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ATV mecca means business [Bluefield Daily Telegraph, W.Va. :: ](Bluefield Daily Telegraph (WV) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) July 20--POCAHONTAS, Va. -- In a mere matter of weeks, the existing Hatfield-McCoy Trail system in Mercer County will be connected with the new Spearhead Trail system in Tazewell County. The unique two-state link is expected to create what tourism officials are calling an "ATV mecca" for the region. "There is nowhere else at this point where the Spearhead Trail and the Hatfield-McCoy Trail are going to link together," David Woodard, tourism coordinator for Tazewell County, said. "And they are only five minutes apart. The temptation factor is going to cause the Spearhead Trail riders to ride the Hatfield-McCoy Trail and the reverse is true. That's going to create an ATV mecca. And if you look at the marketing campaign for Hatfield-McCoy and the marketing campaign for the Spearhead, the ATV world is being hit by both sides." With construction on the Spearhead Trail in Tazewell County now underway, Woodard said marketing efforts to promote the trail are now being doubled. In-house crews from Tazewell County are constructing the trail. But the actual trail itself will be operated by the Southwest Virginia Regional Recreation Authority. It is one of seven stand-alone trails being developed by the authority in seven different Southwest Virginia counties. "What we've started already is a marketing campaign for our portion of the Spearhead Trail, and that includes a billboard on Interstate 77," Woodard said. "We've also got a national publication that we've begun a marketing campaign on. It's not just for the Spearhead Trail, but all tourism-related things in Tazewell County." Woodard said local tourism officials are working in conjunction with the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the Department of Housing and Community Development and the town of Pocahontas on a community preparedness program in anticipation of an influx of out-of-town visitors to the region. "We have also been working with a couple of ATV resorts that are in progress that will provide RV hookups and cabins and such things in the town of Pocahontas, and are working with some others and entrepreneurs who are working to expand business and put in new business," Woodard said. The local trailhead is being developed at the Boissevain Coal Miner's Memorial Park. And the actual link -- or connector road between the Spearhead Trail and the Hatfield-McCoy Trail -- will be Route 644 in Pocahontas, which has already been designated as a "ATV friendly" route. Woodard said the entire region -- including Mercer, Tazewell and Bland counties -- will benefit from the new Spearhead Trail system. "As far as if we open the trail tomorrow -- do we have places for them to sleep?" Woodard said. "No, but we are working on it. That's in progress. Are there places for them to eat? Yes. Are there enough places for them to eat. No. But we are in a position over the next year or two where we will see a lot of growth." -- Contact Charles Owens at [email protected] ___ (c)2014 the Bluefield Daily Telegraph (Bluefield, W.Va.) Visit the Bluefield Daily Telegraph (Bluefield, W.Va.) at bdtonline.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |