Mountain Biking
Coopers Rock State Forest
Bruceton Mills, West Virginia
Long descents, long climbs and lots and lots of rocks.
08/2006 – by Christopher Burk, Outdoor Travels
It was by far the worst wipeout I’ve seen during my rather short riding career. I’ve seen many entertaining ones where rider and machine end up in a heap way off the trail but I have never seen one where the bike does a full 360-degree flip in the air after coming to a complete stop. It happened pretty much like this. After checking out the old Henry Clay iron furnace and stopping for some photos we came across a bridge. Normally not a big issue however there was about a seven-inch step to the bridge and we were starting from a dead stop. Dana cleared it with ease. I went slightly off-line after losing my most of my momentum on the step but managed to keep the bike moving forward. Then came Jeff.
With Jeff’s utterance of his third explicative as he tried in vain to unclip his foot from his pedal I had managed to get myself stopped and turn around just in time to see him topple off the bridge and the bike go flying up into the air. It still amazes me that the bike managed to do an aerial dismount from the bridge and not stick the landing right on top of Jeff. And as entertaining as Jeff’s tumble looked, we remained true to form by asking if he were alright before we busted out laughing. Welcome to Coopers Rock State Forest.
Being close to Morgantown and WVU makes Coopers Rock a popular riding location. The park is split into two main areas by Interstate 68 with the southern section being the chief recreational area.
The side north of Interstate 68, known as the WVU Forest, consists of the forest management area leased by the West Virginia University Division of Forestry for forestry research, teaching, and demonstration. You can ride there if you wish but they are not nearly as “biker friendly” as the southern section.
Although the southern side of the forest is biker friendly, I’m not sure if I would classify the trails as bike friendly. Very few of them are level. Not that hills and drops are a bad thing but one big descent followed by one long-ass slog back up is not my idea of fun. It would be nice to break it up a little more. Add a whole bunch of rocks to that scenario and you end up with one serious beating on your way down and more rolling resistance than you want on the climb out.
There are a couple of really nice technical sections around the Henry Clay iron furnace that will test skills other than climbing. If you want to increase your challenge see how much of it you can ride while only using your front brake. Something Jeff was forced to do after his impressive wipeout blew out the master cylinder on his rear brake.
There are some trails on the eastern side of the main road over near the campground that offer a few less rocks and some more flow but they have their own problems. At least they did when we rode there. Trail signage is pretty much non-existent. With maybe one or two exceptions, trail junctions featured either no signage or the remnants of a post and nothing else. I would accuse bears of destroying the trail markers but the posts were still in good condition, there was just no placard attached to it.
Because Coopers Rock is so easily accessible from Morgantown it’s definitely worth a visit if you happen to be in the area and have some free time. As for a destination ride, that depends on how far you have to go to get there. For me it’s about the same travel time as Snowshoe Mountain and Slatyfork, WV. Two places I definitely recommend over Coopers Rock.
If you do decide to ride Coopers Rock and make it down the Henry Clay iron furnace, be sure to check out Killacobbie Bridge. It will be the second one after you pass the furnace.
Trail Snapshot
Trails Biked: Advanced Cross-country ski Trail, Clay Furnace Trail, Ridge Trail, Rock City Trail, Raven Rock Trail, Nature Trail.
Distance: 8 miles
Outdoor Travels Rating: 2.5 out of 5 bikes
Thumbs Up
- Close Proximity to Morgantown and easy access.
- Scenic view from the Overlook
- Great downhill and challenging technical sections
Thumbs Down
- Unavoidable long and rocky uphill climb if you want to ride anything of consequence.
- Ridiculously poor signage
Lessons Learned
- Until you’re really comfortable with clipless pedals, you probably shouldn’t lock in if it’s imperative that you have the ability to get a foot down quickly.
- You’d be amazed at what you can ride with just a front brake. (Although I wouldn’t recommend doing it full-time.)
Nuts & Bolts
Location: Thirteen miles east of Morgantown, WV and 8 miles west of Bruceton Mills.
Directions: FExit 15 off I-68, turn south and follow signs..
Trails: There are about 50 miles of trails that wind through the park and nearby forest.
Activities: Hiking, biking, fishing, hunting, picnicking. Nearby attractions include glass factories whitewater rafting, horseback riding, Lakeview Golf Resort and Conference Center, West Virginia University, swimming and boating on Cheat Lake.
Admission: Free. Camping is $20 at the campgrounds.
Contact: Coopers Rock State Forest Rt. 1 Box 270 Bruceton Mills, WV 26525 (304) 594-1561
Maps and Stuff
Trail photos
Lots of great photos to give you a good idea of what riding here is like!
