Riders on the Pinnacle Creek Trail System now have twice the options on where to stay, eat and gas up their rides, thanks to the grand opening of the connector trail to the town of Mullens. Let's send it over to Mary Catherine Brooks of the Beckley Register-Herald, who was on hand for everything from Gov. Joe Manchin cutting the ribbon to the first ATV zooming into the hills:
"Under brilliantly sunny skies, officials opened the Mullens link to the Hatfield-McCoy Recreational Trails System Thursday.
Gov. Joe Manchin cut the ribbon marking the official opening. However, a few riders took advantage of the newest link in the trail system earlier in the day.
“This has been a long-awaited day,” Mayor Jon McKinney said, adding the link is the beginning of “good things to come” for Mullens.
“This is a great day for the city of Mullens and a great day for southern West Virginia,” said Jeff Lusk, executive director of the Hatfield-McCoy Recreational Trails Authority.
Lusk said it is the eighth community connector opened within the trail system and has been the most difficult to construct thus far.
“Mullens is the gateway to the Twin Falls connector,” Lusk said.
Twin Falls Resort State Park will be the first state park linked to the 600-mile, multi-county trail system, Lusk explained.
Officials hope to have the park connector opened within a year, but the next step is for city officials in Mullens to identify their preferred exit route, Lusk noted.
“This will do for Mullens what Pinnacle Creek did for Pineville,” Lusk said.
He anticipates new lodging facilities to open in the area, along with ATV rental businesses and increased traffic in existing restaurants in Mullens..." Check out the whole article here
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