BRAMWELL —
Construction crews with the Hatfield-McCoy Trails are hoping to have a new 100-mile segment of the trail system in Mercer County finished within about 30 to 45 days.
In the meantime, trail officials are working with the state Division of Highways on design plans and entrance permits to develop an access road from U.S. Route 52 in Bramwell to the site of a new trailhead facility and parking lot, according to Hatfield-McCoy Authority Executive Director Jeff Lusk.
“We are designing that road now and getting the entrance permits from Route 52 from the highway department,” Lusk said. “It will be about a quarter-mile access road taking us from Route 52 to the level land on top (of the mountain). The only thing we don’t have built is our road into Matoaka. We are working with Matoaka on how to get into the town.”
Lusk said construction on the trailhead facility planned near Bramwell won’t begin until after timbering operations on the mountain are finished.
“They wanted to remove some timber off the property before we use it,” Lusk said. “So we are going to go ahead and let them do the timber operations. We are almost done with the (trail) construction. We will be able to finish the system within 30 to 45 days. So we are hoping for an early to mid-summer opening of the trails. The actual trailhead structure with the restrooms and all will open later in the fall.”
Lusk said the new Pocahontas Trail system in Mercer County will connect with the existing Indian Ridge trail system in McDowell County and the existing Pinnacle Creek system in Wyoming County.
“It is going to be a good year for us,” Lusk said. “I think Mercer County is going to be one of our most successful systems, and it is going to be the first system people reach from the south on I-77.”
Lusk said trail permit purchases grew by 2 percent in 2011.
“We were one of the few tourist attractions in the state last year that saw some growth,” Lusk said. “Really the biggest problem we have with growth is our capacity. We just don’t have enough beds to accommodate the number of riders that want to come here. Until we see more growth and lodging facilities, our growth is going to be somewhat tempered. We are hoping that Mercer County will step up and put in some of those facilities that will be absolutely necessary. You can’t have that overnight tourist attraction if you don’t have the lodging component.”
Lusk said existing hotels and motels along Exit 1 and 9 in Princeton and Bluefield will help. However, he said ATV riders prefer to stay closer to the actual trails. That’s why the authority is hoping that additional ATV resorts, bed and breakfast facilities and hotels and motels can be developed closer to Bramwell and Matoaka before the trail system opens to riders later this year.
— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com
Local News
January 9, 2012
Mercer’s Hatfield-McCoy Trails segment soon to be complete
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