Coopers Rock (State Forest)
Seemingly out of left field, I present to you Coopers Rock State Forest, outside of Morgantown, West Virginia. Located (sort of) on the way to Columbus, this proved to be a neat stop on the way in late summer of 2024.
As I sit here and write this I cannot say that you should immediately put this on your biking bucket list. This park is old-school Appalachian mountain, raw mountain biking. In the pantheon of travel-to-bike, it's hard to say you should plan a trip out here for this, as it's in-line with a park like Allamuchy. However, if you're going to be out here, it's well worth the stop.
The area is old, and beautiful - as you can see from the picture below. The trees are dense and tall, and the whole vibe of the place is pretty magnificent.
Morgantown also isn't for everyone. I'm not sure how to say this kindly, so let's go with this. There will be no gender neutral bathrooms here.
Getting There/Parking/Camping
This park is a solid 5+ hours from NJ, out 78, through Harrisburg to 81, then off through the panhandle of Maryland and into WV. The last 1/3 of the drive is pretty scenic & beautiful.
There are many parking areas but you should park near the overlook.
I also rode through several campsites while here. So if you're into camping that's also an option.
General Ride/Trail Notes
Many of the trails here are quite similar, but I will give you what I learned.
- Ridge Trail - you'll want to go down this to start. Fast, loose, fun downhill to kick off your ride.
- Advanced Ski Trail - this is also fun coming down, but there were 2 trees down when I was here
- Scott Run Trail - while not a destination per se, this was nice ST that was pretty peaceful and relaxing in the second half
Routes
- August 2024 here - recommend this as a base, which is a 2+ hour set of loops (5 and 10 miles, roughly)
At this time, I do not know enough about this area to suggest any sort of trip.
Food & Drink
I only stopped for coffee before I kept driving to Columbus. But it was a good shop
- Quantum Bean Coffee - solid shop, would go back