Submitted photo A family enjoys setting out from Elkins onto the Allegheny Highlands Rail Trail, part of the Gravel and Bikepacking Route Network.

ELKINS – Officials have announced the Gravel and Bikepacking Route Network, which includes routes in Randolph, Tucker and Pocahontas counties and is described as “one of the largest networks on the East Coast.”

The Mon Forest Towns Partnership launched the network, “a comprehensive collection of more than 60 curated routes across eight counties in the Monongahela National Forest region,” officials said.

The network’s thousands of miles of routes are organized by both length and town, allowing riders to explore from any of the 12 Mon Forest Towns — Elkins, Parsons, Thomas, Davis, Durbin, Marlinton, Richwood, Cowen, Petersburg, Franklin, Seneca Rocks, or White Sulphur Springs.

“The most ambitious route in the collection, the Mon Circuit 600, links all 12 towns in a single continuous journey with more than 50,000 feet of climbing,” a Mon Forest Towns Partnership release states.

Submitted photo
The Mon Forest Towns Partnership has announced the Gravel and Bikepacking Route Network, which includes routes in Randolph, Tucker and Pocahontas counties, and beyond.

Elkins serves as one of the “primary gateways” to the Mon Forest route network, with routes fanning out in every direction across some of the region’s most rewarding terrain, officials said. The Allegheny Highlands Rail Trail departs directly from the historic Elkins Depot, tracing a former railroad corridor through farmland and forest toward Parsons and the Blackwater Canyon Trail.

Intermediate riders can follow the Pleasant Pheasant loop along the wildlife-rich corridor of Shavers Fork, while the Bemis, Bickle, and Big Timber loop climbs to the panoramic fire tower atop Bickle Knob before traversing high ridges along Middle Mountain Road and descending through the historic timber communities of the West Fork valley.

Two ambitious multi-day routes extend Randolph County’s reach further — the Spruce Knob 220 GRUSK route descends from the summit of West Virginia’s highest peak through the Green Bank Observatory and Bickle Knob, while the western Mon overnighter links Elkins to Mower Basin, Cheat Summit Fort and the Civil War earthworks atop Cheat Mountain before returning via the Laurel Fork Wilderness and Shavers Fork.

The Mon Circuit 600 and Mon Circuit 440 both begin and end in Elkins, “threading the full network of Mon Forest Towns into one continuous grand tour,” the release states.

“The launch of MFTP’s Gravel and Bikepacking Route Network marks an exciting milestone for our region and our work,” said Josh Nease, the Partnership’s executive director. “By weaving together existing forest roads and historic infrastructure, we have created a world-class recreation asset that physically and symbolically connects all 12 of our mountain towns to the Monongahela National Forest – and to one another.

“This network is more than just a trail system; it is an engine for economic development. It invites the global cycling community to experience our rugged beauty while providing our local communities with the platform to host premier races and events, contributing to new jobs and thriving main streets for generations to come.”

The project was made possible through the ARC POWER Grant, with support from Village to Village Trails, Bikepacking Roots, and MountainRides LLC, organizations “whose local expertise and national reach helped shape a route network designed to serve both everyday riders and dedicated bikepackers,” the release states. “The Partnership would also like to thank all the local cyclists whose contributions made this work possible.”

“The Mon represents something rare–million-acre public lands, remote backcountry experiences, and a network of mountain towns woven together by an expansive web of gravel roads,” said David Landis of Village to Village Trails. “That connectivity creates a richness of riding experiences you simply don’t find anywhere else.”

The network extends well beyond the Mon Forest itself, connecting into Mountaineer Gravel’s north-central West Virginia route system, New River Gorge National Park, and gateway hubs in Maryland, Virginia, and the Washington, D.C. metro area. Connector routes link the Mon to nationally recognized trails like the Great Allegheny Passage, the C&O Canal, and the Greenbrier River Trail, as well as Amtrak stations in Charlottesville, Cumberland and Prince.

Riders looking to experience the network firsthand can join the Bikepacking Roots Annual East Coast Summit, hosted in Marlinton from May 29 through June 1, 2026. The gathering brings together bikepacking enthusiasts from across the region for guided rides, community events, and exploration of the southern Mon Forest’s most scenic terrain.

The full route network is available at monforesttowns.org/gravel, with routes also published on Ride with GPS and featured on Bikepacking Roots.