A Day On The Pocahontas Spearhead Trail

Riding The "OP"

The OP Trail is one of the newest trails in the Region. In my opinion, it's also one of the best kept secrets. 

This section of The Spearhead Trails is a great ride with a mix of terrain from muddy creek bottoms to rocky hill climbs and scenic overlooks. The majority of this 50 mile trail system consists of "blue" trails which provide the perfect blend of difficulty to be an exciting ride, but still family friendly. 

Although, after the recent torrential down-pours, the trails have been washed out a bit which has made them quite a bit more challenging. So, if you are up for technical rides and an adrenaline rush this week is the time to head over to the Original Pocahontas Trail.

With the recent floods, some of the trail markers have been knocked down and the Spearhead Crew hasn't been able to get out to service the trails yet, so definitely proceed with a bit of caution.

Luckily, since our cabins are just a stone's throw from the Virginia/ West Virginia border, we are in the perfect position to be able to ride both the Hatfield McCoy and Spearhead Trail systems daily. 

The West Virginia side (Hatfield McCoy Pocahontas Trail, Bramwell) contains a higher percentage of Green trails compared to the OP Trail, which makes the ride more family friendly in general.

While I must admit I am partial to the terrain and over-all riding of the Virginia based "OP" trail, the maintenance and mapping is far superior on the older and more established Hatfield McCoy System. 

This is not to mention the Hatfield McCoy Pocahontas Trail connects to 2 other trail systems (Indian Ridge & Pinnacle Creek), which winds up being around 150 miles of continuous trail. 

With that being said, if you're in the area and you can afford both trail permits, the Spearhead Trails are certainly something worth exploring. 

I expect the system will only get better as they keep adding miles of trails.

You can learn more about both trail systems and their permits on their websites.

Spearhead Trails
Hatfield McCoy Trails

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