Wood County Celebrates 50 Miles of New UTV/ATV Trails and Routes
Power Pac enthusiastic for what trail system growth means for area
NEKOOSA — June 6, 2019 — Wood County officially announced the opening of 42 miles of on-road routes and 7 miles of off-road trails for UTV/ATV use yesterday at a ribbon cutting ceremony in Nekoosa.
“With UTV registrations approaching the 400,000 range nationally, it’s important that cities and townships accommodate for the growing trend,” says Randy Harden, Wisconsin ATV Association President. “These machines don’t make good lawn ornaments. People want somewhere to ride them and enjoy the beautiful scenery that you have in Central Wisconsin. These trails and routes are an asset and it shows great foresight from your county, townships and cities.”
The new routes are a welcome change as UTV (utility terrain vehicle) use continues to grow in Central and Northern Wisconsin.
“We’ve seen a steady increase in demand for our UTV lines over the last five years and this year, UTV sales surpassed motorcycles nationally,” says Josh Witt, co-owner of Power Pac. “The vehicles give access to scenic, remote locations and are just plain fun and easy to drive. The opening of more roads and trails for UTV and ATV use is a positive thing for everyone.”
The new trails and routes connect to other existing routes and mainline trails in other adjacent counties which will bring new traffic and visitors through the area, boosting the local economy.
“Like snowmobiling, the new routes will give folks an excuse to visit the area's local restaurants, bars and shopping. We applaud Wood County for seeing this vision and working to continue its growth.”
“Like snowmobiling, the new routes and trails will give folks an excuse to visit these areas and experience the local restaurants, bars and shopping,” says Mandy Witt, co-owner and CMO, Power Pac. “Some folks don’t realize the value of what catering to this type of tourism will do for the surrounding communities. We applaud Wood County for seeing this vision and working to continue its growth.”
Wood County, local chambers and organizations and Power Pac celebrated the opening of the new trails at a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday at Ho Chunk Casino. Power Pac of Marshfield provided demo UTVs for attendees to use to help folks experience the local trails first hand.
“We wanted to celebrate what these new routes and trails will mean for the county,” says Jason Grueneberg, Director of Planning and Zoning, Wood County. “Wood county has a lot to offer folks in terms of outdoor recreation and we want to highlight that and the local businesses that help fuel this trend. Partnering with businesses like Power Pac who see the value of growth and strategic planning like this is a win-win. We need to work with multiple entities and groups to continue to show the value and open more routes each year.”
Staff from Wood County
cut a ribbon to officially
open over 50 miles of new
Wood County UTV/ATV
trails and routes.