ATV Florida Forum

I'm planing a trip in May or June, never been there. I'd love to hear from others that may have done a trip so I can learn from their experiences. Please add any info you have.

i have not been there before but we have a trip planned for the end of May.  i am driving up from Jacksonville and will be meeting some friends from Canada.  we did quite a bit of research prior to selecting these trails and it is really convenient since it is almost the same distance for all of us to travel.  our plan is to stay in the town of Gilbert.

We went up to WV last July to ride the HM trails.  It was an unbelievable experience.  We all (my husband and I, four kids aged 4-14) had a great time.  We really studied the website www.trailsheaven.com before we went, to try to understand it as much as we could.  We moved around a bit because we wanted to get a taste of the whole area.  First, we stayed at the Twin Hollow Campground a few nights to ride the Browning Fork trail system.  (near Gilbert).  Beautiful mountain views, and direct ride onto the trails.  They have cabins and large RV sites.  A little hairy getting up the road to the campground, but doable with a dually truck and a 40 foot gooseneck rig.  The owners were very helpful and friendly. 

We also stopped at the Pinnacle Creek Campground to check out the trail there.  Not at all a pretty campground - more a gravel parking lot, so be aware what you're getting.  If you just want a sorta cheap place to park and you don't care that you're in a truckstop parking lot, well then OK. You have to ride along a somewhat busy paved road for 2-3 miles to get to the trailhead. I didn't like it.

Next stop was the Ashland KOA to ride the Indian Ridge Trail.  Hands-down, this was the best part of our trip.  We stayed in a nice camping cabin there, full bath and kitchen. Playground for the kids, hiking trails if you want to stretch your legs, laundry, small general store at the front, ride directly into town or directly onto the trails.  Historic shops and restaurant in town.  Super friendly people. 

All in all, worth the drive from South Florida.  We will definitely be visiting this area again.  They were challenging trails on down to easy ones for the younger members of the party, but most all were clearly marked and mapped.  If anyone has any more questions, especially from a Mom's point of view, just ask - like if your wife isn't sure this is a good family trip, I felt very comfortable with my four kids there, and I am a pretty protective parent.  We all loved it!

Great info, thanks for posting it. I don't want to drive from FL to stay in a gravel parking lot, looking for nice cabins close to the trail heads. My wife is actually excited about the trip, my kids are full grown (18 or older) though so no real worries there. So as far as the trail system was Indian Ridge Trail the best for your group?

I would say so, yes.  There were plenty of trails and lots to see.  My husband and oldest son did more riding than I did - I stayed back at the campground with the younger kids a bit (was tired out by then!) but they came back happy and exhausted (and muddy!!!)  each time.  Also, there are trails there that are off of the HM system.  They call them "outlaw" trails and they are never-ending.  You could ride forever, it seems.  But they aren't maintained and there aren't maps.  If you end up chatting with a local at the campground they can tell you about them.  But just the HM trails are plenty for days and days of riding.  The campground is great, seriously.  It has a website at www.atvresort.com .

If anyone needs info on the HM Trails, do not hesitate to contact me.  I live in southern WV in the heart of the HM Trails.

Hi there. My self and 6 of my friends from From Ohio and S.C. meet at the town of Gilbert for a weeks ride of the Hatfield and McCoy trails. We only rode on the Browning trail system but we had a blast. We rented a house in the town of Gilbert. Which is a ATV friendly town. That means as long as you have a trail permit you are allowed to ride your ATV with in the city limits. After we unloaded our truck we never got back into it until we were ready to leave the area. That was great. There are a two gas stations in town to fill your quad up before you go out and hit the trails. Make sure you are always full of fuel before you go. We rode every day from Gilbert to Mann (ATV friendly town). We would have lunch in Mann and fill our quads up with fuel and ride back to Gilbert. Watch out for the black trails. You will need a winch to go  threw the black trails. They say that side x side are not allowed on some trails but my buddy went everywhere we went on his rhino. For me it was the best riding that i have had in years. It beats all of the flat land that where I ride at in  Florida. I can't wait to go back and do some riding there some time this year, if my job will give me some time off.