In the hit song, “Country Road,” John Denver describes West Virginia as “…almost heaven.” Uninhabited land surrounded by deep forests, the Appalachian Mountains, connecting rivers, and a network of subterranean caves can make exploring West Virginia an adventurer’s dream. It’s a truly beautiful state, lush in color with hospitable people and lots of wildlife. But according to legend, amongst the coyotes, bears and boars, something else lurks here….

West Virginian folklore is as old as the 19th century pioneer era. Since then countless sightings of troubled spirits, abnormalities and cross-bred beasts have been documented. Small-town stories, traditional folk music, and even published books describe horrific events and eye-witness encounters. Are these tales simply passed down from generation to generation to keep children from wandering too far? Or, could there be some truth to these stories? There was only one way to find out...

Preparing to Hunt Monsters

Colin Schneider, aka Crypto-KidWhat are you supposed to pack to defend yourself against mythological beasts? A Remington 870 shotgun? A silver cross and a Super Soaker filled with Holy Water? If these anomalies are as vicious as legend describes, it won’t really matter what I bring; if they want to kill me, I’m fiend fodder. The only shooting I’ll be doing during my trip will be with a camera.

While an array of motorcycles is at my disposal, it’s only fitting that I chose something special for this ride. To get into the spirit of hunting historical monsters, I prepped Norma, my vintage 1989 Honda NX250 for the four-day trip. There are dozens of campgrounds scattered throughout West Virginia, but my plan was to ride to three specific locations and camp in areas where folklore monsters were last sighted.

I contacted Colin Schneider, also known as Crypto-Kid, who is one of the youngest active cryptozoologists in America. He was enthusiastic about my mission and gave me insight on each of the monsters I was looking for. You can learn more about Colin by visiting his website at Paranorm101.blogspot.com.

Snarly Yow

My first point of interest was Harpers Ferry, a popular place for outdoor activities like fishing, mountain biking, tubing, and rock climbing. The Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers meet here, creating a flood plain that’s surrounded by mountains. It’s populated by only 300 people with an average age of 52 years old. Certainly, the townspeople have stories to tell, hopefully about the infamous Snarly Yow.

Our first monster is a beast that resembles a large dog or wolf. Witnesses describe it as black in color with long, vicious teeth. Trying to ward off the Snarly Yow by physical means, like throwing rocks and sticks, have been reported to be ineffective. Material items seem to go through it, which could mean that this beast is of the spiritual world.

The Snarly Yow. Artwork by Lauren Dvora

“The Snarly Yow is a fascinating regional take on the classic Black Dog legend which originated in Europe during the Medieval period,” says Colin. “According to reports, the creature is seen by travelers, usually late at night, while they were driving through a remote location. Unlike many Black Dog stories, there is little to suggest the Snarly Yow is a harbinger of doom, instead simply a phantasmal creature which is encountered when you least expect it. When it comes to the Black Dog stories, this one is certainly one of the most intriguing.”

West Virginia has some of the best riding available on the East Coast. It's riddled with anything from technical single track to winding mountain roads.

I puttered into Harpers Ferry State Park around lunchtime figuring it was much too early to spot the Snarly Yow. To kill time, I decided to do a little sightseeing, starting at a visitor center at the peak of the park. Here, I met some friendly park rangers who gave me a map of the area.

“Hello, my name is Andrew. I’m a moto photojournalist and I’m looking for a large, spiritual wolf called the Snarly Yow.” The rangers returned blank stares in silence. Perhaps my introduction was too direct.

“What I meant to say was, do wolves live in this area?”

They informed me that wolves haven’t lived in West Virginia for over a hundred years. The rangers did, however, point out a few spots on the map that were secluded. Getting to some of these areas would require a bit of a hike.

The tips of each barrel were stamped 1862.

Riding the scenic route around Harpers Ferry will bring you back in time to the Civil War era. Old canons still lay atop Bolivar Heights, where General Robert E. Lee ordered “Stonewall” Jackson to attack the Union and advance into Maryland. The battle of Harpers Ferry resulted in almost 13,000 casualties in four days, a major victory for the Confederates and the largest surrender of Union troops during the Civil War.

Main exhibits are only accessible by foot and shuttle. A four-hour hike took me deep into the woods to Overlook Cliff, a high point in the area where parts of Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland are all visible. As I marched towards the peak I imagined that the dense forests would be an ideal home for a creature like the Snarly Yow. There are lots of places for dens, freshwater sources and plenty of small animals to feed on.

