GILBERT — Eric Burgess realized early there was no future in the boom and bust cycles of West Virginia’s coal industry. Instead, the coal-truck-driver-turned-entrepreneur is pinning his success on miles of all-terrain vehicle trails that crisscross the state’s southern coalfields.

“I’m going for the guy with the Denali, pulling four or six ATVs, looking to get dirty but stay in a place he is used to,” says Burgess, who is set to start construction on a 30-suite hotel in this town of about 400 residents.

The trails are part of the Hatfield-McCoy system, a network of 550 miles of off-road trails for four-wheelers and motorcycles that was named after two infamous families who carried on a 12-year feud in the region. The idea behind the trail system was to attract tourists and increase business opportunities to nine economically depressed counties where coal and timber once reigned.

Eight of the nine counties have a poverty level below the state average of 16.2 percent and six have unemployment rates higher than the state average of 4.6 percent.

An economic impact study conducted by Marshall University last year found that between 2000 and 2005, the trail generated $7.2 million in direct spending and created at least 146 jobs in the nine-county area.

Owners of restaurants, convenience stores, motels and camp grounds have benefited from the more than 100,000 riders who have used one or more of the six established trail systems. Additional trails will be built as the system is expanded to cover the 2,000 miles envisioned by promoters.

“We didn’t realize until we got into this study about off road vehicles and how there is a phenomenal growth in outdoor enthusiasts,” said Cal Kent, vice president for business and economic research at Marshall. “The industry is literally exploding.”

The study also found that of the 391 trail riders surveyed in 2006, half were repeat visitors and more than half bought a three-day permit.

“Nationwide it’s a huge economic impact and it shows up in areas like this because it’s so depressed that when it (ATV trail) gives it that boost you see it,” said Russ Ehnes, executive director of the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council.

One example of this growth is the town of Man in Logan County, where more than 20 businesses have opened as a result of a nearby trailhead.

“For a small town of 500 or 600 people, that is huge, that is economic development before your eyes,” said John Fekete, deputy executive director of the Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreation Authority.

In nearby Boone County, the trail was instrumental in creating 10 businesses, said Larry Lodato, the county’s economic development and tourism director.

Boone County has only 65 miles of trails, but the tourism potential has local officials talking about expanding a water park near the trailhead to include hiking areas, a fishing pier and sports field.

“It’s going to be a family-themed environment,” Lodato said.

The Hatfield-McCoy Retail Center will also be in Boone County. The 2,000-square-foot facility will ship orders for trail items across the country and create 10 jobs when it opens this fall.

“We are so coal oriented we are thankful for any new businesses coming in,” Lodato said. “We think tourism is going to be the savior.”

The Reed family in Mingo County is also counting on the trail.

Bill Reed, his wife and father-in-law have started several businesses to fill ATV riders’ needs.

They own a body shop, ATV rental and gear shop and a 16-room motel in Gilbert. Reed also works part-time promoting the trails.

“We are financially better off than we were two years ago,” Reed said. “We are still going through some growing pains, but we definitely see a glowing light at the end of the tunnel.”

In some ways, the Hatfield-McCoy system was patterned after the 900-mile Paiute ATV Trail in Utah.

Unlike the Hatfield-McCoy system, which is all on private land, the south-central Utah trail is on public property, running through 16 rural communities, said Max Reid, a public service staffer for the Fish Lake National Forest.

“The proof is in the pudding,” Reid said. “Folks who come to ride the trail system can physically ride into the community, they can access fuel, lodging, food, repairs, anything they need, then ride back out onto the trail system.”

The Hatfield-McCoy system works much the same way, which is why people keep coming back.

Ken Shamy drove 650 miles from Monmouth Junction, N.J., to ride the 115-mile Browning Fork Trail for the second time. It’s the longest of the trails, with direct access to gas and lodging.

“I just love it up here, just getting away,” he said.

Because of repeat riders like Shamy, Eric Burgess was able to expand the print shop business he started 11 years ago while working at a surface coal mine. He now prints more than 10,000 T-shirts and other trail-related items a year.

He recently opened a liquor store and rents out space to a video lottery parlor. He hopes to begin construction Aug. 1 on his $5 million hotel where the rooms will rent through timeshares. He has already been approached about building similar projects in other counties where the trails traverse.

“They see somebody is willing to do something and make a difference,” said Burgess. “I know the potential.”