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Posts Tagged ‘ATV Trails’

Winter Sports in Southern West Virginia

Wednesday, November 30th, 2011

Winters here in West Virginia are beautiful.  Gorgeous snowfalls and chilly sunny days mean we get to play outdoors year-round.  

Snow Tubing at Winterplace Ski Resort

And as long as you’re up for it, many of the activities that are popular here in the warmer months can also take place in the winter. With today’s fabric technology and cutting edge gear designed to protect users from even the harshest weather conditions, there’s not much that can’t be done in the winter.

So what outdoor activities can you do in southern West Virginia during the winter?  Look no further!

Traditional

West Virginia has elevations that are significantly different than almost all the surrounding states.  This elevation accounts for West Virginia’s main wintertime sport, skiing.

Skiing and snowboarding can be accessed in under a 2-hour drive from almost anywhere in the state. Winterplace, Canaan Valley, Timberline, Silver Creek and Snowshoe all offer skiing and snowboarding opportunities.  A few of these resorts have tubing areas.  Our favorite part of tubing?  The lift that gets you back to the top.

Canaan Valley also boasts the White Grass cross country ski area. But you don’t have to go to a resort to cross country ski.  Many skiers take to our forests and snow-covered areas because of the snowfall levels and varied terrain. Cross country skiing is a vigorous and intense exercise that is accessible to many fitness levels.

Snow-shoeing is also available in many higher backcountry areas.

Non-Traditional

Depending on the weather, the activities you may be able to enjoy here on any given day may change. Hiking, biking, and running are year-round activities, and now you can add ATV parks and Zip Lines to that mix.
Burning Rock Outdoor Adventure Park, Adventures on the Gorge, and ACE Adventure Resort all offer ATV riding and zip lines and canopy tours.  The Hatfield and McCoy Trail System offers spectacular off-road adventures every day of the year.

Kayaking and rafting are also year round sports. In fact, if you are an advanced level boater, the amount of streams that can be kayaked or rafted actually increases in the winter months due to increased water volume.
Do you have a sport you participate in year round?

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Reasons You Should Ride An ATV In Southern West Virginia

Thursday, November 12th, 2009


Riding on ATV trails in southern West Virginia is the most fun you can have with a motor attached to you.  Here’s why…

Hatfield-McCoy Trails

Hatfield-McCoy Trails

1.  It’s flat-out awesome.
2.  Most of you have never done it before.
3.  It’s a good way to see the mountains.

4.  Riding is loud (in a good way).

5.  ATVs are new twist on family time.

6.  Your kids will love you forever.
7.  So will your spouse.
8.  People that don’t usually like sports love ATVs.
9.  The views.
10.  There’s a lot of wildlife when you’re not revving the engine
11.  Southern West Virginia has the largest connected trail system in the country.
12.  The whole place is very ATV friendly.
13.  Everything from easy to difficult is available.
14.  Over 700 miles of trails, which, in local terms, is a whole bunch.
15.  You can choose from the Burning Rock or Hatfield and McCoy trail systems.
16.  The permit system is simple, and can be done on arrival.
17.  All the trail are well marked, so it’s simple to know where you’re going.
18.  You don’t need a guide.
19.  You can get a guide.
20.  You can find mud, and mud = fun.
21.  All the equipment you need is available for rent.
22.  In most areas of Hatfield/McCoy, you can ride on the roads to get to trails.
23.  The hospitality is better than you’ll find almost anywhere (standard for southern West Virginia   )
24.  There are tons of campsites, cabins, and hotels to base your trip out of.
25.  It’s an adventure that anyone   -anyone-   can be part of.

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Get Your Motorsports On: Riding Southern West Virginia

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

The throttle rests under your thumb.  The engine purrs, but you can tell it’s waiting to roar.  You’re wearing a helmet for the first time since you went whitewater rafting all those years ago.  Welcome to Southern West Virginia – it’s time to ride.

ATV Riding in West Virginia

ATV Riding in West Virginia

This post is going to deal mostly with ATVs, and is aimed squarely at the beginner.  So if you’re Joe Four-wheeler, this is going to cover some familiar terrain.  But if you’re Jane SUV, there’s probably a lot to learn here.  And there are a lot of you out there – dealers sell more than half of new ATVs to people who are buying them for the first time.

The biggest draw to ATV riding is that they’re easy to use.  Most machines are ones you can pretty much jump on and go with just a little bit of a demo. If you’re going on an ATV trip, you can always rent your machines, and a lot of rental centers offer guides for your trip.

Good thing too – these machines rip!  You’re looking at upper 40s to low 70s for MPH on most utility machines. That’s just another good reason to always (and we don’t mean sometimes) put a helmet on.  Sure, your brother-in-law wearing a helmet is like putting a guard dog on a vacant lot, but still… has to be done.

Last, ATVs are a blast.  You really don’t know how great an ATV trip is until you’ve gone and done some trail riding yourself, but lets just say that getting dirty has never been this much fun.  The trails lead you out into nature -fast!- and you can explore just how much power you’re willing to give that machine you’re sitting on.

It goes without saying that Southern West Virginia is ATV heaven – or does it?  Did you know that there was the largest contiguous trail system in the east here?  Or that there was a brand new ATV park outside of Beckley? The sport is worth checking out, especially of you’re already planning on spending some time in the area.  You might be surprised at what an ATV trip can do for a family vacation – add a little octane to yours and find out.

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