Country Roads Trail Blog

Wheelin for the Wilts

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:02:25 GMT

On Saturday Apr.11, a few members made the trip out of the Preston County area, and down to the Upshur County area to participate in a benefit ride for a local family there who lost their home to a fire.

It was an adventure for sure, as we deviated from the marked route to follow a local on a route he came up with spontaneously just for us! We got to make new friends, see new sights and ride some great trails!

It was for sure a wonderful Time to Explore the Mountains!

March 2026

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 13:40:03 GMT

CRT has had a big, busy month! We "Marched" right into the riding season with lots of meetings, planning, and of course events and the best part- Riding!

A few board members helped run registration and raffles at the Kaden Younker benefit ride from Screech Owl Brewing. $10, ooo was raised to help his family with extensive medical expenses. After our work was done for the morning, we went out and enjoyed the great route with over 300 other machines.

The next weekend, a few of our board members got together to explore. We had a nice time experiencing some new-to-us trails and sights, getting a little trail work done, and building up our bonds of friendship on a great day in the mountains.

To round out the month, we then hosted our CRT Spring Ride and celebrated the beginning of our official riding season with 150 machines worth of visitors and our members old and new- breaking a record for new membership sign-ups, and so much fun it lasted all day long! The snow we woke up to that morning didn't keep us from having a great time!

What a way to get started! We are looking forward to all the good times yet to come for 2026! See you all soon on the trails!

2026 Kick-Off Dinner

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 16:09:38 GMT

If you missed last nite's CRT 2026 Kick-off dinner, here's what you missed:

Easy membership renewals, volunteer sign-ups and tons of stickers at the registration table!

Getting to hang out with all your Preston County riding buddies you haven't seen for months!

A chance to grab some great swag, or a new helmet.

A great trip down memory lane watching our video montage from last year.

Super fun and very well-deserved awards presentations.

Tons of great info brought to you by both our dedicated board members and some great guest speakers.

A really, really nice pre-dinner prayer.

Really good food, some kidding around and going home feeling inspired and excited about the year ahead.

If you didn't miss it- you were at the right place, and we were super glad to see ya/yinz/ya'll/youse....

And either way- we are all looking forward to another great year out there on the trails in the Wild and Wonderful!

(hop on over to the FB page for more photos!)

Permanent Closure of Bull Run Bridge

Rob Riley — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:24:41 GMT

Permanent Closure of Bull Run Bridge in Preston County to Vehicular Traffic Effective Immediately 3/18/2025

The Bull Run Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic immediately. The bridge is located on County Route 14/4, Kingwood-Kingston Road, 2.10 miles East of County Route 21, Bull Run Road.

The closure is necessary to prevent serious damage to the bridge by vehicular traffic.

Contact: WVDOTCommunications@wv.gov

https://transportation.wv.gov/communications/PressRelease/Pages/Permanent_Closure_of_Bull_Run_Bridge_in_Preston_County_to_Vehicular_Traffic_Effective_Immediately.aspx

2024 Ride to Remember

Sun, 14 Apr 2024 11:05:25 GMT

Our Ride to Remember absolutely lived up to its name yesterday!

With nearly 300 riders we were able to help rake in big funds to help out the Alzheimer's Association and make this one really count!

Aside from pretty strong winds in the high and open spots- we were blessed with sunny skies, plenty of mud and almost no dust at all for 60 miles of the great variety of riding our special Preston county has to offer.

We hope everyone had as much fun as we did, and that you come back and ride with us again soon!

Thanks again from all of us at CRT!

Trail Work Day

Sun, 07 Apr 2024 23:41:37 GMT

Sometimes you need a little help from your friends. One of the best parts of off-roading is all the friends you make along your way. Lucky for us, CRT is naturally chock full of good friends! And even though we often get together to play hard- today was a day we got together to work hard.

The CRT crew knows that trails don't just happen all on their own- It takes an eager vision, a solid plan, many hands, and a fun-loving attitude. The investment of time and energy today will become an investment in our riding community's future. We worked to make a special corner of Preston County forest just a little bit more special, and the trail is looking promising.

