Horseback Riding with
Yokum’s Seneca Rocks
Stables
Yokum’s Seneca Rocks Stables
proves there is more than one way to
get to the top of Seneca Rocks.
Photo by Jim Shaner.
Photo by Steve Spencer.
Yokum’s trail guides lead families on
a horseback ride to the top of the
rock formation, which is 1,000 feet
high. Open April-November, rides
are one and a half hours and include
15 minutes of rest time at the top to
enjoy the view. The stables are home
to more than 20 horses, and guests
are paired up for the ride. A short
video is available online to help get
riders acquainted with the trip.
The ride allows those who aren’t
physically able to hike up the
mountain the chance to get the
view of a lifetime. No experience is
necessary. In fact, 90 percent of trail
riders are beginners. The cost is $40
per rider, and children age 6 and up
are welcome. Riders are encouraged
to take photos along the route and
at the top of Seneca Rocks. Rides
are offered Thursday-Sunday, April-
November. Ride times are 10 a.m.,
1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Reservations are
suggested.
Yokum’s Stables is located on Route
28 in Pendleton County. For more
information, call (304) 567-2466.
Mountain Biking at
Mountwood Park
Photo by Hatfield-McCoy Trails.
One of the oldest and most beloved
trail systems in the state, Mountwood
Park is also one of the best single-
track mountain biking networks in the
Eastern U.S. The trails are open year-
round and offer four seasons of riding
through scenic and rocky woodlands
to historical ruins of the 19th century
community of Volcano. The trails are
marked with signage, and maps are
available at the park administration
building, visitors center or online at
www.mountwoodpark.org.
County Parks Director Jeremy Cross.
“You can come and hike and bike
and don’t have worry about any other
traffic on the trails.”
The park contains more than 50 miles
of hiking, biking and horseback riding
trails, along with campgrounds, a
50-acre lake and picnic areas. The
park opened in the early 1980s and
is home to one of the most popular
mountain bike races in the state, the
Challenge at Mountwood. This race
is the largest mountain bike race in
West Virginia.
Mountwood Park is located at 1014
Volcano Road in Waverly, 10 minutes
east of Parkersburg. For more
information, call (304) 679-3611.
Paragliding at Canaan
Valley Resort State Park
Paragliding is one of the fastest-
growing sports in the U.S, and
now it’s available to experienced
paragliders at Canaan Valley Resort
State Park. Canaan Valley’s launch
site is unique in that it is one of only
two sites in the Eastern U.S. to be
accessible by chairlift. At more than
4,000 feet in elevation, the launch site
offers views of the Allegheny Front
and Red Creek River. The best flying
times are in the afternoon during the
summer and fall.
“Paragliding is a very unique sport
and takes a lot of discipline,” says
Justin Harris, the media director for
Canaan Valley Resort State Park. “We
see a lot of adventure sport athletes
take up the sport as a second
discipline.”
To access the launch site, pilots
must be a U.S. Hang Gliding and
Paragliding Association member
and pay $7 to ride the chairlift to the
top of the mountain. Reservations
for paragliding can be made from
Memorial Day to the end of October
and mid-December to mid-March.
For more information, visit www.
canaanvalleycabins.com.
“We have a dedicated hiking and
biking trail system,” says Wood
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