Trail Snapshot
Trail(s): More than 20 miles of intermediate and advanced riding is available for mountain bikers. Surface is leaf-strewn dirt with rocks, roots, limbs, fallen trees, and various ground cover. Trailheads are well marked, as are major intersections. Blue blazes throughout help with navigation.
Difficulty: Riding loops of any appreciable distance involves a climb from the lower lake elevations to the ridges above. There is no double track; all the trails are narrow mostly technical single track. There are also several stream crossings with high banks. It all adds up to quite a bit of dabbing for all but the most skilled riders.
Outdoor Travels Rating: 3.5 out of 5 bikes
Thumbs Up:
Very beautiful, idyllic setting.
The 3.5 mile lake loop is some of the best mountain biking you'll find: smooth, rolling, and very picturesque.
- Schizophrenic in a good way: Trails range from flat lakeside pathways, to rocky ridges, to thick Rhododendron forests, and lots of pine and hardwood in between. The scenery is ever-changing and never boring!
- Nice amenities if you also want to swim, camp, boat, or fish.
Thumbs Down:
Very challenging and frustrating for an intermediate rider like myself.
- Rocks, rocks, and more rocks.
- Lots of Brush and ground cover wreak havoc on lower legs.
- Many loose sticks and twigs to clog up spokes, cranks, brakes and derailers.
(NOTE: More skilled riders might be able to navigate the rocky sections and streams that defeated this rider. In that case, the thumbs down might turn into a thumbs up for you.)
Nuts & Bolts
Location: Neola, WV
Trails: All hiking trails are open to biking as well. Numerous loop trail opportunities exist in the Lake Sherwood area. All trails start at the trailhead in the picnic area. The shortest, most popular trail is a 3.5 mile scenic loop around Lake Sherwood. Elevation changes are moderate once you leave the lake area. The lake is at 2,600 feet while the highest trail point is 3,500 feet, so expect some climbs.
Directions: From I-64, take the White Sulphur Springs exit, right (East) on Rt. 60, through town, left (North) on State Route 92 for 15 miles to Neola, West Virginia. Turn right (East) at the sign on State Route 14 and travel 11 miles to the recreation area. The picnic area is before you come to the guard house along the lake parking lot.
Activities: Biking, Hiking, Fishing, Boating, Swimming, Picnicking, and Birding.
Admission: There is a $3 per vehicle fee to enter the recreation area. The season is April through October. Single camping sites are $12-$14 per night. The double site is $28 per night and the group camping area is $50 per night.
Contact: White Sulphur Ranger District
410 East Main Street
White Sulphur Springs WV (304)5362144
Maps and Stuff:
Trail and Park Map
Trail photos
Lots of great photos to give you a good idea of what riding here is like!
Mountain Biking
Lake Sherwood Recreational Area
Neola, West Virginia
Scenic lakeside trail combine with some serious singletrack ridge riding.
3/30/03 - by Jeff Cobb, Outdoor Travels
The Lake Sherwood Recreation Area is a complete family recreation area offering a wide variety of activities. It's located in a valley alongside the Virginia border and only a short distance from it's larger cousin, Lake Moomaw. Lake Sherwood is the largest lake in the Monongahela National Forest at 165-acres. The recreation area includes a large campground, swimming beaches, a picnic area, pavilions, and trails.
Lake Sherwood contains a variety of fish, including bass, bluegills, bullheads, catfish, and tiger muskies. Meadow Creek, below Lake Sherwood, is intermittently stocked with trout. A state fishing license and a National Forest stamp are required. Please contact the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources for more information on fishing licensing requirements. The lake also is home to one of the most beautiful swimming areas in West Virginia. There are two sand beaches, one on the "mainland" and one on an island, which are connected by a scenic footbridge. The swimming area contains a bathhouse complete with showers and flush toilets. Water fountains are dispersed throughout the swimming area. Lifeguards are not provided.
There is a large picnic area at the lake, containing 30 individual picnic sites and a picnic shelter. Each site contains a grill, picnic table, and trashcans. Volleyball nets and horseshoe pits are also present. Lake Sherwood has three singleunit camping areas and one group camping area. There are a total of 94 family units. Each unit has a capacity of eight people and there is one double site with a capacity of 16 people. Two vehicles are allowed per site. Each campsite has a parking spur, tent pad, picnic table, fireplace and lantern post. All camping areas are served by restrooms with running water, flush toilets, hot showers and electricity (available during the summer season only). In the winter vault toilets and a hand pump well are available.
Trail Reviews
Lake Sherwood Trail, Virginia Trail, Allegheny Mountain Trail, Connector Trail, Meadow Creek Trail.
I decided to check out the Lake Sherwood Recreation Area, a mere 45 minutes from my front door. My family and I frequently visit the lake during the summer because of the great sandy beaches and picnicking opportunities available there. However, I had never had an opportunity to get my bike on the trails that crisscross the area. I got an early start and left the house by 10 a.m., grabbing my camera and pile of stuff as I ran out the door.
