Mountain Biking Canaan Valley State Park

The Canaan Valley and nearby Davis, West Virginia have been popular mountain biking destinations since the sport took off in its early days. While more trails have been built over time, most of the riding in the area hasn't change much. For the most part, the trails in the region is pretty rough and tumble with technical riding and no shortage of rocky terrain. While these trails are fun to explore now and then, I have come to enjoy faster trails with better flow.

Around 2019, a new trail opened in Canaan Valley State Park called Promised Land. Unlike most of the riding in the region that utilizes old hiking trails, Promised Land was a machine built trail geared specifically toward mountain bikers. After riding some newer West Virginia trail systems this spring, I wanted to check it out. I headed to Canaan Valley State Park on the last full day of spring.

While there are a few places to park, I started at the Balsam Swamp Overlook, which seems to be the main parking area for mountain biking. It has a map kiosk, bike repair station, and even a bike wash station. As the name implies, the trailhead overlooks Balsam Swamp with a nice view.

Balsam Swamp Overlook 

Wild pond in Balsam Swamp

The Promised Land Trail forms a loop running six miles around the park. Looking at the map, I couldn't tell which way would ride best, so I just went counterclockwise. I soon passed a few people heading the opposite direction. I talked to a pair of riders, one that was wearing a jersey of the local bike shop. He said it can be ridden either way but the opposite direction seems to ride a little nicer. Since the trail is only six miles, I figured I'd keep riding it counterclockwise, then ride a second lap in the opposite direction. My photos are riding clockwise.

At the end of my counterclockwise loop, I came upon a pair of hikers watching something. As I slowed down, I saw movement off the trail and realized what they were watching, A doe with a young spotted fawn were browsing just off the trail. As I approached the hikers left and I decided to watch the pair of deer. Although they briefly took a look toward me, they didn't seem to concerned by my presence. This is a state park after all and they are pretty safe with no hunting in the park. Just like nearby Blackwater Falls State Park, deer are abundant and pretty easy to spot. Although I was a little surprised at the mother's nonchalance with such a young fawn. I was on short strip of trail between the park road and the park's pool area by a busy parking lot. The Highlands Sky 40K ultramarathon was run that day and the finish line was at this parking lot with quite a few people less than a 1/4 mile away.

Fawn curious what I'm doing

Now the mother is curious

Mother and fawn

After watching the duo for a few minutes, I got an extra reward. The fawn wandered up to its mother and started nursing. I've seen plenty of spotted fawns over the years, but this was the first time I got to enjoy watching one nurse.

Fawn nursing

Nursing fawn

After watching the doe with her fawn for a while, I started riding Promised Land in the clockwise direction. The trail passed another parking lot by the state park's pool. I then dropped into a large field of tall grass. This was really the only overgrown part of the Promised Land Trail and it only lasted a couple hundred feet at the most.

Riding through dense grass

From the field, you are rewarded of nice views over the valley. The slopes of the Canaan Valley Ski Area stand out on the mountains across the valley. Although you couldn't see the trails, White Grass Cross Country Ski Area and Timberline Resort also sit along the same ridge.

View toward the ski areas

Panned out view over the valley

The first mile or so heading clockwise past the pool is probably the most rugged part of the entire Promised Land loop. Although not too technical, the tread rides a little rougher with more rocks on the trail. A couple of tight switchbacks negotiate what might be the steepest climb on the loop as well. Although punchy, the climb is pretty short, and the rocky tread is more bumpy than it is challenging.

Typical section of Promised Land

After crossing the park road, the terrain becomes less bumpy with nice flow. The trail pops out of the woods for a short stretch and rides through an open meadow with good views of the surrounding forests. The trail through here is wider than standard singletrack. The trail snakes through this meadow on easy rolling terrain. A few rollers and sharp turns thrown in add fun to the meadow. All of the sharp turns have steep berms that allow you to fly through here if you like.

