The Breaks Interstate Park, known as the Grand Canyon of the South, is located east of Elkhorn City, KY and splits the Virginia/Kentucky border. The Russell Fork River, which created the gorge, is a destination for kayakers the world over. With incredible views of Pine Mountain and into VA, KY, WV, TN, and OH this little slice of Appalachian Pie is worth the trip for anyone looking to get outside.
Quick Info:
Go to BreaksPark.com for all official info, maps, lodge, and restaurant details.
Day use fees are $2 per car at the gate of the park.
The park operates a 76 room lodge and also maintains several cabins cottages, some with views of the small lake on site.
Breaks Park also rents mountain bikes, get the info here.
The mountain bike trails are all condensed into one area of the park. The popular scenic overlooks are located just off the main road into the park. Although closed to bikes, the overlooks are well worth taking a look at while here.
A new addition to mountain biking in the area is the Russell Fork Trail, operated by Virginia’s Spearhead Trails System. You can get all of that info here.
Breaks Interstate Park is off the beaten path. Elkhorn City is the closest town with a few restaurants and gas stations. Pikeville is the closest city on the Kentucky side, Grundy is the closest thing to a larger town on the Virginia side.
McCoy Motorsports, tobefast.com, in Pikeville is the closest bike shop. They are a Cannondale and GT dealer and should have some of the basics.
The northern terminus of the Pine Mountain Trail is located in Elkhorn City and provides views of the Breaks from the other side of the gorge. I have mountain biked the northern section of the PMT and I’m here to tell you, it’s brutal.
Park gallery
Mountain Bike gallery
BLOG
The area had received days and days of rain prior to this trip which caused some concern for trail conditions. However, with the natural terrain and the age of the trails, the rain did not seem to affect the conditions at all. There were a few spots where the streams were still swollen but none of them were any trouble to cross.
These trails offer incredible flow. There are areas that feel like you don't pedal for miles. The Rattlesnake Trail was extremely fun even without a notable, steep downhill. This trail just flowed up and down, in and out and just kept giving. There were spots that were overgrown pretty bad but once you punch through you're back in the clear.
There are a very small handful of man made obstacles. Don't expect large wood bridges or massive berms here. This is natural, old school trail done very well. Rock gardens were strew throughout and none of them seemed overly technical and all were fun to bounce through.
Overall, Breaks Interstate Park is definitely worth a day trip. Throw in some hiking and you can explore this area for days at a time, just don't expect miles upon miles of MTB riding.