Podcast devoted to dual sport & adventure motorcycling.
DS Podcast Ride
This is the page where you can get all the info on the upcoming Spring 2011, official Dual Sport Podcast ride and meet in Man, WV for some riding on and around the Hatfield McCoy APV trails!
The date for the ride will be Thursday through Sunday, June 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th. You can attend all or a portion, completely up to you! The plan is to meet each day at the trailhead of either the Rockhouse or Bearwallow at 11am each morning, ride some trails, and then meet for dinner at one of the local restaurants or campgrounds. There are multiple cabins & hotels in the area. Camping is available, as well.
A great option for lodging is the Twin Hollow Campground, where a cabin that sleeps 6 comfortably is around $225, an affordable option for a group and it’s literally ON the trailhead. I’ll be staying there, and will likely have room to spare. There’s also rooms for four that’s around $150 a night. Colonial Inn & Restaurant, at the other end of the Rockhouse trail network in Man, WV is also an affordable option.
Permits are $26.50 for WV residents, $50 for non-residents, but are good all year long. You must have a permit to ride the trails. All info for the permits can be found here.
The trails are for all skill levels, the beginner/easy trails are wide and groomed, and nearly any dual sport bike could traverse them, even a larger adventure bike can do it with aggressive tires…providing it’s not extremely muddy (It will be Spring, and there’s a chance of that). There are also ample difficult and single track trails to test your skill, so there’s really something for everyone. The idea of the trail ride is a “ride your own ride” affair, and instead of trying to keep up in a large group, we’ll attempt to break it up into smaller, more skill-oriented groups or pairs to go and explore, have fun at your own pace, and meet up later to share in the fun! No pressure, no race, just having fun on the dirt.
There are also a ton of good roads in the area, so even if you don’t want to offroad or ride the trails…feel free to come and do some exploring in the local area, meet us in the morning or at dinner, and spend the rest of the time on the twisties and back roads of central West Virginia!
If you have any questions about the Hatfield McCoy trails or area, please check this site for all the info you’ll need…
As far as equipment, I would suggest the most aggressive tires you would normally mount…full knobbies are a plus. The trails, even at their easiest, can contain rocks and stream crossings and the better your traction, the more fun you’re gonna have. On a dry day, I wouldn’t have any fear taking a KLR or DR650 through the main trails, but on a wet day, I’d be picking the bike up a lot. So, plan accordingly. Being a spring ride, there’s a chance for some wet weather…if it’s really wet the trails can be a real challenge…but we’re not scared, are we?
I do hope you come and ride, would love to meet everyone! It won’t matter if there’s 100 of us, or 2 of us, I plan on having a great time riding the beautiful hills of West Virgina! If you have any questions, feel free to send me an email. I’ll also be talking about the ride on the show and will keep everyone updated as we get closer.
If you would like camping information for the area, here are some areas close to Rockhouse & Bearwallow.
Here is a video of Rockhouse to give you a taste of the riding in the area.

