Published: June 25, 2009 10:25 pm      

ATV surge expected for Fourth of July

BLUEWELL — Fireworks and barbecues are all part of the Fourth of July weekend, but for many, another important part of the holiday is the influx of all-terrain vehicle riders and the business they bring to the region.

Communities along the Hatfield-McCoy trail are expecting ATV enthusiasts to converge on the recreational byway when the nation’s birthday arrives.

“Absolutely. This is a huge weekend for us,” said Jeffrey Lusk, general manager of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail. “Our vendors will be completely booked out. Any three-day weekend is a real plus for us. Over the next five days we’ll sell well over a thousand new permits for riders coming in for the Fourth, and plus the 14,000 people who already have permits, so they’ll come back, too.”

The recreational trail, which extends through McDowell, Mingo, Logan and Boone counties, is a primary destination for ATV riders who want a “driving vacation” that doesn’t’ require air travel.

“When you talk about regional travel, we’re five or six hours from a good portion of the eastern U.S. population,” Lusk said.

Plans to expand the trail into Mercer, Lincoln and Wayne counties are proceeding. In Mercer County, the trail will be located along U.S. Route 52 near Bramwell with a connector near the communities of Montcalm and Matoaka.

“We’re working with Pocahontas Land Company to secure agreements to map the trail,” Lusk said. Plans call for the start of mapping by early August.

“We’re expecting a lot of growth in that area,” Lusk said. “We hope to have it open by late fall or early spring.”

Businesses near the ATV trail see influxes of customers from several states when a holiday arrives.

“Oh, yes. On the holidays and weekends, that’s usually when they come by,” said Brenda Presley, manager of Dick’s Swiss Burger in Bluewell. “We’ve had a lot from North Carolina and South Carolina. We’ve had a lot from New York come in. Virginia. Kentucky. Tennessee. We’ve had a good range of people from different places.”

Mercer County motorists traveling during the holiday will see plenty of evidence that their community is becoming an ATV destination.

“I think if you sit in traffic and see the number of trailers (with ATVs) coming through during the holidays, it’s very significant,” said Beverly Wellman, executive director of the Bluestone Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Most of them have three or four ATVs on each trailer. My observance is that it’s not just one trailer. A lot of times they’re in groups. Research shows the average stay is two or three days. We really expect this to be a big market for us.”

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com