"Virginia is for Lovers"-one of the oldest and most recognized tourism slogans in the country-may soon need to be changed to "Virginia is for ATV and dirt bike Lovers." On Aug. 16, 2013, Virginia's Southwest Regional Recreation Authority (SRRA), also known as Spearhead Trails, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new system of off-highway vehicle (OHV) trails.
The 75-mile Mountain View OHV/ATV Trail System, located in the counties of Dickenson, Russell and Wise, features a trailhead just blocks from the quaint and now ATV-friendly town of St. Paul, VA. About 250 people attended the ceremony, the first of many, says Chuck Riedhammer, Executive Director of Spearhead Trails.
"One of the reasons we can do this is we're blessed with large land masses that are available for trails, said Riedhammer. "We have the coal industry and timber industry, so we can acquire license agreements for blocks of land of 5,000 and 10,000 acres at a time. The landowners really appreciate us being there. Like anywhere else, we have outlaw riding going on and they're trespassing. We come in and take over the surface rights and put in a structured trail environment. We have an environmentally friendly way of building trails. We also provide security on these properties, which the landowners appreciate."
In many ways, Spearhead Trails are modeled after the highly successful Hatfield-McCoy Trails in neighboring West Virginia. It was created by the state to boost tourism and visitor spending, and generate new and direct revenue for the region. People pay for a permit to ride on the trails, and are already bringing new business to shops and restaurants. "I consider myself an economic developer," said Reidhammer. "We can talk about trails, but the end result of all this is that it's an economic development effort. We're very conscious when selecting our trail systems to have trailheads near towns or community connectors, and making sure they're ATV friendly. And that's the same with Hatfield-McCoy; that's why the state supported them.
"We do have some advantages that make us a good fit with what Hatfield-McCoy offers. We have a better road system; most of our trails you can get to on 4-lanes. For our towns, we have a very active Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), and have done a lot of downtown revitalization."
Since the trail system opened to riders in June, more than 1,000 permits have been sold. And the area is already seeing a flurry of new business opportunities. A local utility trailer company has added toy haulers to its product lines. After many requests for ATV gear, a local hardware store started selling helmets and ATV accessories, added "Motorsports" to its name, and remodeled an upper level of its building to include overnight apartments for visiting riders. "That's been our biggest problem," said Reidhammer. "You build a trail system and everybody wants to come, and the first question they ask is, `Where can I stay?' "
SRRA received its initial funding from the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission. Additional funding has been provided by the Motorcycle Industry Council, the Virginia DHCD, and the Appalachian Regional Commission, and local counties. It also received trail development funding from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, which expedited the opening of the Mountain View system.
For more information and additional photos, see the Spearhead Trails Facebook page, and visit www.spearheadtrails.com.
