BLUEWELL, W.Va. (AP) — Sales figures over the past year are showing a likely record number of all-terrain vehicle riders on the Hatfield-McCoy Trails in West Virginia.
Sales for the past season could be as high as 25% to 30% over last year’s sales record, said Jeffrey Lusk, executive director of the Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreation Authority.
The trails system counts trail pass sales from mid-November to mid-November, Lusk told the Bluefield Daily Telegraph on Friday. Mild weather has helped keep out-of-state riders coming.
“We’re still getting the final count,” Lusk said. “But we know it’s going to be record sales, absolutely one of the best years in the Hatfield-McCoy Trails.”
Vendors offering trail passes have already picked up “tremendous” numbers of the new passes, which are now on sale, he said. The new passes are good until Dec. 31, 2022.
The pandemic may have benefited the system. Visitors say outdoor activities make social distancing easier.
“We’ve grown every year since our inception,” Lusk said. “We think folks have found the outdoors. They’ve found West Virginia. They’re very comfortable. You don’t have to interact with a tremendous number of guests. There have been record sales of UTVs, ATVs and motorcycles, so that’s got to be contributing to it.”