The first day of the week gets a bit of a bad rap – whether you’re heading back to the office or the classroom, many of us weekend warriors need an extra-strong cup of coffee before returning to the everyday routine. But on Monday, October 30th, 2023, not even the chilly wind of an overcast day could dampen the spirits of those gathered at Marlinton’s Stillwell Park pavilion.
While kids of all ages zipped around practicing bike tricks, congressional staff chatted with members of the US Forest Service and local stakeholders about the start of a new era of recreation in Pocahontas County, years in the making.
"Monday Lick is the first recreational construction project the Appalachian Regional Commission has ever funded."
In 2019, the Snowshoe Highlands Ride Center (SHRC) joined the International Mountain Biking Association’s (IMBA) exclusive list of Bronze-Level Ride Centers, the first of its kind in West Virginia. The designation underscored not only the Mon’s rising status as a premier mountain biking destination but also reflected Snowshoe Highlands Area Recreation Collaborative’s (SHARC) commitment to community-driven sustainable recreation. Despite their monumental achievement, however, the collaborative wasted no time resting on their laurels- they were going for Gold by 2025.
Snowshoe Resorts’ technically challenging downhill and cross-country trail network, which extends into the Monongahela National Forest’s Tea Creek, Slatyfork, and Mower Basin systems, quickly became a fan favorite, hosting a series of Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) World Cup events in 2019, 2021, and 2022. As the eyes of the world returned to the Mon in 2023, with mountain bikers from across the globe assembling in Pocahontas County for the UCI Downhill, Cross-Country, and Short-Track World Series, the partnership was forging ahead, ready to strike it big less than five minutes from downtown Marlinton.
After years of careful planning with local riders and Forest Service staff, Marlinton was ready to bring in Appalachian Dirt and Rock Solid Construction to begin crafting 27 miles of bike-optimized, single-track trails under the name “Monday Lick.”
"You can’t imagine how many people came together on this trail"
As the Town of Marlinton’s mayor, Sam Felton, approached the podium, a hush fell over the assembly of kids and equally eager adults. After thanking the gathered partners, including Snowshoe Mountain Resort, Pocahontas County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Poca Trails, West Virginia University Extension Service, Region 4 Planning & Development Council, USDA Forest Service, Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, and the Mon Forest Towns Partnership among others, Felton announced, with a palpable degree of excitement and pride “[Monday Lick] is the first recreational construction project the Appalachian Regional Commission has ever funded… a model for projects in the future.”
The $ 1.5 million ARC Power grant, awarded in 2022, is part of a larger federal initiative to support rural communities affected by job losses from industry decline across Appalachia. In addition to ARC funding, significant contributions from Snowshoe, the USDA Forest Service, and the Benedum Foundation helped bring this project to life.
Felton continued, “Determination and perseverance make the impossible possible.” This sentiment was echoed by Snowshoe’s Vice President of Mountain Operations, Ken Gaitor, who remarked, “You can’t imagine how many people came together on this trail… It’s okay to dream on a level beyond what is in front of you.”
Before the ceremonial ribbon had even hit the ground, members of Pocahontas County’s youth mountain bike program, the Cheat Mountain Salamanders, were already pedaling toward the future. Those of us without wheels climbed into a waiting Mountain Transit bus for the short ride to the trailhead.
On the way, Marlinton’s mayor beamed with excitement when discussing Monday Lick’s potential, “Gold-Level Status won’t double or even triple the number of visitors; they are saying we could see a five to sevenfold increase in visitors to the region.” This statement wasn’t idle speculation- an economic analysis of state tourism data by WVU concluded that new Gold-Status trails in the region “would equate to an additional economic impact of about $45,000,000.”
"We could see a 5 to 7-fold increase in visitors"
While the Cheat Mountain Salamanders raced up and down the finished portions of the track, several passing riders and hikers on the adjacent 77-mile Greenbrier River Trail reminded us that Monday Lick will be more than a playground for professional mountain bikers. The stacked loop system at Monday Lick has been tailored to accommodate riders of all skill levels, serving as another node in the expanding network of trails that unite our Mon Forest Towns and connect tourists and locals alike with world-class recreational opportunities found nowhere else.
As we prepared to depart, a young man tumbled off his bike when approaching a sharp turn. Within seconds, his fellow riders had surrounded him, launching words of encouragement into the wind as he dusted himself off. Before his mother could let out a sigh, he was back in the saddle, effortlessly gliding down the trail, disappearing behind the trickle of late autumn leaves and the trunks of trees. In Marlinton, Monday has a new meaning – it’s not the end of the weekend; it’s the start of something new.
Edit (May, 2025): In Late 2024, construction was completed, and in Spring 2025, Monday Lick opened to cyclists. Read more about the Monday Lick Trail System here!
