Hatfield-McCoy trail system
Buffalo Mountain Trail System
Buffalo Mountain opened in October 2000 as one of the three original Hatfield-McCoy systems. It sits above Williamson in Mingo County, carries more single track than any other system, and runs through the country where the Hatfield-McCoy feud and the Matewan Massacre happened.
- County
- Mingo County
- Trail towns
- Williamson, Delbarton, Matewan
- Difficulty
- All ratings, with the most single track of any system
- Trailheads
- 1472 Buffalo Mountain, Williamson, WV 25661
Why riders pick Buffalo Mountain
- History on the trail. The Buffalo Mountain and Devil Anse maps mark the Hatfield Cemetery, the Ellison Hatfield Cemetery, the Devil Anse Tunnel, old mine openings, old equipment and overlooks. See the feud sites guide.
- Single track. The Authority calls it the system with the most single-track trails, which makes it a favorite for dirt bikes.
- Ride from town. Community connectors run into Williamson and Delbarton, so you can ride to fuel, food and your bed.
- Connected miles. Buffalo Mountain, Devil Anse, Rockhouse and Braveheart connect, so you can ride between them without loading the trailer. The Authority puts the connected group at over 300 miles. See the three-day Williamson ride plan.
Trailhead
The staffed trailhead is at 1472 Buffalo Mountain, Williamson, WV 25661. Staffed 9am to 2pm daily except major holidays, with parking, restrooms and permit sales. The lot is about two acres. There is no overnight parking at trailheads and no camping on the system.
Older guides describe extra access points near Delbarton and Matewan. Matewan access is through the Devil Anse trailhead.
Town connectors
The Authority's trail page lists community connectors to the ATV-friendly towns of Matewan, Delbarton and Williamson; the August 2025 brochure lists Delbarton and Williamson. Check the current official map for the route before riding. In these towns riders can use approved streets from daylight to dark (per WV Tourism) to reach gas stations, restaurants and lodging. Town connector routes are not permission to ride any road. Outside routes a statute or local ordinance allows, state rules bar ATVs and UTVs from roads with a center line or more than two lanes, except to cross: stop fully, cross at about a right angle, yield to traffic, and use your lights if the machine has them.
Who it suits
Groups with mixed skill levels do well here: there are green and blue loops for newer riders and black, red/black and single-track trails for experienced ones. UTVs are allowed on Easiest, More Difficult and signed Most Difficult trails. Buffalo Mountain is not open to full-size off-road vehicles such as Jeeps.
Trail ratings
- Green, Easiest: generally wide and more level.
- Blue, More Difficult: narrower and uneven, with some rocks and obstacles.
- Black, Most Difficult: can be extremely steep, with larger rocks and obstacles.
- Red/black, Most Difficult Double: no riders under 18, no machines under 200cc, no two-wheel-drive machines.
- Orange, Single Track: for experienced riders on two wheels.
Check the official trail maps before you ride: trails open, close and get renumbered.
Mileage
The Authority does not publish a mileage for Buffalo Mountain alone, and third-party guides disagree. What is official: Buffalo Mountain links with Devil Anse, Rockhouse and Braveheart for over 300 connected miles.
Reading the single-track map
The brochure divides orange single track into More Difficult and Most Difficult. Both are for experienced riders. The Buffalo Mountain map also marks the boundary with Devil Anse. Its TH symbols identify routes leading back to the trailhead.