Honoring History: Trail Building in West Virginia
Intensive planning, design focused on ecosystem health and sustainability and collaborative building and construction are the name of the game in West Virginia. In collaboration with West Virginia University’s Brad and Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative, IMBA has guided communities in the state with a focus on honoring the land and the history of great trails.
Funding Trails
Before building the NICA course in 2019, Cacapon had roughly 10 miles of existing singletrack to ride. The trails were Civilian Conservation Corps-built and, as such, decidedly technical in flavor. So when IMBA announced Cacapon as one of the Trail Accelerator Grant awardees in early 2020, designing a master plan with trail diversity was a key priority.
Trail Building: Then and Now
For Cacapon, Thunderstruck is more than a return to old-school singletrack: it’s an ode to the park’s history. In 1934, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established Camp Morgan at the present-day site of the park’s main picnic area and they constructed 27 miles of trails and roads in the park. IMBA and West Virginia Trail Champions were stoked to stay true to the historic trails experience.
Maximizing Funding Momentum Across Agencies
"It's a combination of the passion of the local volunteers, the support of the local government and local citizens, the park, and this partnership with IMBA all rolled together that ultimately has led to this." - Mark Hoyle, Cacapon Foundation
Trail champion Mark Hoyle of the Cacapon Foundation shares the "how and why" behind the newest trails in the eastern West Virginia panhandle, and how the IMBA Trail Accelerator Grant aided in bringing them to life.
Thunderstruck: Gnar-tastic Directional Downhill
There are few people in this world who know more about the trail planning and design process than Joey Klein and Chris Orr (or COrr). Collectively, these two have over 50 years of experience in the field and have helped hundreds of communities turn their trail dreams into realities. These two anchors in the mountain biking community have reimagined roles at IMBA as Community Engagement Specialists, and were foundational in the design and construction of Thunderstruck.
The Making of Thunderstruck
Thunderstruck is 1.7 miles of directional descending “gnar-tastic” rocky, technical trail. This description, penned by IMBA Trail Solutions’ Chris Orr, has been amplified by anyone that’s had the opportunity to flowcheck it. This black diamond trail, situated in Cacapon Resort State Park in West Virginia, is the park’s newest “signature trail” and was seen to completion thanks to the hard work of the Appalachian Conservation Corps, Cacapon Foundation volunteers, Cacapon Resort State Park’s Eric Fitzpatrick, and IMBA Trail Solutions.
IMBA + Appalachian Conservation Corps
A signature trail in Cacapon Resort State Park near Berkeley Springs, Thunderstruck was constructed through a collaborative effort between IMBA Trail Solutions and the Appalachian Conservation Corps. In this video on the trails and collaborations at Cacapon, you’ll hear the nuts and bolts from the Appalachian Conservation Corps on what hand-building in extreme, rocky terrain is like and the "why" behind IMBA’s educational approach with this unique build.
