Tell me about Harlan

SB406 · Sep 22, 2015

I've wanted to hit Harlan for a bunch of years now. I decided that this spring I'm gonna plan a trip there instead of my anual trip to watch KOH. My son has a week off school in March, so that's the timeframe I'm looking at. Can any of you guys give me some info on the following?

1. What's the weather like down there at the end of March? I'm from near Buffalo, NY, so it'll still be cold as **** here.
2. Is there enough there to wheel for a week (5 days)?
3. What else is close/ worth wheeling? Hatfield McCoy any good? It's on the way back.
4. Cabin? Tent? I guess it partially depends on weather.
5. How easy is it to navigate the area? Yes, I can read a map, but I don't want to miss any good trails.

Thanks fellas!

jeeptj99 · Sep 22, 2015

I've only been once and didnt really get to ride that much but I will say the big cabin is flashemifyougotem

If you got a family or a couple families it would be perfect. Full kitchen 2 or 3 bathrooms hot tub all that stuff. It is on the Putney side. There was a thread on here a while back with all kinds of info. I'll see if i can find it.

poolman · Sep 22, 2015

It's my favorite place to wheel,, I always stay on the Putney side and rent a cabin. Very clean and nice people. Weather well its Kentucky, it could be 60 degrees or it could snow a foot, there a chance the top of the mountain could snow and not at the bottom. In my opinion there's enough riding for 5 days, I'm sure someone will post how big it is and I heard there opening another couple thousand acres soon. All the trails are marked also.

blacksheep10 · Sep 22, 2015

Are there shady ass locals there that you have to be careful of, even if its just leaving your buggy on an open trailer? I remember stories from some time ago of this (I think I'm thinking of the right place, we talked about it when "Justified" came out)

SB406 · Sep 22, 2015

Thanks guys! That helps a bunch

poolman · Sep 22, 2015

blacksheep10 said:
Are there shady ass locals there that you have to be careful of, even if its just leaving your buggy on an open trailer? I remember stories from some time ago of this (I think I'm thinking of the right place, we talked about it when "Justified" came out)

Again another reason I stay on the Putney side, there cameras everywhere on your trailer, cabin. And anyone that drives in has to go by the office. I've never had anything stolen and I've been there a bunch. And I see tool boxes on trailers with spare stickies all the time

zjtrey · Sep 22, 2015

blacksheep10 said:
Are there shady ass locals there that you have to be careful of, even if its just leaving your buggy on an open trailer? I remember stories from some time ago of this (I think I'm thinking of the right place, we talked about it when "Justified" came out)

we were up there in June and the local law dawg told us to lock our **** up cause some stuff had been stolen recently on the Evarts side, something about a local mine being shut down and crime had risen since then.. We decided we would stay over in Putney from now on since its more isolated from people walking around "town"... the same law dawg pulled over a buggy IN THE CAMPGROUND and gave him a breathylzer... so camp in Putney..

pholmann · Sep 22, 2015

I'm originally from Harlan and I will tell you this. Stay where the people are. Don't venture off down narrow ass roads that follow a creek up a holler away from the park. The people in Harlan are pretty open to the wheelers because it brings commerce into their community, but I will say that there are still a lot of the old way of thinking type folks that don't like strangers. The place is full of pillbilly motherfuckers that if you give them a chance they will steal from you. That's not so much in the park or close to the park. I've heard that its gotten bad around the commissary. I would treat it like anywhere, a lock only keeps an honest man honest. Don't give someone the opportunity to steal from you and they wont.

jeeptj99 · Sep 22, 2015

pholmann said:
I'm originally from Harlan and I will tell you this. Stay where the people are. Don't venture off down narrow ass roads that follow a creek up a holler away from the park. The people in Harlan are pretty open to the wheelers because it brings commerce into their community, but I will say that there are still a lot of the old way of thinking type folks that don't like strangers. The place is full of pillbilly motherfuckers that if you give them a chance they will steal from you. That's not so much in the park or close to the park. I've heard that its gotten bad around the commissary. I would treat it like anywhere, a lock only keeps an honest man honest. Don't give someone the opportunity to steal from you and they wont.

OR

lock your **** up and hope the guy parked next to you didn't ha. No **** though i can't stand a thief. When we went the only time we really saw the stereotypical Kentucky cousin ****er was when we made a run to the grocery store. Oh something else that is good info to have is Harlan is a dry county. so if you drink you better bring it or be prepared to drive.

pholmann · Sep 22, 2015

Its only about a 10 minute drive from Putney to Cumberland to get alkyhol.

rpf500 · Sep 22, 2015

And don't buy shine from the local who sold to us. **** was strong as hell yet pretty smooth. But when I grabbed it out of the freezer the next day for a sip, it was a chunk of ice!!! :gay:

jeeptj99 · Sep 22, 2015

pholmann said:
Its only about a 10 minute drive from Putney to Cumberland to get alkyhol.

We didnt know that. We turned right out of the campground on that road went 14 miles to a hole in the wall gas station and they only had Bud, Bud Light, Key Stone, and Natty. But it got me drunk so that's all that matters.

pholmann · Sep 22, 2015

Well the way I drive that is 10 minutes. At that little gas station you should have gone left at the light and went into Cumberland. Follow that road around and there is a liquor store that sells beer too.

jeeptj99 · Sep 22, 2015

pholmann said:
Well the way I drive that is 10 minutes. At that little gas station you should have gone left at the light and went into Cumberland. Follow that road around and there is a liquor store that sells beer too.