Entering the meadow

Continuing in the meadow with some roller ahead

Leaving the meadow, the trail heads back into the forest. Although there are few short sections of rocks and roots, Promised Land generally rides over smooth tread that allows for good speed most of its length. The trail loses some elevation that needs to be regained, but the transitions are never too steep and pretty short. 

Back in the forest

Can't beat six miles of this

The trail travels through a mix of hardwood forests, spruce, and carpets of ferns and grasses. The terrain rolls in such a way that you can take advantage of naturals rollers and get some air as you fly down the singletrack. I soon found myself back at the trailhead. Now having ridden Promised Land both directions, I agree that the trail has better flow riding clockwise. I had so much fun, I decided to take a third lap. My only complaint about Promised Land is that six miles isn't long enough.

Passing through ferns

The occasional rocks

Through the spruce forest

Promised Land interests several trails. On my third lap, I decided to check out Club Run Loop. Club Run intersects Promised Land several times as it travels just over a mile on a loop. On the map it was listed as an intermediate trail. Since it's a loop, I figured I'd leave Promised Land and head onto Club Run at the first crossing, then rejoin Promised Land where I left it.

Having seen Club Run several times where it intersects Promised Land, I thought I'd have better luck riding it clockwise. Unlike Promised Land, which is singletrack throughout, Club Run is a mix of singletrack, doubletrack and old roads. While some sections were pretty nice singletrack, other spots were overtaken by the ferns. I also encountered a couple brief muddy sections. It has a more wild feel.

Club Run gets a little wild at times

Boggy area on Club Run

Much of the Canaan Valley looks like this

I started on Club Run with a somewhat steep climb on an old dirt road. This was quickly followed with an equally steep descent. Part of the descent was on a section of washed out singletrack covered in leaves that was somewhat technical. This dumped me out along a stream and boggy pond. I could see a deer further downstream along the pond. The remainder of the trail followed a mix of mellow double and singletrack. With the short technical downhill stretch, riding this trail clockwise was the right choice.

Ferns on Club Run

Nicer singletrack on Club Run

Drop into a washed out technical section

After riding Club Run and finishing up my third lap of Promised Land, I found myself back at the trailhead, just shy of 20 miles of riding. l browsed the map and decided to add another short loop up Club Moss, Bottleneck, and down Middle Ridge Trail back to the trailhead. This would add another mile to my ride and let me check out a few more trails. Club Moss and Bottleneck are both short and easy trails running 1/4-1/2 mile on easy singletrack. Connecting to the Middle Ridge Trail for another 1/2-3/4 mile would bring me back to the trailhead.

The short stretch I rode on the Middle Ridge Trail was pretty fun. It began with a steep descent on tight singletrack that transitioned into a technical doubletrack. The last few hundred yards took me through a meadow that's part Balsam Swamp at my trailhead.

Part of Balsam Swamp on the 
Middle Ridge Trail

View at the start of the Middle Ridge Trail

By the time I reached the trailhead I was getting tired and hungry. I enjoyed that last stretch on the Middle Ridge Trail though. Before wrapping up my day, I decided to ride the full Middle Ridge Trail. The Middle Ridge Trail runs about 2 1/2 miles in a loop and starts and begins at the Balsam Swamp Overlook. It crosses Promised Land several times and is rated as an intermediate trail. Based on the steep downhill I had just ridden and looking at the map, it looked like riding clockwise was the best option.

Buck in the meadow 
(he had small antlers starting to show)

Cruising along the Middle Ridge Trail

Old road on the Middle Ridge Trail

Ferny singletrack

Dropping into a meadow

Generally the Middle Ridge Trail felt more like a backcountry trail compared to the more manicured Promised Land. Similar to the Club Run Trail, Middle Ridge followed a mix of singletrack, doubletrack, and old road. It was surprisingly pretty rock-free. A few short sections were a little obscured by grass and ferns. I encountered some brief muddy spots as well. There is a short section that travels along a creek hidden by dense vegetation.

