Best bike terrain
Devil Anse or Indian Ridge
Tighter, more technical systems where a bike has the advantage over a side-by-side.
Full guide to Hatfield-McCoy Trails →Dirt Biking
Single-track motorcycle terrain within the Hatfield-McCoy system and on designated Monongahela National Forest routes. West Virginia's steep, loose, rocky terrain is demanding on any machine.
Single-track motorcycle terrain within Hatfield-McCoy is excellent, but not every system is built with bikes in mind. Read the ratings before you unload.
Steep, loose and rocky — West Virginia terrain punishes machines that were set up for somewhere flatter.
Our recommendations
Where we'd send you
For a mixed group
Rockhouse
Big enough that bikes and side-by-sides can each find appropriate terrain without compromising.
Full guide to Hatfield-McCoy Trails →Legal alternative
Designated Monongahela ORV routes
A limited set of legal routes on national forest land — check the motor vehicle use map before you ride anything.
Full guide to Otter Creek Wilderness →Practical note
Riding undesignated national forest or state land is illegal and enforced, and it's the fastest way to lose access for everyone. If it isn't on the map as open, it isn't open.
What to know before you go
- Not all Hatfield-McCoy systems are equally suited to motorcycles — check trail difficulty ratings
- Spot the difference between designated ORV routes and closed forest roads before riding
Regions that do it best
Off-road trail towns and reclaimed mine country
Southern Coalfields
The five southernmost counties, where deep mining shaped the settlement pattern and, more recently, the recreation economy.
Highest terrain, ski areas, wilderness backpackingPotomac Highlands
All terrain in West Virginia above 4,000 feet lies in this region, including Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet.
Every place we cover for dirt biking
Trips built around it
AdvertiseThis space is available
Guides and rentals for dirt biking
Reserved for a West Virginia operator serving this activity. The listings above and below it are unpaid.
List your business hereQuestions people ask
Where can you legally ride a dirt bike in West Virginia?
On the permitted Hatfield-McCoy Trails system and on designated ORV routes. Riding on undesignated national forest or state land is prohibited.
Organizations, agencies and resources · 4
Groups that handle access, maintenance, licensing and conditions data for this activity. Starred entries publish updates worth following.
Hatfield-McCoy Trails / Trails Heaven
Essential statewide and southern West Virginia motorized trail resource — permits, trail systems, maps and trail town information.
Visit Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreation Authority
Off-road
The public authority that manages, permits and expands the Hatfield-McCoy trail system across former coal lands.
Visit WVDNR ORV Resources
Off-road
Off-road vehicle regulations, registration and permitted-use information on state lands.
Visit onX Offroad
Off-road
Motorized trail and forest road mapping with legal-status layers and offline navigation.
Visit
Related activities
Every organization we link to: local tourism offices, the state and federal agencies that manage the land, the nonprofits and clubs that keep access open, and the universities doing the research.
West Virginia has roughly 1.5 million acres of public land and a handful of places that carry almost all of the attention. The consequence is that a great deal of very good ground sits nearly empty, usually for one of three reasons: nobody has heard of it, the road in is gated or rough, or it is undeveloped and has nothing to advertise. Those are the places below — of them across regions.