Photo by Eric Fitzpatrick . Photo by MMTA No Dab Photography .
Photo by Drew Smithberger .
Hurricane , WV , has built 25.5 miles of trails in just four years . By the end of April 2023 , the town will have a total of 29 miles of hand-crafted , mixed-use mountain biking , hiking and running trails .
The two-way traffic cross country style trail system features a good mix of techy trails , climbing , downhill and scenic nuggets to enjoy along the way . There are four main loops in Meeks Mountain : the blue / gold blaze trail is 10.15 miles ; the green / white blaze trail is 3.5 miles ; the red / white blaze is 3.2 miles ; and the newest addition , the purple / pink blaze trail , will be approximately 8 miles .
There has certainly been a recent boom in the popularity of mountain biking in West Virginia , but the Mountain State has been involved with the sport since its earliest decades . Mountwood Park , located 12 miles east of Parkersburg , joined this trend in the early 1990s .
Mountwood Park ’ s extensive singletrack trail system is open to mountain bikers and hikers all year long . With assistance from the Mountwood Park administration and staff , these trails have been designed , developed and maintained according to International Mountain Biking Association ( IMBA ) standards for over 30 years by a dedicated group of volunteers from the River Valley Mountain Bike Association nonprofit .
Mountwood Park has what is known as a stacked-loop trail system , and these trails can range in difficulty from beginner to advanced . This singletrack network is renowned for its fun , flowy and , at times , challenging nature that draws return visitors from across the region and even nationally .
The park currently has 36 miles of mountain biking trails with more in the process of development and construction . They also have nine miles of West Virginia Division of Highways-signed scenic backroad routes that link to two separate North Bend Rail Trail trailheads , which connect Mountwood Park to the full 72 miles of this rail trail and also to North Bend State Park ’ s singletrack trail system .
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