I've been visiting Davis, West VA and the Canaan Valley since the early 90s when I first discovered mountain biking. Back then, local options in and around DC were sparse, and what Canaan offered urban riders was a singletrack promised land. Not much has changed in the old classics, but now there is a great new destination in Canaan Valley State Park not in existence back then, The Promised Land Trail.
The Promised Land is little bit of an anomaly in Canaan, an area where rocks and old school singletrack abound. This trail is a machine built trail, and unlike it's close by neighbors, e.g. the Plantation Trail, Moon Rocks, Hood Rocks, etc. there is flow...
This loop is incredibly fun and suitable for riders of all ability levels, albeit, some beginners may find it tough, but the Promised Land is a great place to make intermediate riders out of them.
These days, in addition to the old classics, there really is a Promised Land trail worth the pilgrimage...
Navigating the Promised Land is pretty easy. The trails are well marked and maps like the one above are available at key intersections.
THE PROMISED LAND
Location: Davis, WV
Length: at least 6.3 miles
Ride Time: Anywhere from 1 - 2 hours depending on your ability
Ride Type: MTB
Difficulty: Level 3 Riding: The trail was completed in 2019 as part of an initiative by the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources and the local mountain biking community. The area has been a popular destination for mountain bikers for years, but the addition of the Promised Land trail provides riders with a more accessible and sustainable option to the local inventory. The Priomised Land trail caters more to both beginner and intermediate riders.
Book: The Promised Land is not included in any of my books. The loop I present here is from a recent trip to Davis, WV where I sampled multiple other trails. As mentioned above, the Promised Land is a relatively new addition to the Canaan Valley trail inventory that caters to beginner and intermediate mountain bikers.
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