A year ago there wasn't enough purpose-built bike-optimized single track to entice even the most hardcore mountain bikers from their comfy suburban bike trails to the Red River Gorge area. We're still a long way from making anyone's top ten riding destinations list. But we will be there soon.
The Cumberland Plateau in Eastern Kentucky is a unique landscape. Topped by the sandstone caprock of the Pottsville Escarpment the region is characterized by second growth forest on steep sideslopes with house-sized boulders and towering cliffs. There's not much flat land, but there aren't long gradual climbs either. Everything is severe; steep.
People that know say we could have the next Pisgah. But the topography is different. There are superficial similarities, but even the Appalachian culture is different in Kentucky than in Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina. We'll never have Pisgah in Eastern Kentucky. But that's s good thing.
Nor will we have a Brown County, or a Moab, or Crested Butte. That's perfectly okay. Because what we will have will be our own. It will be unique. It will be a different user experience. And that's key to success in a competing outdoor adventure market.
I hate to speak in economic terms, but I've accepted that you have to make the economic case to get results sometimes. But first I'm going to make the emotional appeal.
Mountain bikers have access to 1,200 acres of prime Plateau land in northern Lee County, Kentucky. No environmental studies are necessary. There are no bureaucratic hoops to jump through. There is only one other user group to work with and they are not in the area for trails (though we will compete for parking). And this other user group owns the land outright and has invited us to come play.
Twelve hundred acres to develop with no red tape in Red River Gorge terrain. Open season? Not really. I have had great difficulty in getting mountain bikers in the region to help build the trails. "It's too far," they whine, though they'll drive an hour or more to Laurel Lake when Central Kentucky trails are too muddy to ride. Twenty five years ago it was common to make that same hour drive from all over this part of the state to go to Cave Run. They'll go to Brown County, race in distant states. But Red River Gorge is "too far."
I call shenanigans.
Most "local" RRG rock climbers live in Lexy. They make frequent commutes to climb. And the vast majority of those who have developed the hundreds of sport climbs (the infrastructure which put RRG on the map) have driven in from Louisville, Lexington, and Cincinnati with some coming from as far away as Indy and Columbus. Their efforts made the Gorge a world class climbing destination.
It would take far less time and energy to do the same and make it a world class mountain biking destination. The problem is mountain bikers don't want to help build the trails they ride. I'm not going to make excuses. There are no free lunches. If you want to ride you need to help build and/or maintain. If you're content with what you have then don't whine when it's not rideable or there are too many other trail users. Don't complain that your local trails aren't long enough. Don't cry when the trails are closed down for an event. Or when a new road is coming through and wipes out a significant chunk of them. Don't complain about gas prices for your road trips to ride. Don't talk about being bored or not challenged or burned out. In cruder terms: piss or get off the pot.
The economics are more straightforward. More trails mean more tourism dollars. Those are outside dollars which matter more to a local economy. And those dollars are proven when you add more trails. Any rural area can boost revenue by thoughtfully developing infrastructure and the means to effectively capture those tourist dollars. You need hotels and restaurants for a hotel and restaurant tax to work. But when you get the whole equation in place you will start making money for your community, your region, and your state.
I have a personal stake. I grew up in this area. I want to see these small Central Appalachian communities thrive. And I love mountain biking.
I propose to make the Cumberland Plateau to mountain bikers what the Red River Gorge is to rock climbing. All it takes is the minimal relocation of a relatively small amount of dirt, wood, and rock. All it takes are a few able bodies guided by passion and vision.
If you're interested in helping out email me directly at ascentionist@yahoo.com