After arriving at the park, I stood next to the car and inventoried my equipment: Helmet? Check; Gloves? Check; Hydropack?....Hyrdropack?? Holy Crap! My wife had bought me a new hydration system for my birthday to replace the usual water bottles I have used in the past, but I went off and left the bladder in the refrigerator and the pack laying on the counter! Just great. By a stroke of luck, there was a small roadside grocery store at the entrance to the park, so I rode back and purchased several bottles of water. Thankfully, I had been lazy and had not yet removed the cage on the underside of the bike as I had intended. Procrastination saved my hind end in this instance!
I started out in the picnic area right before you get to the lake, going to the furthest corner of the parking lot to the right to access the trailhead. Make a left at the trailhead and you are on Lake Sherwood trail (601) one of the best sections of trail you'll find anywhere. It's a smooth, undulating 3.5 mile trail that hugs the lake shore and is free of obstacles for the most part. Unfortunately, I was only on this trail for about a half mile. After crossing a dam (the only double track I rode this day), a bridge took me over the spillway to the first major intersection and my next trail.
There are only two level trails at Lake Sherwood: Lake Sherwood, which opened my ride, and a trail along Meadow Creek which I hit on my return loop. Aside from these two trails, you will have to venture into the mountains to make a decent loop. I will not kid you: This early in the year, I wasn't in the best shape and the prospect of climbing did not thrill me. The Virginia Trail (685) is about 1 mile long all uphill. It climbs from 2,600 feet to 3,200 feet. This section of trail was a glimpse of what was to come.
Other than the Lake Sherwood trail, all the trails in my loop were full of rocks, roots, and were generally cantankerous. It wasn't long before I was removing branches, limbs, and twigs from my spokes, brakes, crank, and derailers. About halfway up the Virginia Trail, I had to dismount and push the bike for a few minutes when it became especially steep and obstacles blocked my path.
At the top of the Virginia Trail, I made a left onto the Allegheny Mountain Trail (611). This was a nice trail along the top of the mountain. In the valley to the right you can glimpse Lake Moomaw which is just over the border in Virginia. A short while later, I made a left on an unmarked fork which went uphill. So far, I had encountered pretty good riding. Sunny weather, warm temps, a little breeze, some strenuous uphill, a few clogged components, but nice riding for the most part. Things were going well...too well. *insert ominous music here*
It was then that the trail demons decided to punish me. At about the 4-mile mark, the trail became narrower and noticeably rockier. As time went on, the trail became too difficult to ride. The path literally followed the point of the ridge, with rows and rows of rocks jutting up from the ground making it hard to even walk, let alone ride. I ended up dabbing almost this entire section of trail. In the short bursts that I was actually able to ride, branches and briars jumped up to bite me as I made my way along the narrow path. Be prepared to come away with little mementos of your ride on your shins, calves, and quads if you don't wear high socks or shin guards. As frustration began to take hold, the clouds started rolling in. Now even the sun was turning against me!
I finally cleared the rocky portion of trail and made a left on the Connector Trail (604). I was only on this trail for a short period. At about the 5.5 mile mark, I crossed a high country meadow and picked the trail up on the other side in the right hand corner. After a short downhill, I picked up the Meadow Creek Trail (684) on the left. Be careful not to take a premature turn on a pathway to your left. I'm not sure what this trail is, but it is not the trail you want. The intersection with the Meadow Creek Trail is well marked at the bottom of a short descent.
The first part of the Meadow Creek Trail is fun; not too narrow, fairly smooth, undulating, hugging the creek, and slightly downhill. Soon, though, the Rhododendron began closing in tighter and tighter. It felt like I was in a tunnel. Various limbs jutted out, ready to skewer me if I ventured from the middle of the path. To make matters worse, it was becoming noticeably colder...and the rain began falling. The rocks and roots I soon encountered became dangerous obstacles, ready to throw my tire off to the left or right and send me for a nasty header onto the rocks or nearby stream. This was something I wanted to avoid, so I ended up approaching the last two-thirds of the trail very tentatively. I also soon encountered the first creek crossing. I'm sure in the summertime the creek is nearly dry. But early Spring found it running quite robust and deep.
At first I tried to rock hop. This is hard enough on dry rocks; wet rocks, high water, and a bike on my shoulder made it damn near impossible. I ended up slogging through the water, soaking my shoes and socks. Great! Again, a hot day this might be considered refreshing. But I was cold, wet, tired, getting hungry, and beat half to death. I was looking forward to the ride being over at this point; not the kind of attitude I had wanted or anticipated. Also, high, steep banks make it nearly impossible to ride through the creek. This would turn out to be the first of six creek crossings.
Eventually, I made it back to the Lake Sherwood Trail. Here you can go left or right; both routes will eventually lead you back to your car. Taking a left will lead you back to where you accessed the Virginia Trail, then you can double back to your car. Making a right will take you through the Meadow Creek campground to the paved road back to your car.
In hindsight, a 10-plus mile loop on my second ride of the year was probably a bit ambitious. It wiped me out pretty good and my legs were heavy for the rest of the night. A good hot shower helped a lot. By the next morning, I had no lasting effects. But please don't ask me about the foot of snow that fell overnight. I guess that's Spring in the mountains of West Virginia!