Nice thanks for the info. Next time i'll just bring more beer from home :dblthumb:

Stretch · Sep 22, 2015

Been going there for about 7 years. My preference is to rent a place in Evarts. I've done the Putney side thing and don't mind it, but I like the availability of food and fuel over in Evarts. Just don't jackass around or give the local PD a reason to stop you. I've been hassled one time by a local youngbuck LEO about 4 years ago and he got his ass reamed by his superior right in front of me. Basically he got told don't **** with the people that bring money into your town unless they do something blatantly stupid. We rent from the sheriff so if you do that and stay at one of his places, you're pretty much guaranteed to lessen your chances of being messed with by locals or LEO's.

More than enough wheelin for 3 days or more IMO if you keep your rig in one piece.
We usually do it a little different, but this is how I would probably tell a newbie to do it for the first time at Harlan.
Day 1: Go hit the stuff further away. Its a good trail ride to familiarize yourself with the place. You'll see a lot of trail names and intersections on the map this way. Hit Mason Jar and Lions Den then work your way back down toward whatever side you camp on.
Day 2: Make the climb up the mountain. There are a bunch of trails that pretty much link together to get you from the Evarts trailhead to the Middle Rock Garden. Pinball, Railbed, Fish Fossil, Lower Rock Garden, Killin Time, Profanity then shoot over to Middle Rock Garden and Grapevine.
Day 3: Start near the Lower Rock Garden again then head over to Whitetail: Steel Hill, Pony Hill, Lower Damnation then drive over to the bottom section of YourTurn (top was wicked last time we were there in March), Crawfords Cry, TROUBLE, Whitetail Crawl then come back down the mountain.
Days 4-5: Assuming your **** is still in one piece then grab the map and go find anything you haven't hit yet. Days 1-3 will get you over most areas of the park and hit all the must do trails IMO. Finish it up with what I consider the "consequence" trails like Little Jagger and CreamPuff.

You can cover more or less each day depending on the size of the group and how much **** you blow up.

SB406 · Sep 22, 2015

Awesome. Thanks a ton! I'm gonna talk to some buddies this weekend and start making plans.

downs807 · Sep 22, 2015

Stretch said:
Been going there for about 7 years. My preference is to rent a place in Evarts. I've done the Putney side thing and don't mind it, but I like the availability of food and fuel over in Evarts. Just don't jackass around or give the local PD a reason to stop you. I've been hassled one time by a local youngbuck LEO about 4 years ago and he got his ass reamed by his superior right in front of me. Basically he got told don't **** with the people that bring money into your town unless they do something blatantly stupid. We rent from the sheriff so if you do that and stay at one of his places, you're pretty much guaranteed to lessen your chances of being messed with by locals or LEO's.

More than enough wheelin for 3 days or more IMO if you keep your rig in one piece.
We usually do it a little different, but this is how I would probably tell a newbie to do it for the first time at Harlan.
Day 1: Go hit the stuff further away. Its a good trail ride to familiarize yourself with the place. You'll see a lot of trail names and intersections on the map this way. Hit Mason Jar and Lions Den then work your way back down toward whatever side you camp on.
Day 2: Make the climb up the mountain. There are a bunch of trails that pretty much link together to get you from the Evarts trailhead to the Middle Rock Garden. Pinball, Railbed, Fish Fossil, Lower Rock Garden, Killin Time, Profanity then shoot over to Middle Rock Garden and Grapevine.
Day 3: Start near the Lower Rock Garden again then head over to Whitetail: Steel Hill, Pony Hill, Lower Damnation then drive over to the bottom section of YourTurn (top was wicked last time we were there in March), Crawfords Cry, TROUBLE, Whitetail Crawl then come back down the mountain.
Days 4-5: Assuming your **** is still in one piece then grab the map and go find anything you haven't hit yet. Days 1-3 will get you over most areas of the park and hit all the must do trails IMO. Finish it up with what I consider the "consequence" trails like Little Jagger and CreamPuff.

You can cover more or less each day depending on the size of the group and how much **** you blow up.

Couldn't have put it better. I've been going for two years now and it never gets old. I usually opt for the Putney side and was told a few weeks back the gas station close to there is opening back up. The olny down fall to Putney side is it's about a 2 mile trail ride up the mountain to the other side.

matth_85 · Sep 22, 2015

SB406 said:
I've wanted to hit Harlan for a bunch of years now. I decided that this spring I'm gonna plan a trip there instead of my anual trip to watch KOH. My son has a week off school in March, so that's the timeframe I'm looking at. Can any of you guys give me some info on the following?

1. What's the weather like down there at the end of March? I'm from near Buffalo, NY, so it'll still be cold as **** here.
2. Is there enough there to wheel for a week (5 days)?
3. What else is close/ worth wheeling? Hatfield McCoy any good? It's on the way back.
4. Cabin? Tent? I guess it partially depends on weather.
5. How easy is it to navigate the area? Yes, I can read a map, but I don't want to miss any good trails.

Thanks fellas!

Lot of good info thus far.

1-As far as the weather. End of March will be cold at night but nice during mid day. (from my experience). We went early March a few years ago and the whole mountain was still covered in snow.
2-Plenty to wheel for 5 days. Especially if you like to trail ride. Lot of cool things to go find in the woods up there.
3-No good answer to that one.
4-Cabins on Evarts are secluded and a good option if you want to be on that side. Putney are nicer but I like the Evarts side better mainly due to gas/food/etc.
5-Trails are well marked.

matth_85 · Sep 22, 2015

downs807 said:
Couldn't have put it better. I've been going for two years now and it never gets old. I usually opt for the Putney side and was told a few weeks back the gas station close to there is opening back up. The olny down fall to Putney side is it's about a 2 mile trail ride up the mountain to the other side.

That would be a major plus. If they had food/gas there I would stay on Putney side every time.