Simple Pleasures in Ritchie County
The North Bend Golf Course has long
been deemed as one of the best kept secrets among
small, public golf courses in the region. A challenging
course of 9 holes, it also offers a club house with
food and pro-shop.
Ritchie County rightly claims to be
a "Hunter's Dream". Over 3,000 acres of
public hunting area provide opportunities for hunting
whitetail deer, turkey, ruffled grouse, squirrel,
and rabbit. Sand Hill Wildlife Management Area is
a 967-acre tract at the counties western edge, bisected
by US Route 50. The Hughes River Wildlife Management
Area is a 10,000 acre tract of wooded hunting area
of which 500 acres is within Ritchie County (near
Petroleum). The Ritchie Mines Wildlife Management
Area is 1,800 acres, accessible from County Road 17/4
(Mellin Ridge Road) or Route 47 Macfarlan.
The Hughes River is a small stream that
drains most of the county and has numerous fishable
branches and tributaries. Many of these provide excellent
opportunities for fishing for bass, muskie, and other
game fish. The Hughes River Lake, a part of North
Bend State Park, offers over 300 acres of fishable
water. Tracy Lake is an 11-acre water impoundment,
3 miles northwest of Pennsboro, stocked each January
and March with trout. The Pennsboro Reservoir is a
9-acre water impoundment 1.5 miles east of Pennsboro,
off Old US Route 50, on route 50/24. It is stocked
with trout in January and March. Other game fish found
here and elsewhere include tiger muskie, blue gill,
large mouth bass, and catfish. Only electric motors
are allowed on both of these bodies of water.
Hiking, biking, camping, horseback riding,
and horse drawn wagon rides compliment fishing and
seasonal hunting as some of the great outdoor activities
in the area.
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