The sun was setting fast, so I scrambled to make my way back into town. It’s simply a bad idea to ride in West Virginia at night since the area is so highly populated with deer. I found a primitive campground right on the Potomac River where I pitched a tent. Nightfall set in followed by scattered showers. It was a very dark and wet first night of the trip, and the raging river drowned out the sound of anything that could’ve crossed by my tent.

The conditions made it difficult to fall asleep. For hours I lay, eyes wide open in complete darkness. Throughout the night I peeped outside my tent, aiming my cellphone’s flashlight into the dark abyss, trying to see something... anything. I couldn’t help but imagine the Snarly Yow blitzing straight at me, jaws wide open, fangs engulfing my view. But I saw nothing.

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The Grafton Monster

The next morning, I awoke not remembering when or how I’d fallen asleep. At a snail’s pace I packed my belongings and tent and went to wake up my bike, but Norma was also slow to get the day started. These old, carburated bikes can be finicky in cold weather or high elevations, but after a few tries she fired right up, and we were on our way.

The next checkpoint is Grafton, WV, formally a booming mining town. Today it’s a village made of old, big-city architecture with surrounding farms and forest. It contains a shrine to commemorate the birth place of Mother’s Day. Grafton originally served as a junction point for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroads which provided transport services to the coal industry.

Here lives a humanesque creature with pale, slick, rubbery skin. The Grafton Monster is said to be nine feet tall and four feet wide—a behemoth that bludgeons its victims to death. Some say the Grafton Monster is either headless or “sulking, tucking its head into its chest.” Because there were so many sightings, hunting parties were organized made up of local, county, and state police. Despite their best efforts, no beast was ever found.

The Grafton Monster. Artwork by Lauren Dvora

“The Grafton Monster story sounds startlingly similar to a Bigfoot encounter. It is described as a tall, pale creature with no neck and a small head. Considering that having little to no neck is a staple of Sasquatch descriptions, I don’t think it is too far of a leap to suggest that a Bigfoot might’ve been the culprit ultimately.”—Colin Schneider

Riding twisty backroads from Harpers Ferry to Grafton took most of the day. I received lots of stares rolling into the quiet town, where it's more common to see cruisers or touring bikes. Grafton is a city that moves at a slow pace and besides interesting old architecture, at first glance there isn’t much to see. If you’ll be visiting, you need to take a peek inside the Mother’s Day memorial. A surreal sanctuary is located on the second floor, decorated with colorful and highly detailed stained-glass windows. The serenity of the place will make you want to call your mum to remind her that you love her.

Tygart State Park is a popular destination for boating. It's also a great place to fish for walleye and smallmouth bass.

The real attraction to visiting Grafton is Tygart State Park. The beautiful lake is nestled here between the mountains, complimented by a fancy resort. Call ahead to make reservations because the rooms and cabins are booked quickly on weekends. The food is also a good deal and the service is great! Riders beware -- the eroded, warped park roads can be enough to send you airborne if you're not paying attention.

After soaking my feet in the lake, I headed back to town to get a better look at some of the city’s 19th century buildings. To escape the late summer heat, I popped into a little coffee shop called Espresso Yourself. A nice lady behind the counter made me a tangy orange smoothie, exactly what I needed after a long day of riding. We had the place to ourselves, so I took the opportunity to see if she knew anything about the bounty I was looking for. “Pardon miss, have you heard of the Grafton Monster?”

“Everyone here knows that old story,” she replied. “I’ve never seen him, but I know a bunch of people that look a lot like him.” I appreciated the humor. Upon leaving she recommended I take a stroll down by the railroad.

I pushed Norma towards the train tracks and parked her in a spot where she could be seen from a distance, then continued down the railroad towards the setting sun. It wasn’t long before I came upon several creepy old buildings. By the looks of things, they were vacant and had been for quite some time. You couldn’t pay me to enter them, but I peered through a few broken windows to get an idea of what was inside.

It was so dark in some of the buildings I couldn’t see the far side of the room. Dust and cobwebs covered everything, floor to ceiling. “Mister Grafton Monster…,” I whispered. Nobody was home. I took a pebble and flicked it into one of the buildings and listened to it bounce around inside and waited. There was nothing.

So far, it’s been a couple of days into my trip, and I hadn’t gotten closer to find any monsters. Perhaps the locations I was searching were too rural. I traversed the Monongahela Forest to find the Lost World Caverns, a cave system located in Lewisburg. If you’re traveling the same route, it’s worth stopping by or even staying at Snowshoe Ski Resort. It’s highly popular during the winter, and during warmer months Snowshoe hosts downhill mountain bike races and even a GNCC race. The park is family friendly with lots to do, including ziplining, UTV riding, and lake activities.

No matter the temperature outside, the cavern remains at 52 degrees.