Grassy section of Middle Ridge
along a creek

Nice riding section of wider trail

Good stretch of singletrack

Back in the ferns

Overall, I enjoyed the Middle Ridge Trail. It packs a lot of variety in 2 1/2 miles. It rides pretty well with  modest climbs and good tread for the most part. The steep downhill near the end, where the trail drops off its namesake ridge, was probably the most challenging part of my entire ride and a great way to wrap up my day with a fun little descent that keeps you on your toes.

Covering over 23 miles, I had a good time riding these trails at Canaan Valley State Park. Promised Land is listed as an beginner-intermediate level trail. If you've been riding for years, don't let that keep you from riding it. I thought it was a really fun trail to ride. After years of mountain biking, I have come to appreciate flow trails that let me fly down the trail and have fun without having my body jarred for hours. Promised Land does just that. For less experienced riders, Promised Land is the perfect place to get a feel for singletrack without feeling overwhelmed by continuous technical terrain.  

Club Run and Middle Ridge are both fairly short trails that are worth checking out if you are already riding Promised Land. They both offer a little more challenge and a more wild feel than Promised Land while still riding fairly nicely. There are other trails in the park as well. Although I never ridden it, I have hiked Railroad Grade, (part of the Allegheny Trail) which allows you to connect to the more rugged terrain of the Canaan Mountain Backcountry Trails. The Back Hollow Trail runs along the southern part of the park, though I'm told most of it is through grassy fields. Several other shorter trail connect between sections of Promised Land and the Middle Ridge Trails. All the trails in the park can be seen on this map.

Bonus photo of the Beaver Creek Trail near
Davis, the day before

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Mountain Biking the Upshur County Trails

I recently mountain biked the trails at Lil Moe's in Philippi, WV. Even though the trail system is fairly compact and tucked into the hills and forest on the edge of town, I was pleasantly surprised by the trails and riding. 

Twenty or so miles southwest of Philippi, and about twenty miles from my house, is the town of Buckhannon. Just like Philippi, Buckhannon has its own trail system not too far from town called the Upshur County Trails, located at the Upshur County Recreation Park. The Upshur County Park sits just a few miles outside of town on land surrounding the local high school. Just like Lil Moe's, these trails were built with mountain bikers in mind.

Even though I knew about the trails here, I initially wrote off the area. Having passed by the area, the land in the area didn't look that impressive. Most of the trails consist of stacked loops spreading out around the high school. Since Lil Moe's surprised me with its riding, I thought I'd check out these trails. The trails here are used for course in the West Virginia Mountain Bike Association's race series. And it looked like more trails have been added to the network since I last looked into the area. By now the area has grown to more than ten miles of trails and is growing according to the most recent post I have seen on the area.

I headed out on a Tuesday morning in early June. I was hoping to get in a ride to check out the area  before weather moved in for the day. The morning was incredibly humid with showers and thunderstorms forecasted for the afternoon.

Since maps of stacked loops can look confusing, I used the longer route for the WVMBA race course as a baseline for my ride. I planned to add other sections of trail to the course. Since the course falls under 10 miles, I figured I'd add another lap if I was feeling good and the weather held out.

Soon after turning onto the road to the local high school, I parked at a small lot by a kiosk. Before following the race route, I started with a trail called The Machine. From my understanding this was the first machine built trail (versus hand built) in the trail system. The Machine served as a good warm up for my ride and a good indicator of the rest of the trails. The Machine had a few climbs with nice flowy downhills as it made a loop around a small creek.

The Machine 

Ancient car frame along a creek

The trails often follow natural gullies 
creek beds like this one on The Machine

I never know how easy the trails are to find and follow in some trail systems. The maintainers here do a good job with signage guiding riders between sections. Leaving The Machine, I crossed the road to a 1/4 mile or so stretch through a field. Here I connected to The Pines. As its name indicates, the trail travels through an area with ample pines. The tread at times can be slippery feeling since the ground is carpeted in a thick layer of pine needles with some rooty stretches. The Pines runs less than a half-mile and seamlessly flows right into Roundabout.

