Published: March 13, 2008 10:50 pm         

More than 200 attend ceremony for Burning Rock Off-Road Park

More than 200 area residents attended a ceremony Thursday at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center to learn about plans for the Burning Rock Off-Road Park project under way in Raleigh County.

The park is slated to open the weekend of July 4, and will eventually offer 100 miles of riding trails for ATVs and motorcycles. The trails will range from beginner level to more challenging single-track and double-track trails.

The trailhead is located south of Sophia, about a mile from the McKinney Mountain Road exit of the Coalfields Expressway.

“This is going to be a world-class attraction,” Raleigh County Commission president Pat Reed said.

Reed was also enthusiastic about the large crowd that turned out for the ceremony, many of whom are likely to be involved in maintaining and managing the trail system.

“We are developing an ATV club that will be involved in clearing and preparing the trail, and we will give incentives to encourage them to be a part of this,” Reed said. “Our research has indicated that it is important to have local people involved in the trail.”

Bryan Helmer, executive director of the Burning Rock Off-Road Park, explained that the 100-mile trail system will be successful with the help of the ATV club.

“We want them (club members) to help out on the trail and take pride and ownership of it — like it’s theirs,” he said.

He invited anyone interested in becoming a member of the ATV club to sign up at 6 p.m. April 17 at the YMCA soccer complex. At the event, new club members can pay entrance fees, receive trail permits and participate in planning for the park’s opening.

Helmer also emphasized the economic impact of having the trail system in Raleigh County.

“The people who are coming here are going to have fun, and they are willing to spend money,” he said. “Anybody in the service industry is going to be affected, and it will be a positive effect.”

Glen White resident David Barnett attended the ceremony to learn about the details of the park. Barnett has been a longtime supporter of the ATV trail concept.

He explained that ATV riders once drove all over his land, causing a headache for him and doing damage to his property. Having a well controlled and managed trail system is part of the solution, Barnett said.

“I knew that something had to be done to give people a place to ride their four-wheelers,” he said.

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