ATV Florida Forum

Just a note to let everyone know this is one of the most awesome places ever to ride. This is the second year we have gone and we will be back again. The Brownig Fork trails are unbelievable. Make your stay in the town of Gilbert, friendly folks and easy access to the trail. Eat at Wallys (at the edge of town) - best food around). Take your cameras for the great scenery. and ride to your hearts content. Easy to put in 60+ miles in a day or take it easier and do 40 and enjoy the views. Can't speak highly enough about the system, other States, including Florida, sure can learn from these folks. ATV's are allowed on the streets in town and as long as you don't act like an ass you won't have a problem. Ride the trails, ride to lunch / dinner then to the car wash, then back to your room / cabin. Go to Pinnacle trails for a nice ride along the river and the mountain ridges. It's a long trip but well worth it.

Hatfield  McCoy - my bad

I've always wanted to go up there. How long is the ride take to get up there and do you need to purchase a permit.

i always kick myself in the ass for never going down them trails when in lived up there....

I just went to Durhamtown this weekend, now they say that Hatfield McCoy is as good or even better, that's the next trip it seems that I'll need some more time, it is like 16 hours from here for what I've been told.

What ever they told you, The Wagon Wheel is better. :)

Here is some of my stuff from WV.
http://www.atvflorida.com/forum/index.php/topic,17944.0.html

Actually, they could be connected by now. How cold was it?

Lets see some pictures.

Weather was great 40's to 70's, took us about 14 hours (including stops) from Orlando / Daytona area. I'll post some pics as soon as I can shrink them down.

Great place, don't go expecting 5 star hotels and all the conveniences of home, there are not 7 - 11's on every corner and your selection of food stops is limited - but who cares if you came to ride. People are happy to have you there and go out of their way to help you out.

Yeah, it was well worth the 16+ hour ride from down here. I'm looking forward to my next WV adventure.

Thank you for the good words about the HM Trails and our quaint rural country town of Gilbert.  We do have a courteous, friendly community. 

You have a GREAT community!  FL could learn a lot about how to put together a trail system and make it work from the way you have it set up. Of course we don't have the terrain to provide the great riding experience but the fact that you folks have proven that ATV's and the environment can co-exist speaks volumes. There are and always will be a few idiots that are to lazy to clean up after themselves and who try to take advantage of a good thing but what I have seen in your community and across the trails proves it can work. All the riders we ran across used the hand signals, were "civil" on the trails made way for each other and helped each other out.

We ran across a group from North Carolina  that were winching their machines through some deep mud, we helped them through and they did the same in return for us. Later that day we passed them on the roads in town, waves and high fives. Don't know their names but damn sure folks you don't mind riding with. Pull off on the side of the trail to catch a dringk or a picture and those approaching you slow down so they don't dust you out or swamp you, whatever the case may be.

You folks have a great thing there and you can count on our group coming back. We will be staying in Gilbert and damn sure eating at Wally's and frequenting the other businesses.

Rich

Rich it sounds like you guys had a great time, I have a question, what type of trails are up there? I mean can you use a sport bike or do you need a utility? I want to make a trip up there but I was wondering if I can use my sport bike up there, is it deep mud holes, rocks boulders, or there just smooth terrain with elevation, thanks for your future reply Tony.

You name it they have it. There were lots of sport bikes when we were there. We took a Polaris 325 Trail Boss, Kaw 220 Bayou, and Suzuki 250 Ozark. Usually you can go around any deep mud, There are trails that are smooth as glass and rough ones as well. Brownig Fork (Rock House) which is accessed out og Gilbert or Man has a more rugged terrain than Pinnacle which is out of Piney Creek. You won't have any problems on a sport bike. Trails are marked by their level of difficulty (Green, Blue, Black easiest to most difficult).

I highly recommend staying in Gilbert. Lots of choices in places to stay, good food and great people. You can easily trailer over to the Pinnacle trails for a day ride. Pinnacle is not as rugged as Browning Fork and you ride next to the river which is pretty cool.

It is well worth the trip and we do it as an annual (soon to be semi-annual) thing. You won't regret going, what you will regret is coming back here and realizing how limited a choice of (legal) riding places  we really have.

Le's see if I can help you some since I have been housing riders here since 2002.  Sport quads work fine on all greens and some blue trails unless we are having some adverse weather--like heavy rains or snow.  So sport quads are seen frequently from March until October. Our trails are on steep terrain with little room for mistakes.  But during the Winter, utility quads are for majority (by far).  We do have a little of everything you mentioned.  Its according to the time of year that you are visiting.  if i can help you more, just let me know.

rtracey,I am not sure when exactly you were here, but we had a group from April 18 thru April 23.  They were from NC and Michigan.  There last name was Lemke.  They were a GREAT group to host.  They have visitied us several times in the Spring.  They are  a great group!!

If I can help you with a trip, just let us know!

pics

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Trailhouseowner,
That was the time that we were there as well. Didn't catch their names but I'm sure we will see them again, they said they would be back again same time next year, just as we will. Where are you located in town?

Rich

Tony,

I posted a few pictures, but they don't do the place justice and I can't seem to downsize others to post them. Going to take a helmet cam next time.
RT

 Good to hear from someone who has experienced the ride there.........we hope to go there next year, we have been to Land Between the Lakes in Ky and it was great!!!

http://www.atvflorida.com/forum/index.php/topic,14149.msg289088.html#msg289088


Check this out, I made it for just such an occasion. PM with any questions.

Thanks alot guys for the replys, I really need to make a trip up there. And I know about riding out of state, when you do come home you dont want to ride in Florida anymore. Its just not the same.

more pics

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scenic

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sorry about the double

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rtracey, Browning Fork Trailhouse is actually located in the community of Browning Fork in the Gilbert area.  The NC guys were probably our guests.  They come and stay with us the same time every year. 

Is The Wagon Wheel connected to the Hatfield/Mccoy trails now?

   I'm hoping to be able to go there in the next year to ride.I travel to Roanoke Virginia twice a year.I turned off of the Blue Ridge Pkwy.  onto a  dirt road once with the wife and kids and drove  for about 20 miles with nothing but peace and quiet.We went hiking and picnicing...it was awesome!!
  I wanted to have my quad with me so desperately.We will be moving there in the near future.Florida doesn't know the meaning of great living.The beach and a beer is nothing.

You can say that again. WV is one of the coolest places I've ever been. If it didn't get so cold there I would be living one mile from The Wagon Wheel in a heart beat.
Half those people don't even know about satellite, I could make a fortune there and ride my quad to the jobs!!!

Talk about the life...