— They come from around the world to ride the rugged terrain of West Virginia’s

Hatfield-McCoy Recreational Trails System.

Snaking and climbing through the unforgiving mountains to breathtaking vistas, the trails system has exceeded by leaps and bounds the tourism and economic development hub it was projected to be.

“I don’t think any of us could fully grasp how successful the trail system has been,” emphasized Jeffrey Lusk, executive director of the Hatfield-McCoy Recreational Trails Authority.

“From the start, we all felt it had great potential. But for it to grow for 10 straight years and create 44 new businesses, well, I think that exceeded all our expectations.

“I think the most surprising part was how quickly our local businesses reacted and created lodging for our riders,” Lusk said. “Many of our communities, such as Gilbert, had little or no rooms to rent. Now these places are thriving with new businesses.”

In 2000, the first year of operations for the Hatfield-McCoy Recreational Trails, 3,861 trail use permits were sold, according to Lusk. In 2007, the number of permits sold had grown to 23,429.

This year, there will be about 35,000 riders, Lusk said.

“It’s something to be proud of,” he emphasized.

“The trail system has grown in every month since opening and has exceeded the permit sales for the same month the previous year for almost 10 years.

“This year, we are projected around 5 to 10 percent growth. We are truly reaching a point that, if we don’t get more lodging, our growth is going to slow. That’s a great problem to have and one we hope our local businesses continue to step up and solve.”

Mirroring similar tourist projects like those in Colorado and Utah, the notion here was to open corporate lands for public use while providing liability coverage and land management (erosion and other environmental concerns) for the companies that allowed the recreational trails across their property.

While local riders were trespassing on the corporate lands, this project legally opened trails to everyone who purchased a permit.

The trail authority currently has six trail systems in five counties (Wyoming, Mingo, McDowell, Logan, and Boone), with plans to open three more systems in three additional counties, Lusk explained.

The systems include Browning Fork, Buffalo Mountain, Dingess Rum, Indian Ridge, Little Coal River and Pinnacle Creek.

Once completed, the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System will be located in Mingo, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Kanawha, Lincoln, Wayne, Boone, and Wyoming counties and will have over 1,000 miles of trail, making it the largest managed ATV riding area in the country, Lusk noted.

“We had certainly hoped that towns such as Gilbert and Pineville would enjoy business investment due to the trails, but no one could have foreseen the growth that has occurred in these two communities,” Lusk explained. “They have truly risen to the top as leaders.

“Pineville now plays host to our largest ATV outfitter, Happy Trails ATV Rentals, and Gilbert has over 10 new lodging providers located within 5 miles of town.

“The amazing part is that both these areas could still use more beds; during our peak riding season both places are booked out,” he said.

With the national spotlight on the extreme sport, visitors have traveled from all 50 states and 13 countries, Lusk noted.

“It is truly amazing how people will travel to enjoy this sport,” he said. “In most years, Canada is one of our top 10 areas for riders. We get a host from as far away as New York and Florida, and, on an average year, we will have people from between 40 to 45 states visit our system.

“We are the largest managed ATV trail in the eastern United States and people are taking notice,” Lusk said. “We have had over 10 states send representatives to West Virginia to check out our system and gather data on how they can do the same thing in their state.

“National ATV television shows have been showcasing the trails for years. This year, four of them are coming to West Virginia to film shows. These shows will air nationwide on cable and DirecTV.

“We feel this trend will only continue as the popularity of our trail system continues to grow,” Lusk emphasized.

While first-time visitors number in the thousands each year, it is the return riders that are the backbone of the system’s success, according to Lusk.

“We have well over a 75 percent return rate for visitors,” he explained. “People who do this sport tend to come back several times in a single year and are very likely to return the following year.

“They develop unique relationships with our lodging providers and tend to stay at the some locations year after year.

While the system continues to bring in tourists and dollars, Lusk said development plans include numerous projects, both short term and long term.

“It’s an exciting time for us at Hatfield-McCoy,” Lusk said. “In the next few weeks, we will be opening our connector between Indian Ridge and Pinnacle Creek trail systems as well as completing the mapping of the Oceana area system.”

The Pinnacle Creek Trail System, located near Pineville in Wyoming County, consists of approximately 71.6 total miles of trail.

The Indian Ridge Trail System, located near Ashland in McDowell County, consists of approximately 63 miles of trail.

Combining the Indian Ridge and Pinnacle Creek trail systems will create a loop of nearly 150 miles, Lusk said.

The Oceana project area includes more than 23,000 acres, with the core trail links situated in the Cow Creek and Kopperston areas. The property is owned by Pocahontas Land Co. Once completed, the trail link will come very close to the existing 72-mile Pinnacle Creek Trail in Wyoming County, Lusk explained. The Pinnacle Creek Trail, which encompasses the Castle Rock Trailhead Center, has existing connectors near Pineville and Mullens.

“And, with the addition of Mercer County this fall, we will approach 250 miles in total trails — without trailering to a different trailhead,” he explained.

“In the fall, we will complete the connector to Twin Falls State park as well as the mapping of a new system outside the town of War in McDowell County.

“Next year, we plan on opening trail system in Lincoln and Wayne counties.

“It is truly an aggressive plan that should keep us busy and trail system growing for many years to come.”

User permits are $26.50 for state residents and $50 for non-residents.

For more information, phone 1-800-592-2217 or visit www.trailsheaven.com.

— E-mail: mcbrooks@register-herald.com