This tour will begin at 8:00 a.m. at the Elk River Touring Center and Inn, Rt. 219, Slatyfork, West Virginia, 304-572-3771. We will ride right from the shop. You will need to spend the night before in Slatyfork.

We will meet at the Elk River Touring Center in Slatyfork where our friends Gil and Mary run a combined country inn and bike shop. This small town is at the center of the mountain biking scene in West Virginia, and is located in a tiny valley surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains. We'll ride right from the touring center on the Sharps Knob Trail, a great introduction to West Virginia's technical riding. Rewarded with spectacular mountain vistas, we'll descend through the dense spruce and pine forests crossing streams, roots, rocks and wooden bridges. After lunch we'll shuttle over to the Marlinton Loop at Snowshoe. Snowshoe is famous for being the location of the original 24 hour race (well, Ok, it was really Canaan but Snowshoe is now its home). We'll shuttle to our base camp for the trip with wide open views of the mountains.
TOTAL MILEAGE - 16 miles

After a hearty breakfast we'll shuttle again to Snowshoe to get our fill of the cross country trails. The riding here is technical! Roots, rocks and mud are plentiful and make for challenging riding. Today offers some of the finest technical singletrack we know of - a full day of slow speed riding through dense forest. The forest is a mix of Red Spruce, oak and maple, and due to the relatively high elevation of this area, it contains plants that are more often found in southern Canada. After a pack lunch we ride a 10 mile stretch of singletrack that includes a climb up and over ridges, followed by a fast and winding descent down off-camber singletrack that leads to the base of the mountains. This is back country adventure riding that includes a fun mix of technical log crossing, rocky obstacles, and switchbacks as we head downhill. When our need for singletrack is fulfilled, we will load up for a shuttle to our same camp. Once there we'll relax with a cold beverage while looking across the valley at Snowshoe Mountain.
TOTAL MILEAGE - 23 miles

Today offers some awesome eastern singletrack riding that starts with a three mile downhill run from camp to the trailhead. We ramp up the technical riding today on a stretch of slow singletrack that is challenging but fully ridable. Our trail is an old railroad bed from the 1890's which still has the original cedar log ties. It's a great place to practice your slow speed technical skills. From here we will climb up a wide singletrack to the top of Gauley Mountain, and then start the descent down the backside on a fast trail that winds its way down the side of a ridge. This trail is a hoot - middle ring riding with the occasional water bar and muddy section to keep things interesting. We will stop at a beaver pond overlook and then meet the van for lunch at a scenic turnout that has expansive views of the valley below. After lunch, we do a short climb to the top of Tea Creek Mountain, and take in the view from a white sandstone boulder field. The backside of the mountain is a super fun six mile trail that descends 1,600 foot and offers laugh-out-loud riding. After a morning full of downhill, we'll do a five mile climb up to the top of the ridge on a gradual singletrack trail that follows a burbling stream through laurel thickets. Once at the top, we'll have huge views of the surrounding ridges and river valleys that go on to the horizon. We'll end the day on a six mile stretch of forest road that follows the edge of the ridge so the views will continue all the way back to camp. We camp in the same site as the previous days.
TOTAL MILEAGE - 22 miles

Today we'll start with a warm-up ride along the top of the ridge on dirt roads. At one point we'll catch a great view of our eventual destination - the town of Slatyfork 2,000 feet below in the valley. Today's highlight is the Prop's Run Trail. It's a 10 mile descent along an old rail grade that has swooping descents, stream crossings and short power ascents followed by steep downhills. It's a fun trail that will take us all the way down to the banks of the Elk River. When we ride into the Elk River Touring Center, your singletrack cravings will be fully satisfied.
TOTAL MILEAGE - 17 miles

We will return to Elk River Touring in Slatyfork between 2:00-3:00 pm on the last day.

Riding Surface: Mostly singletrack riding, with some double track and forest road. Several trails are technically challenging, and include rock gardens and roots. Mud is to be expected.
Technical Difficulty: Difficult. Good technical singletrack skills are required.
Physical Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult.
Altitude: 2,200 - 4,200 feet.

Please Note: This tour contains some very difficult riding on narrow, steep mountain trails. A high level of skill and fitness is required to enjoyable navigate much of the route. We will be without vehicle support during all of the singletrack sections of the ride. If you do not consider yourself to be an expert rider and doubt your ability to complete this tour, please call us and we can help you determine whether this trip is appropriate for you. Itineraries are subject to change due to weather, road conditions, rider safety, and other factors which may affect the logistics of the adventure.

Jul 01 - Jul 04, 2010
Jul 08 - Jul 11, 2010
Jul 15 - Jul 18, 2010
Sep 02 - Sep 05, 2010
Sep 09 - Sep 12, 2010
Sep 16 - Sep 19, 2010

Mountain Bike
4 Days
West Virginia
Camping
Advanced
$985
Start/End: Slatyfork, WV