North Fork Mountain Trail

Ran the trail in it's entirety from South to North on 5.24.19 with the help of Mike at Smoke Hole Shuttle Service who I recommend. The trail is mostly rugged, grassy, rocky Backcountry trail but has some sweet tight techy Singletrack sections especially towards the middle of the ride a bit before the Redman intersection. The few quick downhills you get before the final three miles of pure sweet descent are just enough to break up all the LONG, TOUGH climbs that make up the majority of the ride as you ride up and down the ridgeline towards chimney Rock. After you take in the views at Chimney Top then it's time for 3 miles of super sweet downhill that complete this challenging all day Epic. There are plenty of scenic overlooks just off the main trail along the 501 but you will spend most of your time pedaling under the tree covered canopy just under the top of the mountain ridge. It is a hard but beautiful stretch of trail that you should come well prepared for both physically and with proper gear/water/food for a long ride. There is only one place to resupply water along the entire 26 mile stretch, no bailouts and no cell service for miles! The only predatory animal of concern along the Ridgeline is the yellow Timber rattlesnake which we did not come across on our ride but should be easily avoidable according to Mike. There were several trees down along the trail and some sections were so overgrown you had to push thru them barely being able to see the trail but only in small sparse sections. If you like rugged wilderness rides that offer plenty of climbing and challenging techy sections with amazing views then come check out the 501 NFMT but don't leave WV without hitting Snowshoe Bike Park just a couple hours to the East!

This is some sketchy riding with no flow... however if your looking to challenge your low wattage skillz - this is the place! Looks like it doesn't get ridden much at all. Killer views!

Void, thanks for the review. I saw a bunch of your check-ins and reviews when I lived up in Frederick. Moved out to central WV last year and North Fork is on my list. Appreciate your review, can't wait to check it out.

anyone have the lat/long for the southern start point?

Rode for the first time recently, and just a note on conditions: There are quite a few trees down across the trail, and several of the trail markers are down as well.

Incredible ride, with scenery that is amazing. Wide variety of trail from grassy double track, technical single track, steep climbs, and very fun downhill to complete the ride.

Some advice for first timers.

Southern Trail Head: There are no markers along the road. Look for the tower, with two gates, at the top of North Fork Mountain. You can find the first trail marker not too far in along the grassy double track.

Expect two very challenging climbs riding south to north. Also, towards the end, past Landis Trail, expect a downhill section of large, technical rocks.

Take plenty of water. * Review edited 7/28/2012

Rode this trail from south to north with a shuttle. Took about 3 hours. Saw 2 snakes and the overlooks are great. Epic ride. Sorry to hear access might be an issue. Last downhill is awesome.

Also rode this for the first time during the second IMBA awareness ride on Oct. 17th. Spectacular scenery and a technical riders dream. Did the same ride up Redman and then north on North Fork Mtn Trail to the trailhead on Smoke Hole Rd. then back up the road to the parking area.

Just did this as part of the IMBA awareness ride (had appx 50 riders) Awesome is the only way to describe this trail. Did the ride as a loop starting at Redman TH then riding to the northern end and riding the road back (19 mile loop) this is as much as most riders would want to do without a shuttle. For more info on saving this trail. http://www.imba.com/alerts/wva-epic

wow..scenery, amazing singletrack, amazing downhill, tough climbs and technical sections. epic ride...period.