Your Town Minocqua: ATV/UTV trails add to tourist revenue

"Its literally exploded," Dewey Sternberg said, about ATV/UTV riding.

ATV/UTV riders are finding their way to the trails offered in Minocqua and surrounding communities. And its only going to get bigger.

"We just love being outdoors, being in the woods, riding the trails, the wildlife," said Corky Sheppard, vice president of the Lakeland ATV Club. "Everything about it. The scenery changes every time you're out."

"We'll end up in the middle of things once this all gets finished with a forest plan. Over 200 miles of trails we could put in this state forest we have here right now," Sternberg said.

Sternberg says there are more than 300,000 ATV/UTV's licensed in

Wisconsin. The club has been around for 10 years now...The big boom coming in the last three.

"Three years ago we were only thinking about possibly having such a thing like this," added Sternberg.

Darwin Lohse is one of 600 safety patrol people in the sate certified by the Wisconsin ATV Association. He's been a trail ambassador since 2012.

"The average age of a rider is 44 years of age," Lohse said, "however there are more young drivers getting into the picture every year and we're seeing a lot more families."

The rise in popularity will certainly increase traffic for many businesses, like Slo's Pub in Woodruff.

"Adding ATV's will make the season start a little earlier for us and a little later, still have that crowd," said Suzanne Slowinski, owver of Slo's Pub. "Up here we live for tourists."

Its been a winding road to get to this point. Numerous club, town and county meetings.

"But its worth every effort," Sheppard said.

For the sport they love, and they think you will, too.

"I think once they got into it and started to do it," said Sternberg, "you're being able to get out in the woods. There's such a big area to ride in Wisconsin."