Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
Four years ago, several organizations in Pocahontas County worked tirelessly to apply for a Ride Center classification with IMBA – International Mountain Biking Association. In 2019, Pocahontas County was awarded a bronze level, which was quickly followed by a silver level for the Snowshoe Highlands Ride Center.
One of the organizations involved was the U.S. Forest Service, which maintains the Monongahela National Forest. The biking trails, as well as the many recreational activities visitors can enjoy in the forest were a big draw in getting the ride center classification.
Now, in an effort to add even more activity on the forest and to raise the Ride Center to a gold level, the Forest Service is adding new trails in two locations in Pocahontas County.
Marlinton and White Sulphur Springs District Ranger Cindy Sandeno said the work on the IMBA application helped point out what the county is lacking when it comes to diversity in trails.
“What we found through this process was that one of the biggest things that we’re missing are what are called green trails – the easier trails, introductory trails,” she said. “We have all this super technical stuff, so if you’ve been riding a mountain bike for twenty years, you’re going to have a great time, but if you’re somebody who’s younger or maybe wants to get started in mountain biking, we just don’t have opportunities like that around here.”
In an effort to add green trails to the county, the forest service applied for grants and received funding through the Benedum Foundation. The grant was provided through the Mon Forest Towns partnership with West Virginia University and will help in the development of mountain bike specific trails which will be connected to Marlinton – one of the Mon Forest Towns.
Sandeno wanted to connect the new trail system with a Mon Forest Town to ensure visitors will do more than just use the trails.
“We have this great opportunity to basically start in downtown Marlinton – you can hop on the Greenbrier River Trail and where this trail system would be developed is about two and a half miles from downtown Marlinton,” she said. “You hop on a state trail and then once we get funding to build these trails, then you would be on forest service land.”
The trails would be built in a loop, with the inner trail being the easiest level and as riders gain experience, they graduate to the outer trails.
“The idea is really two-fold,” Sandeno said. “One, it’s really about let’s get mountain biking into our communities here to get people moving and healthy, and to have these physical activities that they can do that are very accessible. Then we’ll be able to develop this trail system that’s going to bring people specifically to Marlinton to hopefully stay in Marlinton or nearby.”
While working with the IMBA representatives who visited several sites in Pocahontas County that could potentially be developed into trail systems, Sandeno said they identified about 27 miles of trail that could be built in the Monday Lick area.
“Some of [the sites] are currently old logging roads or old woods roads that we would convert to trails – the layout would be very easy,” she said. “We’d have some beautiful downhill rides that you could do and some beautiful vistas. We’ve got some that would go along the ridge tops.”
It may sound like a difficult undertaking to turn forestland into a trail system, but it’s already been accomplished in Randolph County.
On the Mower Tract area on Cheat Mountain in the Greenbrier Ranger District, a new trail system was dedicated June 10, on National Trails Day.
The new trail system – named the Mower Basin Trails – was constructed in collaboration with the American Conservation Experience, WVU and volunteer Bruce Wohleber.
The trails were part of a restoration project in which the forest service planted native spruce and hardwoods to replenish the forestland.
When mining on the area was over, the mining company compacted the soils and planted grass seed and conifers, which were non-native to the area.
“They have been doing restoration of these lands that had been previously mined for coal,” Sandeno said. “They’ve spent a lot of time on the Greenbrier Ranger District going in there, getting rid of the non-native stuff, ripping up the soils and then planting red spruce and northern hardwoods, which is what would have been there historically.
Although she was not involved in the project, Sandeno said the Mower Basin Trails is a good example of what can be accomplished with the Monday Lick project.
“You’ve got regenerating forests, you’ve got these really beautiful views because it was all mined and cleared, but also, you’ve got trails there, too,” she said of the Mower Basin. “I think overall, that’s something we’re really trying to do is to blend being able to manage the forest and have timber harvest and wood products that we’re providing to the local mills and local community, but also having recreation on that same space. They can coexist very well.
“I think that particular project on the Mower Tract is just a really good blend of those two things.”
The Monday Lick project is still in the environmental analysis phase, but Sandeno hopes that if all goes well, construction will begin this time next year.
“Why I’m really excited about Monday Lick, is being able to connect it directly to Marlinton,” she said. “The positive benefits that we’re going to see there are also going to be positive benefits to the town of Marlinton. It’s pretty rare to be able to connect something that’s happening on national forest directly to a community.”