This member is eternally grateful for all the great help, and getting to spend the day outside sharing in making efforts towards the ride ahead.

On A Mission!

Christina Riley — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 17:13:22 GMT

What do 6 Country Roads Trail buggies, the highest point in Preston County, some members of the Tri-County Alzheimer’s Association, and about 60 miles have in common? They were all part of a (very chilly) early spring pre-ride with a mission.

The Mission? Determine & finalize the route for the upcoming second annual “Ride to Remember” scheduled for April 13, 2024. The sun was shining, the sky was a perfect shade of blue, so who cares if it was only 29 degrees out? Let’s ride!

So, after a few hours, a couple turn-arounds and some map adjustments, mission accomplished. The established route for the upcoming “Ride to Remember” --through wild & wonderful Preston County-- is 59.8 miles and comprises a little bit of blacktop, a little bit of gravel, tar & chip, some dirt, some mud, some rocks, and a plethora of amazing scenery. We’ll see everyone at the Tri-County Alzheimer’s Association “Ride to Remember” on April 13, 2024, at Pretzel Arena in Bruceton Mills (3783 Moyers Rd, Bruceton Mills, WV 26525). Breakfast will be available for purchase to help get you fueled up, and remember – registration begins at 8:00am & ends at 11:00am.

2024 Kick-Off Dinner

Sun, 18 Feb 2024 11:44:18 GMT

"What does being a part of CRT mean to you?"

Aside from the obvious- getting to ride the incredible roads and trails in the Preston county backcountry- I think we would unanimously agree that the community, the fellowship, and the friendship mean everything.

Last night our board and members celebrated the coming beginning of a new riding season and shared plans and visions for our riding community around the dinner table. What a great group with great ideas, and great commitment to developing the Preston county off-road scene to its absolute full potential!

Warm pasta and homemade desserts on a cold, snowy evening with your riding buddies is just right on a Saturday evening.

The awesome event has definitely set the tone for some awesome things and times ahead! Come out and ride with us, it's gonna be a great year!

Community Service, Nov 4, 2023

Sun, 05 Nov 2023 14:11:31 GMT

Several members of CRT got out early on Saturday to donate our time and our machines to help in the local search efforts for Melanie Gardner. All of us in CRT extend our deepest thoughts and prayers and condolences to her family, friends and everyone affected.

2023 CRT Fall Ride, 21 Oct 2023

Sun, 22 Oct 2023 13:01:21 GMT

If you are an off-roader and needed a way to "fall" in love with Preston County WV autumn- the CRT 2023 Fall Ride was definitely the place to be!

It was raining early, sure, but we had a delicious warm buffet breakfast waiting for us in the Rowlesburg VFD building. We all had a nice time visiting and fueling up to take on the chilly day.

The first climb on the ride really left the rider feeling like they were riding up and away from the civilized world and into the wild magic of the mountains.

The foliage was absolutely spectacular on every inch of the route, and I sometimes had to tear my eyes away and get them back on the trail.

Wild, Wonderful, and Wet- the Cheat was showing off, the waterfalls were running full, and listening to the water run on the wash climb really enhanced the experience.

Clouds and heavy fog on some of the ridge tops had us slowing down, but honestly, added to the magic of feeling like we could actually touch the sky from up there.

The trail conditions were as close to perfect as we could have hoped for with no dust to be found, and just enough mud to make you smile and help you remember why you are into this hobby!

I know we made some new friends along the way, and I sincerely hope every other rider in the 36 buggies sharing the trails did too.

Big thanks to everyone that came out, helped out, and had fun!

We're all looking forward to sharing the trails again!

2023 Fall Ride "Route-Scout"

Mon, 02 Oct 2023 20:10:53 GMT

The CRT Fall Ride "route-scout" was a fantastic afternoon adventure!

We had a great group of 6 buggies, complete with sweet and entertaining little furry passengers. All of our stops along the way were enhanced and filled with pleasant company and true appreciation for our nearly perfect weather and backdrop against Preston County's top notch scenery.

