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Details, Details

Mines and Meadows (732/535-6026) is located at 1307 Old Route 18, Wampum, PA 16157; GPS coordinates N40 51.847 W80 19.933.  The property is open daily from 9am till sunset, rain, shine or snow. 

Riders and passengers should “dress for the crash and not for the ride” as Joe Tripp, one of our favorite instructors, used to say. Experienced motorheads usually arrive with leather safety pads to strap on over abrasion-resistant clothing. I wore ExOficio hiking pants, over-the-ankle boots, and a few sweatshirts under a washable micro-fiber jacket. Kids should always be dressed in long sleeves and pants regardless of the weather. Gloves, helmet and eye protection are a must, for all ages and abilities. 

If your RV has you and your OHVs in tow, it will cost $20/night to park it. If it’s just the family in a car with the gear to camp out, it costs $20 to pitch a tent. While facilities are not as developed as Mines and Meadows' owners anticipate, at present, there are primitive campsites, bathrooms and porta-potties, power wash and storage for your vehicles, and box lunches available through the trailer-office. 

We stayed at the Marriott Pittsburgh North (724/772-3700) at 100 Cranberry Woods Drive, Cranberry Township, PA 16066, about equidistant from all of Pittsburgh’s major sights and the Mines and Meadows resort. Like other Marriott’s, it had large bedrooms with two queens beds, a well-stocked fitness center and indoor pool, plus a business center and hearty breakfast buffet included in reasonable rates. 

Other comfortable options in this busy region near the Greater Pittsburgh Airport are the Hyatt Place Pittsburgh/Cranberry (724/779-7900) located at 136 Emeryville Drive, Cranberry Township, PA 16066 and the Red Roof Inn Pittsburgh North - Cranberry Township  (724/776-5670) at 20009 US Rt 19 and Marguerite Road, Cranberry Township, PA 16066. Even less expensive is the Beaver Falls Super 8 (724/843-9300). All are less than 30 minutes from the resort and BeaveRun, a popular motorsports complex. 

In fact, BeaveRun (724/535-1000) is its own motorheads' haven, with an industry favorite go-kart track and rental Birel karts; frequent scheduled car and bike races; defensive winter driving school; a James Bond Evasive Driving clinic and more. Budget another day for this place; the go-kart racing is great fun and a relatively risk free way to expose smaller children to motor vehicle driving. 

If you choose the hotel option, Mines Meadows' trail access passes cost $25/day per rider, or $40 for a weekend. As for the "resort" aspect of this unusual complex – it's pet-friendly, casual and cheap, with communal campfires, horseshoes and volleyball, and nearby fishing, canoeing, kayaking and golf.