Thick pine needle tread on The Pines

Since the trails are built on a stacked loop system, you frequently ride past segments of the trail that you will be riding in a couple minutes. Roundabout covers a little more distance than The Pines as it snakes its way in a tight area. After reaching the height of the land pretty quickly, Roundabout drops on flowy singletrack past a couple of bumps and ramps. The ramps can be bypassed if you don't want to get airborne. A few berms let you carry your speed in the turns. Near its end a sizable rock jump called Chuck's Huck will please all mountain riders, but can easily bypassed. Roundabout ends with a short but steep drop through a field to the start of  Holly Shed.

Bright green vegetation

Most of the trails are smooth singletrack like this

Holly Shed runs about a mile and is a pretty fun trail as it snakes around on mostly smooth and flowy singletrack. Generally you can ride pretty quickly through here. Like most of the trails, all the elevation changes are pretty short and not very steep. There are a few hairpin turns at times that can be a little tricky if your bombing through here. Some of the turns have berms to help ride through the corners. Like Roundabout, there are a few alternate lines if your looking for some jumps and hucks. 

Occasionally there's a short rocky obstacle

At some point Holly Shed transitions into Crossings. If there was a sign marking the change I didn't see it. Either way, the nice flow of Holly Shed continued onto Crossings effortlessly and I didn't realize I was on a different trail. Both trails rode similarly with nice flow and the occasional short climb as the trail negotiates natural gullies and drainages. The climbs are pretty short and the descents are fast and flowy on excellent singletrack.

Climbing along a natural drainage

 

Crossing seamlessly transitions into Scotty's Cookout. Scotty's is a short trail that easily climbs most of its length to the junction of Whale Tail and Witches Fingers. Whale Tail serves as an extension of Witches Fingers. I rode Whale Tail, which climbs somewhat steeply to the height of the land. This allows for a fast and swoopy downhill on the second half of Whale Tail. Whale Tail runs less than a half-mile dumping into Witches Fingers.

Looking back at an optional
rock huck with about two foot drop

The trails are pretty well marked at junctions

The fun downhill continues on Witches Finger for another 1,000 feet or so. From here I turned onto Standing Feather. I wasn't on Standing Feather for more than a couple minutes before the next junction. I turned onto Pumps, Bumps, and Rollers. This trail travels a small loop less than a half-mile long and basically ends where it began. The first half of the trail lives up to its name with a series of bumps on some fast and flowy downhill. After a couple opportunities for air near the end of the downhill section, the trail drops into a banked wooden berm. You can bypass the air and berm if you like. 

It's fun to speed through the 
narrow singletrack

Wooden berm on Pumps, Bumps, and Rollers
that's about 4' wide

Back on Standing Feather, nice flow continues for another 1/4 mile or so before I turned at a junction marked for the Southside Loop. Although it wasn't signed as such, on the map it's called Super-Bowl. You pass a giant wooden cactus wearing boxing gloves along here that seems out of place. Super-Bowl rides fast downhill for maybe a thousand feet with a couple of ramps available for air before dumping out on a gravel road.

I don't know the story of this cactus

Although not signed, ribbons mark a route for a trail called Eager Reager on Trailforks. It looks like Eager Reager is actively being built. While the trail was cut and in place, some sections didn't have the tread packed in place yet. Some parts you travel a grass or dirt swath in the trees. Some places it seems the tread is already packed. Riding clockwise, there is a short but steep downhill with some fun turns. After the downhill, the trail is relatively flat with a few transitions through ditches or gullies and a few snaky turns. Eager Reager runs just under a mile and dumps you back on the gravel road.

