not the trails IN the area.

Dolly Sods:

Mountain bikes and mechanical devices such as carts are not allowed on Wilderness trails.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mnf/recarea/?recid=12366

I've spent a lot of time at Dolly Sods, and believe me it irritates the hell out of me that it's off limits, and even bothers me more that the neighboring Roaring Plains trails are now off limits too.

But I don't ride where it's not allowed. Period.

Steve Z

[munky]

In the Cranberries you can legally ride the Fork Mountain Trail, Pocahontas Trail, Cow Pasture Trail, and Kennison Mtn. Trail. All the rest (not counting gravel roads obviously) are closed to bikers like you mentioned. 

Like you stated, only gravel roads are legal to ride in the Dolly Sods.

[munky]

When did they restrict the Roaring Plains trails? I did a big tour last summer that came down the NFMT into Seneca and up into Roaring Plains/Dolly Sods Wilderness into Davis. I'm curious if we were illegally riding. Not that it would have changed my route though. Poaching trails and acting dumb are some of my finest skills