Alden Roth spent nearly two years studying maps before he ever turned a pedal on the route. What eventually emerged was the WV Low to High, a 350 mile bikepacking route that connects Harpers Ferry, West Virginia’s lowest point, to Spruce Knob, the highest peak in the state, without ever crossing a state line.
Roth recently completed the route himself over five days, climbing nearly 40,000 feet along the way. But the ride is more than just a test of endurance. It is also a reflection of the kind of riding culture quietly growing across Appalachia. The route avoids the obvious roads and direct shortcuts in favor of rugged mountain terrain, remote valleys, forest roads, and lesser known corners of West Virginia that most travelers never see.
The idea traces back to something Roth heard as a kid growing up in Charles Town. His father once pointed out that Harpers Ferry sits at the state’s lowest elevation. Years later, after returning to West Virginia through the Ascend WV program, Roth entered a gravel race that finished atop Spruce Knob. That was the moment the connection clicked. If those two places represented the vertical extremes of the state, could they be connected entirely by bike and entirely within West Virginia?
Finding that answer took patience. Roth says most routing software immediately tries to push riders into Maryland or Virginia because crossing the mountains in the Eastern Panhandle is complicated. Building a fully in state route meant piecing together forgotten gravel roads, rugged trail systems, and long stretches of mountain terrain that simply do not show up in traditional cycling guides.
The final route winds through places like Smoke Hole Canyon, Seneca Rocks, and the North Fork Mountain Trail. It favors adventure over efficiency and scenery over speed. Roth plans to publicly release the route after refining a few remaining sections, and he has also started exploring the idea of a grand depart style event where riders could tackle the route unsupported at their own pace.
That spirit of exploration carries into Roth’s other work across the state’s cycling community. He is involved with Mountaineer Gravel, a growing network of curated gravel cycling routes designed to showcase West Virginia’s backroads and small towns. Roth contributed route development, photography, and written route reports for the organization’s Barbour County expansion and led media production for the Mountaineer Monster bikepacking event. New route networks are currently being developed in Marion County, with additional projects planned in Harrison, Doddridge, and Jefferson counties.
Outside of cycling, Roth is also a filmmaker and the co-owner and executive director of Filmed by Bike, an internationally recognized bicycle film festival originally founded in Portland, Oregon. His work in adventure cycling has stretched far beyond Appalachia as well. In 2025, Roth completed the Silk Road Mountain Race, a 1,200 mile unsupported race across Kyrgyzstan, after falling short near the finish during his first attempt the previous year.
This episode of Access Appalachia explores the ride itself, the growing bikepacking culture in Appalachia, and why riders from around the world are beginning to discover what West Virginia offers for long distance adventure cycling.
Access Point: Mon Forest Towns Partnership
This episode’s Access Point is the Mon Forest Towns Partnership, a regional tourism initiative connecting twelve mountain communities surrounding the Monongahela National Forest. Stretching from Davis to Durbin to White Sulphur Springs, the partnership promotes nearly a million acres of public land, outdoor recreation, lodging, restaurants, and trail systems across the region.
The organization’s mission is simple. Instead of encouraging visitors to stop in just one town, Mon Forest Towns helps travelers experience the region as a connected destination. The result is longer stays, stronger local economies, and a better understanding of how interconnected these mountain communities really are.
Learn more about: Filmed by Bike / Mountaineer Gravel / Mon Forest Towns Partnership / Bikepacking Routes
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