GILBERT, WV - Along with beautiful fall foliage, crisp air, and sparkling streams, October brings thousands of off-road riding enthusiasts back to southern West Virginia for TrailFest.
From October 8-12, 2009, Hatfield-McCoy Trails is proud to host the premium off-road event of the year which includes riding the safest and largest trail system on the East Coast. Factory demo rides, manufacturer and equipment expos, mud bogging, drag racing, poker runs, kids' track, entertainment and special guests - not to mention thousands of dollars in give-aways - are all part of the fun for the whole family. Saturday evening includes a new event this year with Fisher's ATV World "Mud Run for Prizes" and a fireworks show in the town of Gilbert.
As in previous years, the Larry Joe Harless Community Center will serve as the event headquarters for the weekend, and campsites throughout the area are expected to be at capacity. "The whole event has really developed a reunion-like atmosphere," said Jeffrey Lusk, executive director of the Hatfield-McCoy Recreational Trail Authority. "Our new online-community of riders has a large number of folks that identify themselves as 'family adventurers' or people who just like to 'hang with friends.'" The Trails marketing director Mike Pinkerton agrees. "I think a lot of people who meet in person this year are going to feel like they already know each other, thanks to the online community."
A 2006 economic impact study estimated the Hatfield-McCoy Trails added 146 new jobs to southern West Virginia's economy, as well as $2.7 million in income and $7.7 million in output. Lusk says updated numbers would certainly show continued growth, as money is spent by a growing number of visitors each year in restaurants, at gas stations, and on equipment rentals and repairs. "TrailFest started in Logan in back in 2000 and then moved to Gilbert the following year. Attendance at TrailFest has grown steadily to nearly10 times that of the original event," he said.
Hatfield-McCoy Trails made a special push this summer to open new single track trails for dirt biking; the miles of single track trails on Buffalo Mountain have increased from 4 to 17 - Buffalo now has more miles of single track than any other Hatfield-McCoy trail, representing almost 40% of all of its single track trails on all six systems combined.
"We have something for everyone," said Pinkerton "TrailFest 2009 is revving up to be incredible fun." Register online at www.trailsheaven.com, or call 1-800-592-2217.
The Hatfield-McCoy Trial System was created by the West Virginia Legislature to generate economic development through tourism in nine southern West Virginia counties. It currently operates six systems with more than 500 miles of trails. Each system is open 365 days a year to ATVs, dirt bikes, select utility vehicles (UTVs), mountain bikes, horses, and hikers. Many of the trail systems also offer community connecting trails that allow visitors to access "ATV-friendly towns" to experience the charm of southern West Virginia.