OCTOBER 15, 2009 ISSUE
If You Build It, the Tourists Will Come
Watauga County TDA Announces Rocky Knob Recreation Park in Boone
CLICK HERE TO VIEW LARGER IMAGE »The WCTDA recently announced the purchase of roughly 45 acres off Highway 421 East beside the Watauga County Landfill that, once meshed with a 130-acre adjoining tract already owned by the county, will become the 175-acre Rocky Knob Park—an outdoor recreation center offering a network of mountain biking and hiking trails, picnic areas and green space that WCTDA administrators believe will attract all ages of visitors to the High Country.
Since its inception 3.5 years ago, the Watauga County Tourism Development Authority (WCTDA) has embraced a simple yet comprehensive mission—establish Watauga County as one of the premier outdoor recreation destinations in the country. Whereas the area is known for its top-tier golf courses, WCTDA Chair Rob Holton, Executive Director Wright Tilley and Senior Outdoor Recreation Planner Eric Woolridge believe that hiking and biking are just as important to tourism in Watauga County as golf and tennis promotions are to other destinations.
To that end, the WCTDA is announcing the purchase of 45 acres off Highway 421 East beside the Watauga County Landfill that, once meshed with a 130-acre adjoining tract already owned by the county, will become the 175-acre Rocky Knob Park—an outdoor recreation center offering a network of mountain biking and hiking trails, picnic areas and green space that Holton, Tilley and Woolridge believe will attract all ages of visitors to the High Country.
“The long-range goal [of the WCTDA] is within five years to have the High Country and Boone area as one of the top 10 locations in the country for outdoor recreation,” said Holton. “We want to create a wide variety of outdoor activities, which is our strength because we have so many available already. With the proper infrastructure, we can provide that reputation.
“What the TDA is trying to do—which is Eric’s job—is identify outdoor activities, then identify existing infrastructure and then identify the gaps,” Holton continued. “We are asking, ‘What can we do to fill these gaps and attract those with an outdoor lifestyle to our area?’”
Filling the Gaps
One of the identified gaps is mountain biking. Without a mountain biking course in close proximity, Boone loses tourism—‘heads in the beds,’ as hoteliers say—to Wilkesboro, which features multiple mountain bike trail networks surrounding W. Kerr Scott Reservoir.
“We’ve been losing people from [Watauga County] to other counties for their mountain biking facilities,” explained Woolridge.
“And that’s constantly a drag,” added Mike Boone, owner of Magic Cycles and founding board member of the nonprofit, Boone Area Cyclists, which will work on grants to help design and create the new mountain bike trails at Rocky Knob Park.
“Visitors come to our area from all over and have this expectation [that Boone has mountain biking trails] and when they find out [about the facilities in Wilkesboro] it hurts us, hurts our brand,” added Woolridge.
The mountain range on the right side of the photo will become part of the soon-to-be-established Rocky Knob Park. The park will feature direct access from Highway 421, and utilize a plot of county-owned land that, before this project was conceived, was deemed unfit for industrial development. The property is located across from Mack Brown Chevrolet and beside the Watauga County Landfill. Photo by Sam Calhoun
Woolridge wants all ages and skill levels to feel comfortable on the trails that will be created at the new park. In the long range, Woolridge would like to see two or more mountain biking/hiking/picnic facilities established in Boone so that Wilkesboro’s biking and hiking trails become only ancillary in comparison. The hope is that outdoor recreation enthusiasts will choose Boone as a home base because of the amount of outdoor activities available and only think of opportunities in towns outside of the High Country as possible day trips—the WCTDA wants these visitors heads to be in our hotels’ beds.
“We want Boone to be the center of their vacation,” said Holton.
“This is important. Mountain biking trips are now replacing golf trips for the new generations,” added Boone.
Location, Location, Location
One of the first duties Woolridge took on when he accepted his position in March was to determine what recreational assets and opportunities currently existed in Watauga County. One of those assets was a large piece of land—somewhere between 125 and 131 acres—owned by the county and located beside the landfill. The land is undeveloped, partly because the Watauga County Economic Development Commission deemed it unfit for industrial use and partly because of right-of-way issues.
Having established the idea for an outdoor recreation facility with the WCTDA and realizing that the land would have limited potential outside of establishing such a facility, Woolridge pushed hard to clear up access issues to the plot of land—he even looked at reengineering Landfill Road. In the end, though, having visitors drive through a landfill—no matter how aesthetically pleasing it might be—did not seem like a good idea for a tourism initiative.
As fate would have it, heirs to Anne Darnell’s estate—a 45-acre tract located between the 130 acres owned by the county and Highway 421—were trying to sell off their ancestors’ property and presented the possibility to the WCTDA. On October 5, the Watauga County Board of Commissioners approved a purchase offer from the WCTDA for the Darnell property for $909,000. The WCTDA is currently under contract for the property and will use a percentage of its occupancy tax revenues, in addition to funds from its capital reserve, to consummate the sale. According to Holton, the WCTDA has “ran lean” since it was created 3.5 years ago so that it could finance a boost to the county’s tourism infrastructure through creating a recreation destination facility, such as Rocky Knob Park.
“It’s great—it’s like we really bought 175 acres, instead of just 45,” said Woolridge, who is also excited that the park will be visible from Highway 421 coming into Boone and feature direct access from the scenic byway, sans a trip up Landfill Road. “Now, we’re protecting the viewshed on scenic byway Highway 421 coming into Boone.”
Rocky Knob Park
“Rocky Knob Park” is still the working name of the new facility, according to Woolridge. The name is in reference to Rocky Knob, which acts as a backdrop to the tract of land.
Tilley said the WCTDA hopes to close on the sale by December and then enter into a planning phase that includes public involvement. Once the sale is final, Watauga County will own and operate the park and land.
The planning phase in 2010 will include input from a new nonprofit, Boone Area Cyclists, who recently established an interim board of directors and will begin a membership drive later in the year. The nonprofit is open to all cyclists—whether leisure, road, mountain or commuter bikers—and interested parties can email booneareacyclists@gmail.com to receive more information.
According to preliminary plans, Rocky Knob Park will feature a rest room area, picnic tables, green space and a large network of mountain biking and hiking trails. Woolridge also recently met with Todd Patoprsty of High Country Disc Golf Club to explore the possibility of creating a disc golf course at the park, but that is still a hypothetical until more information is received.
Woolridge hopes to hire a professional mountain bike trail builder and a landscape architect to construct the corridors for the trails by June 2010, and then have teams of volunteers finish the job. Boone Area Cyclists have already promised volunteers for the project. The WCTDA wants the trails to appeal to riders of varying abilities.
“There’s definitely enough land out there to accommodate everyone’s needs,” said Boone.
“We want a family on vacation to use this place,” explained Woolridge.
“But we also want the serious cyclists to come and stay in the Boone area,” Tilley added. “We want it to be multi-use.”
For more information on the WCTDA, click to www.exploreboonearea.com.
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