By Mark Scott, director, Market MontGOmery Chamber & Tourism • Even if you’re not an outdoor enthusiast, you should know that the local off-road trails will open this weekend and thousands of visitors will be here over the next few weeks and will continue coming through December. Between 500 and 1,000 off-road vehicles, carrying an average of two to three people each, will be at the Uwharrie Outdoor Summit this weekend on Hwy. 109 across from the Eldorado Outpost.
The vast majority of these people are middle, upper-middle or upper-class people driving Jeeps, Humvees, Range Rovers, Land Rovers, etc. They’re not here to paint the town red but to practice “tread lightly” and other land-use principles that help leave as little of a ecological footprint as possible.
Many have come for years and some will be new, but most don’t know about all of the cool places to visit in Montgomery County like Speckled Paw, the Café’ & Taproom, Uwharrie Mercantile, Crawford’s Diner, Milano’s, etc.
Regardless of what the county attorney and county manager say, cities and counties throughout North Carolina realize that visitors in your county are exactly the target audience for tourism. They’re already here and need to know there is more to see, do and eat in Montgomery County. Since we don’t have way-finding signage, we ask you to fill that role. If you see visitors at convenience stores, restaurants, coffee shops, etc., make them feel welcome. Ask if they are aware of other places of interest in our county.
Contact Chris at the Eldorado Outpost for more information.
Guidelines from the Uwharrie National Forest Service:
• OHV trails open between 8 and 9 a.m. this Friday.
• Alcohol is prohibited on the trails and roads.
• Unlicensed vehicles are prohibited from using forest and state roads.
• Trail passes must be displayed on vehicles when on OHV trails; day passes are $5 and season passes are $30.
• OHV trail maintenance got a late start so some work is still being done on the trails. Work will NOT occur on weekends but signs will be in place; please obey the signs.
• Trail traffic will be high this weekend and road maintenance has not been completed, so officials are advising people to drive slowly and have their lights on at all times. Make yourself seen to prevent accidents.
Places to purchase OHV passes:
• Uwharrie National Forest: 789 NC Hwy 24/27 E, Troy – Phone: 910-576-6391 x 0 • Eldorado Outpost: 4021 NC Hwy 109 N, Troy – Phone: 910-572-3474 • Swift Island BP: 4560 NC Hwy 24/27 W, Mt. Gilead – Phone: 910-439-0073 • Uwharrie Sportsman: 4593 NC Hwy 24/27 W, Mt. Gilead – Phone: 910-439-4336 • Uwharrie Trails General Store: 4568 NC Hwy 109 N, Troy – Phone: 910-571-0100 (opening on April 13, 2019) |