The new Mon Forest Gravel and Bikepacking Route Network serves up adventure to take you from your doorstep into West Virginia’s crown jewel.
The fall issue offers a guide to the finest leaf peeping in the highlands, a detailed look at the best gravel biking in the east, the Hatfield-McCoy Trails, and tasty pawpaws.
Photographed by Jesse Thornton
Click Cover Image to open flipping book
The Fall issue of Highland Outdoors is the perfect guide for an autumn leaf-peeping road trip. Start in Canaan Valley and work your way through the region. You’ve got choices—go east and check out the biggest gravel and bikepacking network in the East. Head south to the Hatfield–McCoy Trails for some heavy dirt action. Or, move north for some camping at Allegheny Islands Wilderness and a crawl through Pennsylvania’s newest state park, Laurel Caverns. Plus, meet the man who biked from Harpers Ferry to Spruce Knob. And remember—it’s pawpaw season, so be on the lookout for an Appalachian fruit festival!
Stories from this Issue
Country Roads Take Me away from Home
Come Again?
Don’t let the names trip you up. Ohiopyle and the Youghiogheny River combine big adventure and tiny-town charm.
Six-legged Ecological Outlaws
Invasive insects are just too good at being bad.
The Fall Line
It’s time for devoted leaf peepers to experience the best of Appalachian autumn. Explore six beautiful mountain regions as October sweeps over the highlands.
Way Down Yonder
Somehow, we forgot about pawpaws. Now, Appalachia’s lost fruit is making a comeback.
Fall 2026 Editor’s Letter
The View From Here
Release the Beast
Gauley Fest, September 17–20 in 2026, celebrates one of the world’s wildest whitewater rivers.
