566 miles of trails. Not enough hands to maintain them. The Mon Forest Towns Partnership is asking the public to help change that.
Twelve small towns surrounding the Monongahela National Forest have launched the ‘North Zone Trail Crew Campaign,’ a fundraising effort targeting a maintenance backlog across 566 miles of trails in the northern zone of the Mon Forest. That stretch includes some of WV’s most iconic backcountry destinations — Dolly Sods, Otter Creek Wilderness, and the Seneca Rocks area — where seasonal blowdowns, erosion, and deferred maintenance have created hazards for hikers, bikers, and outdoor enthusiasts. The campaign seeks community and donor support to fund a dedicated trail crew capable of working through the backlog on a systematic basis.
The effort reflects both the success of the outdoor economy push in North Central WV and its central challenge: as visitation increases and trail systems grow, the cost of maintaining them grows too — but public agency budgets have not kept pace. Mon Forest Towns Partnership’s campaign frames trail maintenance not as a charity but as infrastructure investment, making the case that well-maintained trails are the foundation of the region’s growing tourism economy. For anyone who uses these trails, the campaign is a direct opportunity to invest in keeping them accessible.
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