ATV trail proposal at Rushford and Peterson

On Saturday, April 6, four state directors of ATVAM (All Terrain Vehicle Association of Minnesota) visited Rushford to meet with Officers of the local Bluff Country ATV Club and discuss a proposed ATV trail referred to as the Rim Trail.  The proposed and most desired trail alignment would be within the beauty of forested bluff land that overlooks the Root River between Rushford and Peterson.  

The Rim Trail is a loop design and would follow a lateral contour of the bluff shoulder to eliminate erosion and be located a repectful distance from any housing, livestock or sensitive natural areas.  “No productive farm land would be infringed upon,” noted a club spokesperson, “and the primary aim of the trail route would be to provide a safe, family oriented, and stunning visual experience for area  residents and for visitors.”  When built, the trail would be added to the Grant-in-Aid (GIA) maintenance program that is funded by ATV Licenses and Registration fees.  The local BCATV Club members would provide the volunteer labor to build and maintain the Grant-in-Aid trail under the same rules that the Valley Crest Snowmobile Club trails.  The two trails would not follow the same route because much of the snowmobile trail is across productive farm land during the growing season.  ATV trails are open from the first Saturday in May to November 1, and do not interfere with deer hunting.  

Much of the discussion focused on the need for an ATV trail, and the impacts to the local economy and current residents.  It was stated that there are more than 311,000 registered ATVs in Minnesota. The vast majority of trails currently are in the national and state forests of Minnesota’s NE Region.  Another large portion exists in central Minnesota’s forests and lake counties.  There are well over 1,400 miles in northeast and central Minnesota, while southeast Minnesota has only 54 miles of state or GIA club ATV trails.  It is apparent that local ATV riders don’t have much opportunity and few “visitor” riders choose to come to southeast Minnesota for limited riding.  They prefer to stay over and ride two or more days.

According to economic studies, the average ATV day trip rider spends $289 per day, while the average “stay trip” riders spend $332 per day.  In 2016, this produced over $8 million in the northeast, $4.5 million in the northwest, $3 million in central Minnesota, and less than $1million in the southest.  The number of miles of trail means an increased number of riders that stay longer and spend more money.  This money goes directly into businesses and workers but also has indirect and induced income benefits to the community and state treasuries.  

The overall assessment of the discussion revealed the following: there is certainly a need for a more equal number of trail opportunities; the large resident ATV ownership would use trail experiences as a method of appreciating natural beauty; and a trail of such unique quality as the proposed Rim Trail would produce immense economic benefits for the local economies that embrace it.  One of the ATVAM directors commented that he believed there would not be another trail like it in the midwest.

The next steps are to keep introducing the concept to civic groups, continue to meet landowners for permission/lease participation to define the trail route and explain the liability protection, define the in-town routes/parking areas, work with other trail user groups to generate a multiplier effect for more natural surface, outdoor recreation trails (hikers, single-track bikers, equine riders, birders, water-trail users, etc.).  It was noted that more activities create even more activity and increase the economic impact and community involvement.