Just getting to Rowlesburg with our buggy patiently waiting on the trailer was enough to get excited about a good ride with so much picturesque WV to take in on the way, following our crown jewel, the Cheat River.

Everyone was a little disappointed that we found a dead end when exploring a narrow track right along the river. I did eagerly suggest that we install a launch ramp to clear the washout but of course the group made the much more respectable turn around instead.

The rocky climb away from the river was beautiful and rough enough to keep you interested with a rewarding crest at the top.

The logging road section had me personally smiling the whole way with its super fun exposed dirt and small drops.

I lost count of how many little graveyards we passed- i thought a lot about how much history this route can provide if one wanted to stop at all of them.

We rode on October 1st, and the foliage is already pretty marvelous- I imagine that will be a real highlight for riders on the 21st if Mother Nature is kind to us until then.

I don't think I could possibly properly express in words what the views were like on this route, and I don't even think the photos we took do justice to what our eyes took in. I can only say- do this ride and see it for yourself- you won't be disappointed! My passenger and I inhaled deeply with awe at the elevation and sheer drop off several times during the ride- and we absolutely loved that aspect! This route offered well-balanced tastes of excitement and wild and breathtaking scenery and interest. This is the kind of ride that leaves you feeling like you went somewhere, even when your riding buddy tells you that we're "Smack dab in the middle of not sure" when you ask "Where are we?" on a stop to enjoy some hidden rock formations along the way.

I'm personally very much looking forward to seeing a lot of smiling faces on the 21st when they roll back to town.

Country Roads, take us home.

Members and invited guests only ride.

Clint Skidmore — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 07:15:43 GMT

CRT members and invited guests ride was a great ride. We left Bruceton Mills and headed south towards Rowlesburg with 7 buggies. The weather was light rain at times it helped keep the dust down. Our first stop was at the high bridge my favorite place to ride. We left the high bridge headed to our next stop which was tunnelton for gas. Along the way we took some our favorite trails. In Reedsville we rode through Indian rock we hit some nice big mud spots due to the heavy rain they had earlier in the day and week. We continued south towards Tunnelton once we got to tunnelton we stopped for gas at amazing little store. That store has absolutely everything you could possibly think of. We left the Store after fueling up our buggies. Next stop was Rowlesburg park for lunch. The Rowlesburg park is a beautiful place to stop for lunch with pavilions and restrooms there. We left Rowlesburg heading into the mountains riding around Rowlesburg heading north towards Albright. Riding the trails through Albright we took copperhead Road one of our favorite trails.We continued heading north towards Bruceton Mills taking muddy creek road and up the mountain to preachers cabin. We followed the trails back to Bruceton Mills to our trailers. All 7 buggies made it safely back with no trouble. A total of 86.6 miles. During the ride we saw the Beautiful scenery and wildlife that Preston County has to offer. It truly was a great ride with the group. The Weather held off for us. Once everyone loaded the trailers and headed home the downpour of rain started.

Trail Maintaince Update

Rob Riley — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 15:34:39 GMT

CRT's Trail Maintenance work day was a huge success. We were able to repair the bridge that crosses Buffalo Run and bring a long forgotten trail back into the Preston County WV OHV system. Thank you to all the CRT members that helped make the day possible!

Before:

After:

October 21, 2023 date planned for CRT Fall Ride

Rob Riley — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 13:24:21 GMT

At our August Meeting the date was proposed and voted on for CRT's Fall 2023 Ride. Location details are still being discussed but our hope is to secure a starting location in Southern Preston County. Mark October 21, 2023 on your calendars!

August 19, 2023 “Ride to Remember”

Christina Riley — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 22:22:59 GMT

The Country Roads Trail group is working with the Tri-County Alzheimer’s Association chapter to support its first ever “Ride to Remember”, departing from Pretzel Arena on Saturday, August 19, 2023. Registration is $20 per person, and begins at 0900, with last buggy out at 1100. It’s going to be a great ride for an even better cause! Please join us!