Surveyed in the 1960s, the Lost World Caverns descends 120 feet below the surface. It features large stalactites, waterfalls, and has a fun gift shop as an entrance to the sub terrane. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, you can experience a four-hour, exploration tour of the cave with nothing to light the way except a headlamp (you won’t want to do this alone).

It has been almost 25 years since I’d been in a cave, so exploring the Lost World Caverns was a real treat. The legendary Bat Boy, who you’ve probably seen on your local grocery store tabloid, is rumored to live here. The Grafton Monster has also been reported to live in caves, and I thought I might have some better luck or at least gain some insight on the monster. Unfortunately, the cave lead to yet another dead end.

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The Mothman

There was no set route for my trip, besides plugging a few checkpoints into Google Maps and setting “avoid highways” as parameters. Having no schedule reduced stress and allowed me to coast and take in the sights. The constant changing elevation of WV often felt like riding a roller coaster and the occasional dirt road kept things entertaining.

Our final destination, Point Pleasant is on the border line of WV and OH, separated by the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers. In 1774, the Battle of Point Pleasant commenced between Virginia militia and Native Americans. Over 100 people died in the clash, including Tecumseh, a warrior and chief of the Shawnee tribe. Almost two centuries later, the Silver Bridge connecting West Virginia and Ohio collapsed during rush hour traffic, killing 46 people. An investigation concluded that a suspension chain had failed because it was poorly maintained, but locals blamed the catastrophe on Point Pleasant’s very own folklore monster—The Mothman.

Two victims of the Silver Bridge collapse were never found.

Paranormal activity and sightings of a flying man began in 1966. The Mothman is described as having large red eyes, giant wings and much taller than any human. According to legend, The Mothman is a curse laid upon the land by Tecumseh. A hundred sightings were reported just before the Silver Bridge collapsed, adding stigma to the story. Seeing The Mothman is said to be an omen of doom.

The Mothman. Artwork by Lauren Dvora

“The Mothman is the ultimate creature of all weird creatures. Within American cryptozoology, The Mothman reigns supreme alongside Bigfoot. It has transcended its original position as an obscure small-town story into being a veritable cultural icon. As a researcher of the unusual, I’m skeptical of the original ’66/’67 stories, but I don’t think they really matter anymore, at least not as much as The Mothman’s significance as a cultural meme and its incredible sticking power as a strange creature.”—Colin Schneider

Fortunately for me, the weekend I arrived in Point Pleasant was the same weekend as the annual Mothman Festival. In its 17th year, hundreds of people gathered in the center of town to celebrate West Virginia’s most infamous monster, complete with live music, hand-made artwork, and even Mothman Nachos. The event felt like a giant Halloween party, with attendees dressing up as anything from the Adams Family to videogame cosplay. It was an opportunity to fully unleash my "inner-nerd".

I spent some time chatting with a woman who attends the Mothman Festival every year. She claimed that her aunt was a survivor of the horrific 1967 Silver Bridge incident. I asked her, “Did your aunt mention anything about seeing Mothman?”

Kathy paused for a moment, and then stated, “I’ll email you everything I know.” I gave her my card and we parted. At the time of this writing, two weeks after the festival, I still haven’t heard from her. Her enthusiasm peaked my curiosity and I hope she decides to get in touch.

Lines formed to gain access to Point Pleasant’s Mothman Museum, a building filled with artifacts, memorabilia, statues, and newspaper clippings all having to do with The Mothman. There’s enough in the establishment to turn some skeptics into believers, and while a giant ghost wolf, 10-foot ogre, and a red-eyed, flying man may not exist today, the spirit of The Mothman and West Virginian folklore is most certainly alive within the community.

Thoughts While Heading Home

Exploring “Wild and Wonderful” (and weird) West Virginia adds a charming element to motorcycle travel that I often forget while living in the hustling outskirts of the nation’s capital. I didn’t find any folklore monsters, but the idea of searching for them really seemed to excite the locals I came across. Real or not, it was fun to chat with gas station attendants and waitresses who lightheartedly seemed to “play along." They reaffirm my belief that one of the best things about motorcycling is the people you meet along the way. 

Many thanks to the park rangers, campground owners and trail maintenance personal who keep WV such an enjoyable place to explore and ride.

There's no shortage of things to do in West Virginia. For travel ideas, visit WVTourism.com.

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Andrew Nguyen joined the ADVMoto team after completing his solo, coast-to-coast Trans America Trail trip in 2015. His obsession and passion for motorcycling allows him to become fully involved in his work as a photojournalist and editor. While he appreciates all bikes, he’s most interested in old, rare, or unique machines. Expect him to show up on something different every time you see him.