Driving Directions From Harrisonburg:
US-33 W/W Market StContinue to follow US-33 W Entering West Virginia About 38 mins | go 28.8 mi total 28.9 mi |
 | 5. | Turn right to stay on US-33 W About 15 mins | go 11.7 mi total 40.6 mi |
 | 6. | Turn right at US-220 N/N Main StContinue to follow US-220 N About 15 mins | go 12.3 mi total 52.9 mi |
 | 7. | Turn left at Co Route 2/Smoke Hole Rd About 14 mins | go 5.4 mi total 58.3 mi |
 | 8. | Slight left toward Pub Rd 79 About 1 min | go 0.5 mi total 58.8 mi |
 | 9. | Turn right at Pub Rd 79 About 5 mins | go 2.0 mi total 60.8 mi |
 | 10. | Continue onto Pub Rd 74 About 6 mins | go 2.6 mi total 63.4 mi |
| 11. | Turn leftDestination will be on the right | go 95 ft total 63.4 mi |
 | Redman Run Trail Parking |  | |
If you view the larger map and click on the destination point then you can put in your address and get directions from your own home!
The North Fork Mountain is remote and as such does not benefit from some of the simple accessible maps that you can find for the National Forests in Virginia. Since there is no National Geographic Map of the area riders must look elsewhere to find trail information. Fortunately the steep and high elevation nature of the mountain does not lend itself to harboring a vast network of trails. Instead, there is the main North Fork Mountain Trail that runs along the ridge line (where all the magic happens) and then several other trails that connect up to the ridge from the East side. The West side of the mountain is too steep and rocky to have any sustainable trails but it does have many of the iconic views.
The route that we will be riding starts at the Redman Run Trail parking lot along the Smoke Hole Road East of the North Fork Mountain. The Google Map below has the Redman Run parking area identified as the start of the ride. Morning of the ride we will have a banner of some sort (as well as lots of bikes) so that you do not drive past this easy to miss parking area. From Redman Run we will climb doubletrack then singletrack up to the Ridge trail. Once on the ridge we will head north and follow the trail to the northern terminus, drop down to the paved Smokehole Road, hang a right and then head back to the parked cars.
The best detailed maps of the area have been created by the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy. The ten map series that they have created encompasses the entire mountain. The map of the Redman Run area at the beginning of this post is curtousy of the WV Highlands Conservancy. You can find their maps Here:
North Fork Mountain Maps by the WV Highlands Conservancy.
