King knob ride march 22 2014

Getting a group together for a ride at king knob tomorrow march 22 of anyone is interested in joining!

I'd be there but I have to work today.  Watch out for the ruts over by the big pond by the main parking area.  They're putting in a drag strip and putting the fill dirt in that bottom.  Some of them are 4 - 5' deep.  Was there two Saturdays ago and winched a guy out of one!

Have fun and take some pix!

What's you guy's thoughts on King Know ?

It's just over the hill from me, so I might be a little biased.  It's a fun place to ride... good variety of trails, hills, mud & scenic views.  If you go on a weekend there are usually some other people around, and sometimes a lifted mud truck or two that are cool to check out.  There are about 50 - 60 miles of trails in the park, but the park is also a hub to a number of other back roads.  When you combine King Knob with its surroundings, you can easily make a one day, 100+ mile ride.  Lots of people come in and camp for the weekend.

Thanks for the info. We are going to try it out next month.

I was watching a You Tube Video the other day of a hill climb at a King Knob.  I guess it is the same area.  The video was kinda cool.  Then I seen this post and thought of the video...MD

Come on and tackle some of those hills MD - I'll gladly watch!  

I just thought it was coincidental that I watched the video one day and the post came up the next few days later. 

WV has soooo many cool places to ride.  SC must have something against trail riding in the woods.  The only places we have are 2 or 3 State or Federal Forests with about 25-30 miles of trail each.  Then there is Carolina Adventure World, which is ok, but too pricey.  I have been riding WV since 2007 and can't get enough of it.  It is very addicting...MD

I will have to admit, I never have been a highly technical rider, but sure do feel a lot more secure in the RZR than I did hanging onto the handlebars.  The cameras never show the real steep angles and I have a feeling those at that King Knob are evil steep...MD

I agree with the safety factor of the Rzr / SxS vs the handlebars of an ATV.  After a ride in my Rzr I'm surprised how unstable the ATV feels.  It's simply a wider machine with better suspension.  Plus I'll take the roll cage and the seatbelt any day.  I still have my ATV and enjoy it, just find the Rzr equally as fun and a lot safer.

Flemington and King Knob are located near Clarksburg, WV.  It's all much further north than the WV HMT and outlaw trails.  For instance, from my driveway, Wagon Wheel is about a 3 hour drive.  If we go down to Bluefield and back in to Bramwell or Ashland, better count on 4 hours.  From The Wagon Wheel / Pinnacle Creek, the familiar towns you come to are Crab Orchard, Beckley, Summersville, Flatwoods and then Clarksburg.  That's following I-77, Route 19 and I-79.  Flemington is tiny, just big enough for a fire department and a post office, but King Knob is starting to make a name for itself.  Both Flemington and King Knob are east of Clarksburg by about 10 miles.

The locals are pretty pleased than an old coal mine site that became a wasteland and potential trash dump site has become a destination for campers and OHV riders from all over the eastern US.  Well... all of the locals that don't have unmerited animosity toward OHV's anyway .

Kccauley commented,

The locals are pretty pleased than an old coal mine site that became a wasteland and potential trash dump site has become a destination for campers and OHV riders from all over the eastern US.  Well... all of the locals that don't have unmerited animosity toward OHV's anyway

My 800 replied,

I am 5-plus hours from home to the Ashland/Hilltop areas.  I just can't get there enough.  Being semi-retired and still working at the state fire academy as a curriculum developer, some of the larger projects keep me here more than I like.  I will have to start working on this problem soon...MD 

You are fortunate to have such an area for potential recreational riding and camping, which is actually the best of both worlds, park the sxs beside the camper and head out for the daily rides.

How far is the old coal mine from King Knob ?

You mean the entrances to the mines themselves, stouffer?  Bygones...  the DEP in the last 20 years have reclaimed and closed up a lot of the old mine entrances.  If it was seeping drainage, they were all over it.  When I was a kid, most of the streams around were orange and smelled terrible, but not anymore.

King Knob Offroad Park is the property that used to be King Knob Coal Company, and mining stopped there years ago.  So when you're riding there, you're riding on old coal company property.  My grandfather worked in the tipple up there, so I've heard a million stories about it, but there aren't many pictures.  The only evidence of a mine at King Knob is one old structure that looks like a call house next to the old railroad grade, the railroad grade itself that's now a trail as well as a couple of tunnels that were cut under the railroad.  There's a tunnel at the north end and the south end of the property.

Here are a couple of pics... feel free to check out the rest of my photo bucket.  A lot of our riding pics are on there and the ones at King Knob are labeled "King Knob Ride..." etc.

Tunnel:


Structure:

Thanks for the info, i think we enjoy riding this area.