Hatfield-McCoy Trail eyes new record as 2024 permit season begins

Nov. 14—The Hatfield-McCoy Trail is rolling toward a new ridership record.

The southern West Virginia-based ATV trail system closed out its 2023 season Monday, and began selling ridership permits for 2024. Permit sales for 2023 were up more than 6 percent from 2022. The authority is estimating that as many as 92,000 ridership permits were sold this year.

That's up from 86,877 permits in 2022, according to Hatfield-McCoy Trail Authority Executive Director Jeffrey Lusk, who said the final 2023 figures won't be available until December.

"It's gonna be close, but we are anticipating selling over 92,000 permits this year," Lusk said Monday, as the authority was working to transition from the 2023 ridership season to permit sales for 2024. The Hatfield-McCoy Trail ridership season goes from November to November.

"We know just from the sales revenue side that we are up 6 percent," Lusk said. "We project this year that it will be over 92,000 permits. Based upon the growth we've had it is very exciting."

Lusk said the trail authority closed out the 2023 season on a high note with record fall ridership numbers.

"We've had a record September and a record October," Lusk said. "So this fall has grown faster than the latter part of the year."

Lusk said great weather, and a late peak for the region's fall foliage season, has fueled strong fall ridership numbers.

"All of the stars have lined up right," Lusk said. "We usually experience a mid-November decline, and right now we just aren't seeing that. I'm sure at some point it will come, but right now we aren't seeing that."

Those who are riding the trails now will be a part of the 2024 ridership tally.

Lusk said several new ATV lodging facilities came online this year with many of them being in Mercer County. He said the additional beds are helping to drive up ridership numbers.

"It (available lodging) is the only way we can grow," Lusk said. "It continues to be our glass ceiling."

Lusk said lodging providers are already booking rooms for the spring — another indicator of a strong 2024 ridership season.

"So in talking to some of our lodging providers, the ones I have talked to have been very pleased with their forward reservations for the spring," Lusk said. "They are already getting calls and already getting bookings for the spring. All of them seem very pleased with the number of calls they are getting for the spring."

As more lodging facilities come on board, more ATV tourists will flock to the region, according to Lusk.

He pointed to recent openings in the Bluewell and Bramwell communities.

"Bluewell is a really, really neat location," Lusk said. "You've got so many places to eat, and it is really close to the trails. The whole Bluewell, Bramwell area is strategically located."

Lusk said the neighboring city of Bluefield offers a number of locations for ATV tourists to dine at.

"It's a really nice place for folks to do their vacation," Lusk said of the Bluefield, Bluewell and Bramwell area.

The trail authority's goal for 2024 is 100,000 permit sales — a figure that the ATV trail system has not yet reached.

"We are really, really optimistic that we are going to have a banner 2024," Lusk said. "I really believe we are going to set records again this year. We are hoping 2024 is the year we go over 100,000. But if it doesn't we know it will be 2025."

In order to reach 100,000 permit sales, Lusk said additional investments — particularly in lodging — will be needed.

"It is the only way we can get those numbers — continuing to add capacity, lodging capacity," he said.

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com. Follow him @BDTOwens