Can Rural Communities Build a Trail-Based Economy? Why Storytelling Matters as Much as Trails
Every time we cut a new trail through the woods, not only are we changing the landscape, but we’re also changing the future of the communities that surround it.
Most of us don’t show up to a dig day thinking about hotel occupancy rates, tax revenue, or rural economic development. We’re thinking about drainage, sightlines, sustainable grades, rockwork, and building the best trail we can. And that’s exactly how it should be.
What Does It Take to Become an Outdoor Tourism Destination?
On a random weekend in June, I found myself driving through Moab, Utah.
Long before I reached the edge of town, I knew I had arrived.
Sprinter vans lined the highway with expensive mountain bikes hanging off the back. Signs advertised jeep tours, climbing guides, and bike shuttles. Every parking lot seemed full of dusty adventure rigs. There was an unmistakable energy in the air.
You could feel it.
Rural Communities Don’t Need the Next Unbound. They Need Their Own Version of Dufur.
Every year, the gravel cycling world turns its attention toward Emporia, Kansas.
Thousands of riders from around the world travel to Unbound Gravel. The event attracts roughly 5,000 participants and generates millions of dollars in economic activity for the community. For a few days each year, Emporia becomes the center of the gravel universe.
It’s an impressive success story.
But I think many rural communities are asking the wrong question.
The question isn’t, “How do we become the next Emporia?”
The better question might be, “What is our version of Dufur?”