West Virginians and visitors to the southern part of the state now have the opportunity to experience the mountains as few people ever have before. The first of several loops in the network of off-road mountain trails collectively called "The Hatfield and McCoy Trail" are now open to the public. The mostly motorized trail system, established primarily for dirt bikes and all terrain vehicles (ATVs), represents an almost decade-long quest to create a sanctioned "Valhalla" for off-road enthusiasts.

       The Hatfield and McCoy Trail system started as a vision in 1990 by Leff Moore and John English, who recognized both the growing popularity of off-road recreation and the potential to develop the sparsely-populated coal lands of southern West Virginia into a world class mountain trail system.

       The realization of Moore's and English's dream has been slow in coming to fruition. To a great extent, federal, state, and local governments readily recognize the potential positive impact off-road visitors can bring to a region. However, the federal government has been reluctant to open national forest lands to motorized use, and there are few parts of the nation with undeveloped, privately-held lands where this kind of system would be feasible. Face it: off-road bikes and ATVs can be noisy.

       Southern West Virginia has the potential to become, as motorsports writer Kimberly Barlag wrote in American Motorcyclist, a "trail Nirvana," because the way the region's mineral industries were developed long ago left large tracts of land in private hands.

       During the 1780s and 1790s, southern West Virginia, rich in minerals and other natural resources, was the site of much land speculation. Robert Morris, so-called "financier of the American Revolution," received huge tracts of land some containing as many as 500,000 acres in grants from the governors of Virginia, presumably in return for his personal financial contributions to the war effort.

       When commercial exploitation of southern West Virginia's vast coal and timber resources began in the 1880s, both the unforgiving terrain and the century-old land grants kept large areas unsettled, intact, and available as investments. While much of the land is much too steep for building homes or businesses, it is exactly the kind of terrain that lures off-road enthusiasts from around the world.

       In 1994, Moore and English began approaching major landowners in the region, including Bluefield-based Pocahontas Land Corporation, which holds in excess of a million acres. This acreage, while not contiguous, encompasses a land mass larger than the state of Rhode Island.

       The Hatfield and McCoy Trail Board also worked with the legislature to eliminate liability from the landowners when the off-roaders are operating on the trails. This agreement was critical to the trail concept. Four wheeler and trail bike operators have frequently trespassed on private lands to ride the mountain trails. The monitored Hatfield and McCoy Trail system provides a safe and legal alternative to this practice.

       In addition, the board secured $750,000 from the state to establish the system. Operating out of a base in Pineville, engineers have been riding the trails, charting them with sophisticated global positioning satellite tracking equipment, and making notes. The trail in Mingo County features a parking area with lockers and challenging trails marked with signage that fits the experience.

       Trail organizers are charting loops of between 120 and 125 miles that give visitors a day-long experience. Their hope is to create several loop clusters that allow visitors to stay a week or more in one location and never ride the same trail twice.

       The trail board has faced considerable challenges, but has cleared each hurdle by maintaining the singular desire to make this "a first class operation," board vice chairman Bill Gorby said. The group's goal is to become self-sustaining by the year 2002 by selling permit stickers for trail users through local merchants and organizing other promotional activities.

       The board's long-term plans include working in conjunction with the popular white water rafting industry to create a "float and rip" experience for visitors.

       A reporter for the Bluefield Telegraph, Bill Archer also is an accomplished historian and musician. He is a frequent contributor to Wonderful West Virginia.