Published: July 21, 2008 09:48 pm         

Tapping the trail

Hatfield-McCoy link will be a real boost for Mullens, Wyoming

“You’ve taken the initiative,” Gov. Joe Manchin told Wyoming County leaders last week as the ceremonial ribbon was cut to signify the opening of the Mullens link to the Hatfield-McCoy Trails.

Indeed, the visionaries in Wyoming County have stepped out to make a positive move toward growing the area’s economic future.

Tying Mullens into the 600-mile, multi-county trail will pay dividends. And hopefully, by the end of this year, the trail will be extended a few more miles and be connected just outside of Twin Falls State Park.

Twin Falls will then become the first state park to have access to the popular trails system. It’s a win-win for the park and Wyoming County in two ways. Since the connector is located on the outskirts of the park, it won’t disturb the serenity of the area, but it will still give riding enthusiasts the chance to visit and stay in the lodge, which is set to undergo a $6 million expansion.

The Mullens and Twin Falls links will also open the opportunity for the addition of more hotels, motels, restaurants and other supporting services.

Just ask the folks over in Gilbert what Hatfield-McCoy has meant to that small community.

Ten new lodging providers have popped up within the Gilbert city limits, along with a new steak house that primarily caters to the trail riders, according to Jeff Lusk, executive director of the trails system.

“During our peak season, you will have more trail riders than residents in town (Gilbert),” Lusk said.

Early on it was envisioned that the trails would have an annual peak of 20,000 permits being sold. It’s already gone way past that point. In 2007 there were 23,429 permits purchased and that figure is expected to approach 30,000 this year.

The kicker to those statistics: 88 percent of those permits are being purchased by out-of-state residents. That’s huge.

Hatfield-McCoy and the recently opened Burning Rock Off-road Park in Raleigh County have the potential to turn the business into one of the largest tourism draws in the state.

It’s good news for southern West Virginia.