Newly cleared vegetation on Eager Reager

Another section on Eager Reager where
the tread hasn't been cut in

Another unmarked trail is flagged off the gravel road. On Trailforks, the trail is labeled Subway. I followed this half-mile trail. It was still very much a work in progress with little tread in place much of its length. This was the only trail I didn't ride on my second lap.

Subway dumps you back on the gravel road. From here I headed onto Double Ridge. This 1/2 mile long trail has probably the longest sustained climbed on my ride on a mostly doubletrack surface. Double Ridge brought me to the beginning of the Southside Loop,

Southside Loop is the longest trail in the system, running about two miles. Since it begins at the height of land off of Double Ridge, it drops into a fast and flowy singletrack for its first 1/2 mile. The trail then begins a gradual climb for less than a half-mile as it snakes its way along the singletrack. At times the vegetation can get a little tight on the trail. The downhill sections are super fun.

The start of Southside Loop

The trail drops through here allowing
pretty good speed on the narrow singletrack

Another 3/4 mile burst of flowy downhill follows. The trail drops down along a creek that it rides above for a short distance. From the creek, Southside follows with a section of steep and punchy climbing on somewhat loose tread. The climbing lasts less than a 1/4 miles before beginning another nice flowy downhill back toward the creek for the final 1/2 mile plus stretch that dumps you out back at the gravel road.

Section of lush green vegetation

Start of another section of good flow
on Southside

I followed the gravel road back toward the main cluster of trails. This brought me to the lower stretch of Standing Feather for maybe a 1/3 mile and then the lower end of Witches Fingers for less than a 1/4 mile on yet another fast stretch that descends along a drainage. A couple optional jumps can be taken at the end of Witches Fingers.

Leaving Witches Fingers, I hit a punchy little climb at the start of Well Road. I quickly turned on to Ruins from Well Road. The fast flow continues on Ruins. There are a couple bridge crossing on Ruins with the option to ride a normal bridge or narrow bridges that thread the needle between tight trees. Ruins dumps you out on the last 1/4 mile of The Machine.

Dropping onto Ruins

Bridges and line options on Ruins

After finishing up on The Machine, I crossed the road and began a second lap of my route- not re-riding The Machine, at least not yet. For the most part I rode the same route. I traveled Eager Reager the opposite direction my second time through and skipped Subway on my second pass since it was still pretty crude at this point. When I finished Ruins on my second pass I rode The Machine in the opposite direction. The Machine rode better the my original counterclockwise direction with more downhill. 

I ended up riding just over 26 miles on my two laps. Even though the most recent info on the trail system show about ten miles of trails, I think the area is closing in on 15 miles of trails if you include the newer trails that aren't quite finished like Subway and Eager Reager. I saw a few other freshly cut trails that were flagged closed. I'm guessing these are more trails in the works.

These stacked trail systems always look more confusing on paper than they are on the ground. The Upshur County Trails are signed in such a way that they flow effortlessly with the terrain from one trail to the next. I use, and highly recommend, the Trailforks app if you ride here. As far as I know, there aren't paper maps available. Trailforks shows even the newer trails that were not officially ready and signed yet. 

The area is divided into two sections. The main trails stretch around the Buckhannon high school and the road that accesses the school. Southside, Double Ridge, Subway, and Eager Reager are separated just a short distance away by a gravel road. 

The trails here are fairly condensed in a small area. They may not have far reaching views and the scenery blends together. However, the area was really a blast to ride. They are trails built by mountain bikers, for mountain bikers. They utilize every last bit of the available terrain with continuous, fast and flowy singletrack. What mountain biker doesn't love speeding down tight singletrack? Most of the trails are beginner friendly and not overly technical. Optional jumps and drops will keep more adventuress riders entertained as well. There aren't any long climbs and descents that are overly steep. You can cut your ride short if your a new mountain biker or turn laps to stretch out your ride if you want to clock in more miles.  I didn't know what to expect before I hit the trails here, but they far exceeded my expectations. 

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