Getting Oriented
The Virginia General Assembly created the Southwest Regional Recreation Authority in 2008 to serve Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, and Wise counties and the City of Norton, a stretch of the Cumberland Mountains built on coal, gas, and timber extraction for a century. The Authority started building trail in 2013 and now operates seven named ATV, UTV, and dirt-bike systems. An eighth facility, Dixon Range, is a sports-shooting range in Clintwood rather than a trail. Physical trail systems currently sit in six of the eight member jurisdictions: Buchanan, Wise, Russell, Dickenson, Tazewell, and Lee. Scott County and the City of Norton are chartering members of the Authority but don't yet host a named system. SRRA's headquarters is in Coeburn, in Wise County, alongside the Mountain View system's trailhead.
Trail Overview
Coal Canyon, out of Grundy in Buchanan County, is the largest system at 127 miles, roughly half green-rated and the rest split between blue and black, with two ATV play areas and several overlooks. Mountain View runs 118 miles between trailheads in Coeburn and St. Paul, plus 20 miles of separate single-track for dirt bikes, and is roughly even between green, blue, and black tread. Jawbone, based in Richlands in Tazewell County, is Spearhead's only full-size system: 100 miles open to Jeeps and street-legal OHVs alongside ATVs and UTVs, split roughly 45 percent green, 45 percent blue, and 10 percent black. Original Pocahontas, out of the former coal town of Pocahontas and neighboring Boissevain, runs 94 miles, about half green and half blue with a small black-rated portion, plus 10 miles of single-track. Ridgeview, based in Haysi in Dickenson County, covers 78 miles and includes motocross track access. Stone Mountain, in Pennington Gap in Lee County, is Spearhead's most technical system: 34 miles with no green-rated trail at all, mostly blue with a black-rated section, and what SRRA's own materials call the best views on the network. Laurel Creek, the smallest system at 15 miles near Pocahontas, is almost entirely green tread plus a stretch of VDOT-approved public road connecting it to Original Pocahontas.
SRRA's own materials still advertise the network at "400-plus miles," though the seven systems' individually posted totals add up to well over that figure. The gap likely reflects Jawbone's more recent build-out outpacing the update to the headline number. Each system has its own trailhead address, and SRRA posts georeferenced PDF topo maps for several systems alongside onX Offroad and Avenza app support; a shared trail-rules PDF covers the whole network.
A trail permit, purchased online, is required system-wide for every rider including children: $21 for three days, $63 for an annual pass, or $33 annually for verified residents of the member counties. Permits are digital only; trail rangers confirm them by name rather than a physical card.
Points of Interest
- Coal Canyon's two ATV play areas and mountain overlooks sit above Grundy, on some of the network's higher-elevation tread.
- Stone Mountain, Spearhead's only system with no green-rated trail, is billed by SRRA as its most technical riding and its best overlook.
- Original Pocahontas connects at the West Virginia line, near Bramwell, to the Hatfield-McCoy Trails' Pocahontas system. Riders crossing the state line need a separate Hatfield-McCoy permit; Spearhead and Hatfield-McCoy remain two independently run networks.
- Ridgeview includes motocross track access alongside its 78 miles of ATV and UTV trail.
- Dixon Range, a sports-shooting facility SRRA opened in Clintwood in 2018, is part of the same Authority but isn't a riding trail.
Where to Camp
SRRA doesn't run its own campgrounds. Riders typically base out of a private campground at one of the trailheads instead: Breaks Park Southern Gap sits at the Coal Canyon trailhead in Grundy, Camp Mountventures sits at the Mountain View trailhead in St. Paul, and Trailhead ATV Resort sits near the Original Pocahontas trailhead, doubling as a base for Hatfield-McCoy, the separate network across the state line.
Tips for a Safe and Enjoyable Trip
- Match your vehicle to the system. Full-size 4x4s, Jeeps, and street-legal OHVs are boxed out of everywhere on the network except Jawbone.
- Buy your permit online before you arrive. It's digital only: $21 for three days, $63 annual, or $33 for verified residents of the member counties. No refunds.
- Helmets are required for every rider, the speed limit is 25 mph, and alcohol, off-trail riding, and, on some systems, camping and fires are prohibited.
- Riding into Hatfield-McCoy across the state line near Bramwell requires a second, separate permit for that system.
- St. Paul, Coeburn, Grundy, Haysi, and Vansant all have direct trail access into town for fuel, food, and lodging.
Fuel and Water
St. Paul, Coeburn, Grundy, Haysi, and Vansant are ATV-friendly towns with direct trail access, so riders can fuel up and eat without trailering out. Away from those connectors, fuel and water are limited to what you carry or what's available at the trailhead facility itself.
Nearby
Breaks Interstate Park, the gorge locals call the Grand Canyon of the South, sits on the Virginia-Kentucky line near Haysi, not far from the Ridgeview and Coal Canyon trailheads. Original Pocahontas rides directly into the former coal town of Pocahontas, Virginia, and across the state line to West Virginia's Hatfield-McCoy Trails near Bramwell, a separate network under separate management. Dixon Range, SRRA's sports-shooting facility in Clintwood, is a short drive from the Ridgeview trailhead in Haysi. Guest River Gorge Trail and the High Knob lookout are popular hiking and biking destinations in the Jefferson National Forest near Coeburn, managed separately by the U.S. Forest Service.
