The Mon Forest Towns Partnership (MFT) recently launched the Mon Forest Gravel and Bikepacking Route Network, offering a cornucopia of epic rides that weave through the hills and hollows of the Monongahela National Forest.
The network seeks to foster a shared sense of community and forest stewardship by boosting tourism throughout the region. Sixty-six routes connect all 12 Mon Forest towns and sprawl across nearly one million acres of public land, where riders can experience the region’s abundant diversity. According to MFT Executive Director Josh Nease, the fledgling network is the largest curated route network of its kind in the Eastern U.S.
Most routes pass through at least one of the Mon Forest towns, so riders can resupply, grab a meal, or book a night’s rest. “Each Mon Forest town is unique in terms of amenities like bike shops, breweries, restaurants, and lodging,” says Nease. “I think riders will experience the charm of these towns.”
The network took MFT partners over a year to develop. “We all want more trails,” says Nease. “Two years ago it dawned on us that we already had a huge network we didn’t need to construct.”
MFT and its partner towns collaborated with local officials and pulled together cyclists from each MFT community. It also partnered with organizations like Mountain Rides, a West Virginia–based race organizer, as well as the trail development firm Village to Village Trails and Bikepacking Roots, a nonprofit that supports community development for bikepackers. “Then people ventured out into the field and rode their bikes a lot,” Nease says. “There are a million routes you could pull together, so they put a lot of intention into curating these awesome routes.”
From short gravel day-rides that run along pristine streams to multi-day bikepacking tours that traverse highlights like the Highland Scenic Highway and the Cranberry Tri-Rivers Trail, the network offers an adventure for every level of rider.
The grandaddy of them all is the Mon Circuit 600: a 600-mile excursion that hits all 12 Mon Forest towns and includes 55,000 feet of climbing. “It was really important that we were able to have a route that connects all 12 towns,” Nease says. “It physically and symbolically connects all of our towns through the forest. It’s a milestone for us to launch this world-class recreation asset that represents that sense of connectivity.”
Check out the MFRN on the interactive map
