The Appleton Area Recreational
OHV Park
is the only designated riding area in southwest Minnesota. That, and the fact that it's open
year-round to all types of off-highway vehicles, helps it draw families from
hundreds of miles around. It also brings the small town of Appleton, MN, much welcomed tourism activity.
Part of the appeal of the 330-acre park, which opened 10
years ago, is its diversity of trails accommodating all skill levels. Past
gravel mining activity created rolling terrain that is enjoyed by owners of
ATVs, off-highway motorcycles (OHM) and off-road vehicles (ORV or 4WD vehicles).
The park has 15 miles
of ATV/OHM trails, 10 miles
of ORV trails, a 1.5-mile OHM practice track, three Enduro tracks, youth ATV
and OHM training tracks, sand dunes, hill climbs, rock crawls and a water hole.
There is also a hiking path, youth playground area and picnic area with
shelter.
Last year, at the request of a regional development
commission, a user survey was conducted by the Center for Small Towns, a
department of the University
of Minnesota, Morris. The
survey questions were developed in collaboration with a group of area citizens
to collect data from park users related to the amount of money being spent in
the nearby town of Appleton, the number of riders staying overnight in the area
and overall satisfaction with the park. A university student conducted the
survey over a series of nine trips to the OHV park during the summer of 2012.
"Appleton
is a small community, and they do view the OHV park as an asset," said Kelly
Asche, program coordinator at the Center for Small Towns. "The overall
satisfaction level of the park was really high." Users are able to ride into Appleton on a designated
route, and the city has adopted ordinances so park users can drive on city
streets.
Information was documented from 201 park users, totaling 140
completed surveys. The study showed that:
- A
majority of park users come from within a 100-mile radius, with some
driving up to 250
miles.
- Most
park users came for the day, but about 17 percent stayed one or more
nights at a local motel or campground.
- Groups
of two or more spent an average of $188.56 per visit in the area, for
food, beverages, fuel, lodging and local shopping and attractions.
- When
asked to rate their overall experience, 95 percent of users surveyed said
their satisfaction level was "Excellent" (73 responses) or "Good" (60
responses).
Comments about the park were also recorded, with the vast
majority being positive, including: "I love this facility. Really appreciate
that someone went through the effort to plan and build the trails and track.
Excellent."
While its economic impact is small by comparison to larger
OHV trail systems,such as the Hatfield-McCoy Trails, the Appleton OHV
Park demonstrates that
even a small trail system can bring positive benefits to both OHV enthusiasts
and local communities. The study will be added to the NOHVCC Library, with
contains over 1,000 OHV-related documents.
The Appleton Area Recreation
OHV Park
is located two miles northeast of Appleton,
MN, on Highway 69. Admission is
free. Hours of operation are sunrise to sunset, seven days a week. All OHVs
must be registered with the Minnesota DNR. The park is funded by the Minnesota
DNR through the Minnesota Trails Assistance Program and is a designated
Grant-In-Aid Trail.
Click here
for more information on the Appleton
OHV Park.
