Hatfield-McCoy
Trails

Basic Information

The Hatfield-McCoy Recreation Area is a multiple-use recreational trail system located in a nine county area of southern West Virginia.  The professionally designed and managed network of trails wind their way through the mountain ridges of the central Appalachian coal fields. The Hatfield-McCoy area is situated within a day's drive for a large portion of the nation's population.  In the eastern United States, where there is relatively little public land, there is a significant need for trail facilities, especially for motorized recreation.  The Hatfield-McCoy meets that need with beautiful mountains, rugged terrain, and pleasant vistas, exactly what's needed for top-notch trails.

One very unique quality of the Hatfield-McCoy is that virtually all the trails lie on private property.  Much of the land in Hatfield-McCoy country -- so called because of the famous family feud that occurred here in the 1880s -- is owned by corporations and held for coal or timber production.   With the cooperation of the corporate landowners, the land is being opened to public recreation during times when the landowners are not actively working it.  The trails will close or move, as necessary, to avoid conflicting with landowner or lessee activity on the land.

As of January 2006, the facility has approximately 500 miles of trails with five trailhead centers and five community connectors.  The trails are open to ATVs, motorcycles, mountain bicycles, equestrians, and hikers.  With further development, the system is expected to also accommodate full-size 4-wheel drive vehicles, and will expand to over 2,000 miles of trail.  Ultimately, the trails may connect with similar trail systems based on the same concept that are being developed in the neighboring regions of eastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia, adding thousands more miles of trail.  When these trail systems are completed in all three states, the overall project will cover more than five million acres, an area about the size of the state of Massachusetts.  There will be no other trail system like it anywhere in the world.

The trails connect with trailhead centers that are connected to highways.  These points of access include parking, unloading, restroom, and administrative facilities.  The trails also connect with adjacent towns, providing access to campgrounds, motels, stores, restaurants, gas stations, and other tourist services.  The trails link with existing recreation facilities, historic and cultural landmarks, and scenic vistas, helping to unlock the region's significant potential for tourism development.  The completed recreation area in West Virginia alone is expected to draw more than 600,000 visitors to the region each year and contribute more than $100,000,000 annually to the area economy.

The Hatfield-McCoy trails are being managed by a public corporation created by the West Virginia legislature called the Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreation Authority.  The County Commission of each of the eight project-area counties appoints two members to the Authority's board of directors, one representing a cooperating land owner and the other representing tourism and economic development interests in the county.  Other board members represent recreational users.  State agencies are represented with three non-voting positions on the board.

To assure the highest quality recreational facility, the Authority has partnered with the Bureau of Land Management, a part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, which manages thousands of miles of recreational trails in the western part of the country.  BLM employees have been closely involved in the planning and development activities to assure that every detail of planning and operation is completed to the highest standards.  The management strategy for the Hatfield-McCoy will assure that the project operates in a manner that proclaims its commitment to quality.  Such efforts will include regular trail system inspections, environmental impact monitoring, law enforcement patrols, repair and maintenance operations, litter and trash removal, and coordination with the landowners and community leaders to promptly address any problems.  The trails will be a point of pride for the landowners and communities in the project area.

Much of the funding for the development and start up of the trail system has been provided by the state of West Virginia through the cooperation of the Governor and Legislature.  Significant additional funds have been provided by the U.S. Congress by direct appropriation and through the National Recreation Trails Act.  Recreational users pay a fee to use the trails.  It is anticipated that the operation of trail system will ultimately be self sustaining.

The Hatfield-McCoy Recreation Area is pleased to have been selected in 2000 by the White House Millennium Council as a National Millennium Trail. This designation recognizes that the Hatfield-McCoy trails are showing the way for recreational trails and for rural economic development in the 21st century. The Hatfield-McCoy clearly meets all the criteria established by the White House for this recognition by:

• honoring the past and imagining the future of America;

• reflecting significant, defining aspects of America’s heritage and culture;

• providing tangible, widespread benefits for future generations of Americans;

• bringing together individuals, groups and organizations, both public and private, in collaborative support of the trail.

The Hatfield-McCoy trails concept is a truly unique and exciting idea that will expand recreation opportunity while it stimulates economic development in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia, Virginia, and Kentucky.

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