Elkins, W.V., February 21, 2025 – The Mon Forest Towns Partnership (MFTP), a regional non-profit working to advance outdoor recreation and downtown development in twelve towns across eight West Virginia counties, has announced a new collaborative gravel and bikepacking project with Village to Village Trails, Bikepacking Roots, and MountainRides.
Following community conversations with local cyclists, the project aims to not only deliver over 30 day-ride routes and eight multi-day bikepacking itineraries but also provide support for businesses to help maximize the economic impact of recreation tourism. “The initial excitement around the launch of a new route network will immediately bring cyclists who will frequent a range of local businesses. Then popularity of these routes builds steadily year over year creating a snowball of economic impact,” remarked Noelle Battle, Executive Director of Bikepacking Roots.
Once a niche sport, the impacts of today’s gravel biking movement are being felt across the country after exploding in popularity in the mid-2010s, in part due to the success of events like the Mon’s own Gravel Ride Up Spruce Knob (GRUSK), a four-day festival held at West Virginia’s highest peak. Travis Olson, owner of MountainRides and GRUSK organizer, noted, “Considering the amazing mountain biking events combined with the world-class gravel riding, I would estimate tens of thousands have visited the Mon for cycling-related events. As word gets out about this new route network, the Mon will be a popular place for riders to come escape and explore.”
With nearly a million acres of National Forest, over a dozen State Parks and Forests, 1600+ miles of forest roads, and no shortage of scenic views, the Mon Forest region has all the ingredients to become the next premier gravel biking destination. Bringing a wealth of experience to the project, David Landis, owner of Village-to-Village Trails, added, “The Monongahela is a natural playground for gravel bikers and bikepackers. With its extensive network of forest roads and long-distance rail trails, it offers seamless access to rugged backcountry adventures.”
For the MFTP, however, this project is about more than revving WV’s outdoor recreation engine. “It goes beyond just mapping out routes,” Landis continued, “it’s about building long-term partnerships. By collaborating closely with local communities, we’re providing resources, marketing support, and strategic planning to ensure that the influx of adventure tourism translates into sustainable economic success for every Mon Forest Town throughout the network.” Josh Nease, MFTP Executive Director, offered, “Since the earliest conversations between towns in 2017, our communities have expressed a strong desire to be more connected to both the forest and one another. Through this partnership, we have the opportunity to sustainably leverage existing outdoor assets to connect towns in new ways while sharing the area’s unique history with an ever-growing audience.”
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