The basics
What are the Hatfield-McCoy Trails?
The Hatfield-McCoy Trails are a permit-based, professionally managed off-highway trail network in southern West Virginia. It's open to ATVs, UTVs and dirt bikes, and some systems also take Jeeps. The Authority puts it at over 1,200 miles across 13 systems in nine counties.
Who runs it
The Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreation Authority, a public corporation the West Virginia Legislature created in 1996. The first trails opened in October 2000 with three systems: Bearwallow, Buffalo Mountain and Rockhouse. West Virginia Natural Resources Police patrol the trails. The Authority says 85 percent of its riders come from out of state.
The counties
Boone, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Wayne and Wyoming.
Timeline
For the families behind the name, read our Hatfield-McCoy feud history for riders.
- 1996: the Legislature creates the Authority.
- October 2000: Bearwallow, Buffalo Mountain and Rockhouse open.
- 2015: the Little Coal River trails close after a land deal.
- 2021: Cabwaylingo opens on state forest land.
- 2025: Braveheart and Big Coal River open. A connector to Virginia's Spearhead Trails is announced, and the 2026 non-resident permit rises to $65.
How the systems fit together
Buffalo Mountain, Devil Anse, Rockhouse and Braveheart connect around Williamson, Matewan, Man and Gilbert. Pinnacle Creek, Warrior, Indian Ridge and Pocahontas connect farther south. Bearwallow, Ivy Branch, Cabwaylingo, Big Coal River and Tornado stand alone. See every system.
About this site
WV Riders is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreation Authority. Trail names are used only to describe where the trails are. For official maps, permits and closures, use trailsheaven.com or call 1-800-592-2217.
Checked against the Authority's published pages on October 31, 2026.