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Mountain Biking In West Virginia: The Story of the Arrowhead Trails
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Our last discussion included the future of the Boy Scouts, right here in our own back yard. The scouts have already made a lasting impact on the New River Gorge, and their first step left a very large footprint. Or maybe "tire track" would be a better term for what they've done here.
Photo Courtesy of Opossum Creek Retreat
In one of the largest youth service projects ever performed in National Park History, over 1,000 scouts provided 30,000 hours of volunteer service to build 14 miles of new, single track mountain biking trails in the New River Gorge.
A grand opening ceremony was held in August 2011 for the Arrowhead Mountain Bike Trails. And this is just the beginning. There are future plans for Scouts to perform community service projects all over southern West Virginia.
Adam Stephens at Marathon Bike in Fayetteville first dreamed up the idea of the trails. He started the discussions that brought a few groups together. Ultimately, the trail build team included the National Park Service, the Boy Scouts' 'Honor Society' the Order of the Arrow, and some helpful folks from the International Mountain Biking Association. IMBA is a non-profit group whose mission is to create, enhance, and preserve great mountain biking.
The National Park Service provided the land, IMBA was along for its expertise in building sustainable, low maintenance trails and the Scouts provided the labor to help make these trails possible. It's estimated that the Scouts' work accounted for $1.6 million in labor.
The system was named Arrowhead Trails in honor of the Order of the Arrow. The trails are a stacked loop, which means there are loops inside of other loops. You can ride them in any combination, and with close to 14 miles of trails, it's a good addition to the many other trails in the area.
With names like Adena, Clovis, Dalton, and LeCroy, the trails vary in length from just over 1 mile to 6.4 miles. They are designed to accommodate riders of varying levels of expertise, novice beginner and seasoned veteran alike. The system is located off Gatewood Road in Fayetteville, just a few hundred yards past the parking area for the Kaymoor Mines trail. Trail maps are online at the National Park Service website and are available at the trail head parking lot.
Have you ridden the Arrowhead Trails?
310 W. Oyler Ave. Oak Hill, WV 25901
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